Promises

As we grow up, those around us break all sorts of promises. Parents often break them as work or other obligations come before a ball game or recital. Marriage promises tend to be broken quite frequently unfortunately. Friends promising all sorts of things sometimes don't really work out either. So, why am I pointing out all this depressing news, because we are conditioned to be let down. From a young age, we learn quickly and disappointingly that those around us are not very trustworthy. This break in trust, whether on purpose or inadvertently, conditions us to be jaded and to not trust. 

True story, I had a distrust of people because all the people I loved either left me or died when I was younger. So the circle of people I let in as friends was limited. Death and neglect can be a powerful character changer if we let it. 

That said, It's a wonder how anyone comes to Christ these days as trust in mankind is gone. Obviously, the distrust in man should not be transferred over to God/Jesus but people carry hurts throughout their entire lives and if they've been seriously injured due to a breach in trust, then it's hard for them to trust anyone again including God/Jesus. Even the person telling them the good news is suspect and internal suspicions slow their progress in coming to Jesus. 

We are a distrustful lot when it comes to anything including God. Look at the Israelites coming out of  Egypt. They knew how to distrust, they were given over to slavery by the breach in trust between the descendants of Jacob and the new Pharaoh. They carried that distrust with them out into the wilderness with Moses and then projected it onto God. Even the hand of rescue was distrusted because of the pain inflicted by the Egyptians over the centuries. 

When we look towards Jesus as our savior, it tends to be when all options in this world are exhausted and we feel that Jesus is the only way. Things have gone wrong in our lives, we've been battered and abused, and we are tired. Our trust in Jesus comes at an extremely low points in our lives usually. We tend to trust in the promise of better times, in good, in plenty, in care and rescue but with distrust so heavily ingrained into our hearts, we only give so much. Back to the wanderings of the Israelites, they were promised a land flowing with milk and honey. However, their journey there wasn't divulged to them and they increasingly distrusted Moses and God as they came upon multiple hardships. They walked out of Egypt with one thing in mind, good times and plenty of food for all. When trials of their faith came, their tune changed.

God is a God that wants our whole heart but we find it very hard to give it all over to Him. Coming to Christ as a spiritual Band-Aid only creates a tentative relationship and doesn't give our full trust in Him. Results of this kind of relationship can create more problems in the future. Giving ourselves over to Him, to fully trust in Him is sometimes a hard thing for some because of the pattern of distrust in their lives. 

Further distrust in God comes when we have specific requirements of Him as we come into the relationship. A person may think that God is there for their every need or that He's a wish fulfiller. As sometimes damaged people come to God, they bring their neediness with them. They believe God will solve all their problems in one easy step. When He doesn't do what they want, the trust issue arises and a void is set between them. They don't realize the problems are within them. We come to Jesus for forgiveness yet we don't even realize the amount of wretchedness we have within us. Our idea of who He is, what He does for us and when He does it is often misguided and wrong. 

When we come to Jesus, we come for forgiveness. Most do not come to be cleaned from the inside out or to seek a personal relationship with Him. They find though, as they taste of His goodness in their hearts, there's something they like. 

When I was just a babe in Christ, the amount of revelations, the amount of joy and happiness was there all the time. I call this the honeymoon phase of our relationship. Not long after, once I had tasted and seen what Jesus could provide me, I was introduced to working out my salvation. Which, if you've been reading all my posts, is us denying self and following the leading of the Spirit. Again, trust in His promises come into play here. 

When you're asked to strip yourself clean of any internal issues like unforgiveness, anger, distrust, attitude, control issues and more, you put yourself at risk of being let down. I look at it this way, coming to Christ is like a homeless person coming to live in someone's house. Over time, that homeless person has collected items in their shopping cart that they bring with them. Even though the cart is full of junk, they still cherish it because it carried them through some tough times. The cart is our heart and the stuff is all the nasty baggage we accumulate over the years. The homeless person is not willing to give up their garbage right away yet the home owner ensures them that they don't need it anymore. There lies the trust, one side promises a new life the other clings to the old. Very rarely have I heard of anyone coming to Christ and from the start, they fully believe and trust in what God says about them. 

The Bible is full of God's promises for us. It's full of what God thinks of us and what God wants for us. The promises of God are real yet when we read them, we look into our buggy and cherish that old tattered piece of distrust because it's kept us alive for so long in a harsh world. We need to fully surrender our hearts to God and trust in all His promises.

I attempted to list all the things we are in Christ but my search led to too many things to put down in this post, so I challenge you to this. Read the New Testament and every time you see Jesus or an Apostle say we are to act or be or trust or know or should do or anything that we as Christians should be, believe in it and do it. Trust the Lord with all your heart. Read the words as truth not just words written for someone else, by someone else but believe they are talking directly to you and that they are about you. Read the words as though Jesus is talking directly to you. Put yourself in the stories and be in them. Ask God to open up your eyes to who you are in Him. Trust in Him fully and He will reward you with His presence.  

To God be the Glory!