Lessons In Trust

"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord." - Proverbs 16:20 NIV

My blog yesterday was about trusting in God's will for my life. How He will never give us more than we can handle and will see us through all of life's ups and downs. But, there are times, every day, that I find myself not completely trusting in God. I try to take care of things myself before I turn them over to God. It's one of the aspects of my relationship with Him that I am in constant prayer about. So, today, I'm just going to list verses that have to do with trusting in God - why it's so important as a part of my walk with Him, some of the benefits of trusting Him and some of the consequences of not trusting Him.

Why should I place my complete trust in Him? Because the Bible says so, that's why!

- "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." - Psalm 4:5 NIV

- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." -   Proverbs 3:5

- "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." - John 14:1

   NIV

- "Trust in the Lord and do good." - Psalm 37:3a NIV

THE BENEFITS OF TRUSTING GOD

God will honor me when I trust and serve Him. "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." - John 12:26 NIV

God will not forsake me. "Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You." - Psalm 9:10 NIV

God treats me as one of His children. "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed {trust} in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." - John 1:12 NIV

God is my rock and my refuge against Satan and the world. "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress,, my God, in whom I trust." - Psalm 91:2 NIV

God will bless me. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." - Jeremiah 17:7 NIV

God gives me eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 NIV

THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT TRUSTING GOD

I will not receive the blessings God has in store for me. "But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." - Numbers 20:12 NIV

I will be mislead. "You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me." - Isaiah 47:10 NIV

I will bring unnecessary pain and suffering into my life. "Will not pain grip you like that of a woman in labor? And if you ask yourself, "Why has this happened to me?"' - it is because of your many sins that your skirts have been torn off and your body mistreated....This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you," declares the Lord, "because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods." - Jeremiah 13:21b-22, 25 NIV

I will be judged by God. "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgement will be revealed. God 'will give to each person according to what he has done.' To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." - Romans 2:5-8 NIV

There are so many other benefits of trusting God, along with consequences of not trusting Him. I choose to reap the benefits rather than the consequences. I am faced with decisions and dilemmas every day - I am learning to turn to God and trust Him to lead me in the way I should go. Daily lessons in trust.

"Sometimes the very essence of faith is trusting God in the midst of things He knows good and well we cannot comprehend." - Beth Moore

Dear Lord, guide me today to trust You and be obedient to Your commandments. I confess that I do not always trust You and ask You to change that in me. May I learn to turn to You first in all things and trust You will give me the wisdom, knowledge and strength to face my challenges and see Your blessings. Keep me mindful of the benefits of trusting You but also of the consequences of not trusting You. These things I ask in Jesus' name, Amen.