My second home (London) has become a bit of a pain to live in for the last few years especially during and after the pandemic. Even simple driving has become a pain. If you think you’re driving through the usual short cut that you’ve used for decades, you soon find out the road is now closed, and you have to turn and go back to where you started. It is so annoying and frustrating because you end up wasting even more time. Every city is trying to reduce emissions and take care of the earth that they have destroyed for millennia. That is fine, because the earth is God’s creation so yes, we should absolutely take care of it.
The problem is when humans try to fix their own sins, it will never be as redemptive as the salvation Jesus has blessed us with. When Jesus saved me, it had no negative impact on anyone. Likewise, when he saved you, there was nothing taken out of my life, there was no inconvenience to me. When Jesus died, he saved all of us at the same time from the wages of sin (death), so, we all win. No one is at a disadvantage when Jesus is at the centre because eternal life is sure and guaranteed for everyone.
When humans are fixing their earthly damage, I don’t know who wins because sometimes its a great and costly inconvenience to many, and the earth is still destroyed and not in any kind of rehab as result of these measures. My beloved Chestnut (named after Morris Chestnut) runs on diesel. I have had him since he was 3 years old. Since then, a lot has changed. These humans trying to prevent any more earthly damage, came up with the idea that now my beloved Chestnut if driven in an Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), will now be charged £12.50 on that day. From October 2021, this zone was moved closer to me, so I have to choose whether to take Chestnut out and about or go by public transport especially where the journey is near. Yesterday I read by August 2023 all of London will be ULEZ.
At the moment when I go to church on Saturday, I don’t go with Chestnut because it doesn’t make sense to pay £12.50 for a 20 min journey. Imagine taking public transportation when you have a handsome car that’s not even spoilt. Then now by next year it means I will have to sell my beloved Chestnut when there’s nothing wrong with him at all. He has been a faithful dude to me all this time we have been together. Pray for me.
Before I left for church, as ladies do, I decided to change handbags and, in the process, forgot to take my mask. Covid is on its winter rounds again and I’m not playing about. When I reached the bus stop, I saw 2 people waiting. One had a mask and I decided to ask if they had a spare one. I was not going to enter the bus without some kind of protection. Presumptuous? I think so.
I can see why I would want to protect myself because that virus has affected me, I haven’t fully recovered, I am just getting to a place of more strength, so I want to be careful and protect myself. There’s nothing wrong with that and yes, I should protect myself. Should I trust my own judgement more than I trust God. The answer is who knows more? Based on that, I can also decide in whom I should place my total trust.
I just heard an excellent analogy from Pastor D Snell on this trust issue we have with God (link below). We rely on the world so many times instead of God and we wonder why our life is far from what we want it to be. Its like someone in an abusive or toxic relationship. When eventually they cut lose and get into the next relationship, they still have trust issues even though this new person is good for them. Pastor Snell said this is exactly what we do with God. We go to the world for relief from our pain, solutions, advice and for solace.
The world doesn’t have the power to do that and It certainly can’t drive away evil. While I’m here, let me say there is power in the blood not in sage which the power in the blood created with his word. If a plant can drive evil, then surely sage would have died on the cross and won the battle with the devil. We know who not what won that battle. If the world had everlasting power that gives peace beyond human understanding, why did Jesus have to come at entry level, be rejected by people who were allegedly looking to be saved, be tortured and killed that we may see eternal life, a life of forever relief, joy, comfort, peace and no sorrow.
The world can’t do diddly squat to relieve us from our pain. It can’t give us solutions. Look at all these highly educated men who are heads of states of powerful developed countries struggling to find the solution to the economic crisis. The world cannot relieve us from any pain or discomfort, if anything it adds to it. Look at how many people are struggling with addiction. Nothing external can ever relieve, soothe and comfort us for eternity. It may work for some time but at some point, you realise its actually destroying you and you know who loves that very much. The one who steals, kills, and destroys is the one who lies to us that we don’t need God because God didn’t answer us exactly how we wanted. We didn’t get the promotion, we are 30+ and bumble app wants to be comfy and cosy with us, we prayed with all our might and cancer still took our loved one. In short, the destroyer fights daily for us not to Trust God for anything whether big or small.
Again, this is why we are asked to read our Bibles everyday so we can tell the devil with his lies that he has missed the point just like he does all the time and forever will. The point is never for God to answer our prayers exactly how we want, because Gods’ ways are not our ways. The devil will ask you what you mean, not because he doesn’t know, but because he is in denial. He knows you’re onto something. Remind him God has plans for Good and not for evil. Evil is him, and he knows that clearly. He wanted evil for Daniel and saw that he was put in the lion’s den. The point was not for Daniel to be exempt from being placed in the den in the first place. The point was for Daniel to be put in the lion’s den so we can see exactly how God’s power can sustain you in dangerous, life-threatening situations. Same thing with Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego. The point was not for them to be exempt from being put in the furnace. The point was for them to be put in the fire, so we can all see that when God is with you, walai it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to burn. His power is always greater than the negative consequences of your biggest issue, concern or fear.
In all these stories, yes, the dreaded happened but not one of them were at a disadvantage for ever putting God first. The dreaded happened but nothing happened to them. The dreaded happened but they had peace. The dreaded happened but they were saved. The dreaded happened and at the same time their prayer was answered! Wait, what? You mean I can pray for my loved one to be healed because ultimately, I want my happiness that they are alive to be intact only for them to die and my peace and joy remains intact? Yes. With God Nothing is impossible. Don’t ask me how. His ways are not my ways. All I know is there’s nothing too hard for him. If you keep him at the centre of your life, he can give you things that you can never explain.
We struggle to trust God because he doesn’t work logically. This messes us up. The world with its logic says e.g., if you’re unemployed you should be miserable. God and his ways which are higher than ours, says you can be unemployed, filled with joy and spread good cheer to all. God knows how to work things out, after all, didn’t he create everything. The key to living this life that defies all human logic and discipline is to trust him. You can’t trust the world and him. You have to choose. This is why the Excellent Book says friendship with the world is enmity with God. The worlds’ solutions, comforts and solace are against the peace, joy, grace, and eternal security God gives. He gives us these not because of anything we have done but simply because of his K.P.M.G (see K.P.M.G post) character. Besides trusting him, we have to learn to take instruction from him, then move in faith. Faith is about moving not just saying. When you move, God moves exponentially. Remind yourself with Brother Ludacris’s verse “when I move you move”, and just like that you will see yourself living a life that exceeds all your wildest expectations.
I was busy asking strangers for a mask, with good intentions, thinking I am setting myself up for protection, only to find out I wouldn’t even need the mask. I waited ages for the bus. It didn’t come. I decided to walk back to the house and get Chestnut to take me to church. Turns out there was a strike. I never got instruction that I will be unsafe. I never got instruction to ask for the mask. I just acted out of my own thinking and sufficiency. Had I asked for guidance, perhaps I would have given God the chance to then tell me, “Don’t even worry about the mask, you won’t be getting on the bus, there’s a strike, go get Chestnut and go to my house.”
I want this kind of faith where even for the seemingly small things, I am looking out for the still small guiding voice, because this is how I will then start to hear the instructions for the big life changing things that will then shape my life into not only what I desire it to be but what it was destined to be, before I was born.
May God heal our battered trust from all the effects of this abusive world. May he take and carry our baggage and teach us that he is a Good,Good God and is nothing like the world. May he teach us we are always safe with him. May he remind us that even though trouble is guaranteed to come, there is also a guarantee that he will deliver us from the lion’s den and the fiery furnace, the same way he did for others. May he remind us that though we may never see the HOW? that doesn’t have any bearing on the millions of ways he can bring relief, comfort, solace and deliver us from evil. Most of all may he teach us to trust him with all our heart in the big and especially small ways.
Link to Faith Sermon : https://youtu.be/dphVEiUFhpA
from 16:52
Related Verses
John 3:16, Proverbs 3:5, James 4:4, 2 Corinthians 1:3, John 10:10, Genesis 18:14, Luke 1:37, Isaiah 55:8-9, James 2:17, Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 29:11,
#Ulez #Jesus #EternalSecurity #Covid #Trust #Comfort #Solace #Peace #Sorrow #World #DidlySquat #WithGodItsImpossible #GodsWays #FaithMoves #Presumptious #BatteredTrust #TrustTheLordWithAllYourHeart
Next post: 04/12/2022
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May God heal our battered trust ... that's deep