You Can Believe God!

“Do you swear to tell the truth so help you God?” That used to be the oath that was sworn in courtrooms across our country as men and women would place their right hands on a Bible. The truth is something we treasured. Swearing on a Bible meant we put our words in God’s hands and basically were asking Him to help us tell the truth no matter what. I’ve heard that now you can choose whether to reference God into it. As kids we would pinky swear or say the proverbial “stick a needle in my eye…” quote. The truth is so important that even kids wanted to be sure of their friends telling the truth.

My husband is a man of his word. The more I got to know him the more I realized that he tells the truth. I’ve never caught him in a lie ever. I’ve never heard him tell an untruth or try to shuffle things around to make himself look better. He just tells the truth. If you ask him he’ll tell you. Because he’s always told the truth I am in a position to readily believe what he says about any subject. So I’m privileged to rest in his words. They comfort me and help me have knowledge about things I don’t know. I refer to him often when I am asked a question about deep things of the Scripture or other important things like how to loosen a bolt. I am also confident that when I’m with him anywhere he can be trusted. It’s good to know that he won’t lie for me and he won’t lie to me either. Often he has laughed as I asked him something he might not know. He laughs because I assume he knows everything because he tells the truth about everything. Knowledge is a real high quality to have if you’re going to tell the truth.

You and I are privileged to put our faith in God through Christ. As a believer we can know that God is a God of His Word. God doesn’t lie. So we have a sure foundation for our faith. We can readily believe what God’s Word says because it’s truth. We can rest in His promises because He’s a God of His Word. What He says about you is the truth. What He declares for you is the Gospel. What He asks you to do is possible because it’s His truth and He’s trustworthy.

Oh beloved, you can believe God! You can trust God! You can rest in His promises. Are you struggling with an issue this morning? Run to His Word and get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. God will not laugh at you because He knows everything – everything about you, everything about your situation and everything you need to know to live a life of godliness and contentment. Others may not tell the truth about you or to you, but God has your back. He will turn the things that aren’t right into His glory and your good. Because He can be trusted you can rest in every single promise. You can walk in all the privileges. You can honor every declaration. You can live in His truth and take it as your own.

Precious one, no matter what situation you find yourself in God’s promises are for you. They will carry you through hardships, rejections, disappointments, physical ailments and pains of the heart. He loves you and He’s for you and those promises will let you walk valiantly all the days of your life.

Psalm 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

2 Corinthians 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God. AMP

Romans 4:20-21 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

Psalm 119:140 Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it.

Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Don't Limit God!

“You’re at your credit limit”. “You were over your speed limit”. I even heard the guys at my house talking about a “rev limiter” on the motorcycles.  It’s all about limits. Everyone has them. There’s a limit to how much coffee I can drink or I will get the jitters. Diabetics have a limit on the amount and kinds of sugars they can have. There’s a limit for blood pressure in order to stay healthy.  Parents limit the amount of time their children watch television. There should be limits on between meal snacks, buttery foods and ice cream (I know, so sad right?) Some limits are just plain good for you.

Other limits are not so good.  If you limit the amount of grace you extend to others you are in effect limiting the amount of grace you have in your own storehouse. If you limit the amount of time you spend studying God’s Word for your own needs, you will find yourself being weak in faith. If you limit forgiveness to only those who deserve it, where will that put you?  When you limit your prayer life, you limit the answers.

There are limits that can really mess up your life. 

If you limit how much you will love God and follow Him, you will miss the wonderful life of full blessings. God can only clean and use and redeem what we give to Him. If we hold back anything from God, we are limiting God's work in our life.

If you limit how much God can do then you can expect to have nothing more. It is with the same faith that we believe that He works. How high is His grace? How wide is His love? How deep is His redemption, His care, His plans?

Maybe you’ve been struggling. You wonder how God could love you. Maybe you wonder how much God will forgive you. You may know He loves you but how could He use you?  How could He look beyond your faults, your weaknesses, your inabilities? Are you having a hard time believing God can restore things that you know are broken? You would love to change the way things are – to be loved again and to have all of God’s promises working in your life. But you feel like you've overstepped God’s limits or that there’s just not enough grace to reach you, healing to restore you or Word to teach you.

Oh beloved! Look to the Lord instead of your circumstances. Look to God instead of yourself.  Look to faith instead of fear, worry or unbelief. God has made a way for you to be so full of faith that your unbelief has to yield. Even when you can’t believe in yourself you can trust Him to believe in you.  Don’t let the limits of your human existence place limits on God. Instead run to Him and let Him build you up in His most holy faith. He had unlimited grace for your every need, unlimited peace for your every trial, unlimited joy for your every sorrow, and unlimited favor, blessings and honor for you as you walk with Him. His promises are true and every single one of them were written with you in mind. Others may have walked away as they limited their love and care. But God has no limits for His children. There’s no limit to what God can do as you yield yourself to Him.

Whatever you need, beloved, is met in Christ – even your faith! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s where the limits are removed!

 

Psalm 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. (KJV)

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (KJV)

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. (NAS)

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

Hebrews 11:1-2 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.  Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”   Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Psalm 119:96 I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity]. (Amplified)