If you haven't already read part 1, I invite you to do so as it is the frame that holds the picture for this verse today.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him... Colossians 1:21-22 ESV
Now, if you remember, we were looking at Zechariah 3 and a vision that the Lord gave to Zechariah of a scene taking place in the throne room of heaven. At first glance, it might look like the frame and the picture are an odd pair or mismatched, but let me show you what the Lord showed me.
The words "above reproach before Him" made me think of standing before the Lord, in His courtroom. But what does above reproach really mean anyway? "Above reproach" or as the King James Version puts it "unreprovable" is Greek # 410 in Strong's Concordance of the Bible. It means unaccusable! It comes from G #1458 which means to call in for charges or debt, to lay accusation.
I couldn't believe what the Lord was showing me! The enemy tries to make me believe that it's about works, that if I just do this or don't do that... He knows that I'm going to provide ample failures for ammunition and then he seems to haul me before the Lord and throw accusation after accusation in my face - charges that I cannot deny - a debt that I could never repay! And before I know it, I'm feeling like I'm standing condemned. Do you remember how Zechariah 3 showed us that the Lord doesn't even let satan talk? He declares him wrong before he even opens his mouth and so should we! This verse is like our legal paper that we can wave in satan's face to shut him up! Because of what Christ did in "His body of flesh by His death", I am unaccusable when I am called in for charges or debt! No one can lay accusations upon me! God says!
What about the word "blameless"? How awesome! I am without blame, faultless before God because of Christ! Zero, nada, zilch... NO blame, NO fault! Praise God!
There was one more word that the Lord brought to my attention. "Reconciled." Strong's Greek #604, puts it as reconciled fully. I like that! It comes from the Greek words #575 meaning separation, cessation or reversal and #2644 which means to change mutually (a difference), like exchanging currency or as in persons changing from enmity with God to friends with God.
So let's put this all together... Once I was alienated from God, separated from Him. When I listen to satan's accusations, he makes me feel that way all over again. But when I tell myself the Truth and listen to the words of the Judge of all mankind - the highest authority in heaven and earth - I can "behold" (remember that word from Part 1?) that I have been reconciled fully. A mutual exchange took (and takes) place. I relinquish the debt of my sin. That debt that I could never pay and receive Christ's righteousness! What an exchange! I now stand without blame, completely faultless before God because of Christ! And God has declared my case closed! He will not stand for any more accusations from my enemy. I am forevermore unaccusable before God! Wahoo! And just for our sake, a few verses down He says it again! Behold...
When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins. He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross. God stripped the spiritual rulers and powers of their authority. With the cross, he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless. Colossians 2:13-15
Monday, May 21, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Not Guilty - Part 1
Oh my goodness! The Lord showed me something this morning that was the New Testament picture of one of my favorite Old Testament scenes! I've known it to be true but it was like He took me back to envision it anew! I couldn't wait to blog it! Then I realized that I had never written about the original Old Testament scene! So here goes... Old Testament is Part 1, New Testament will be Part 2!
One of my favorite "pictures" in Scripture is from Zechariah 3. I first noticed it as I was reading in the CEV (Contemporary English Version). It's a vision that the LORD gave to the prophet Zechariah. In the vision, he saw Joshua, the high priest, standing in front of the LORD's throne.
...This time Joshua the high priest was standing in front of the LORD's angel. And there was Satan, standing at Joshua's right side, ready to accuse him. But the LORD, said, "Satan, you are wrong. Jerusalem is my chosen city, and this man was rescued like a stick from a flaming fire." (Zechariah 3:1b-2)
What an opportunist! It strikes me that wherever we are, satan is standing ready to accuse us - but, glory to God, the LORD doesn't even let satan get a word in. He knows why satan is there. He calls satan the "accuser of the bretheren" (Rev. 12:10) He immediately cuts satan off and tells him that he is WRONG!
I love that! For so many reasons, I love that! So why do I so often hear him out? When satan presents to me all of the reasons why the LORD must be ready to give up on me or how I'll never change, why do I listen to - and worse still - dwell on his accusations? But our accuser is clever. Sometimes his words sound like they come through our voice.
I love that it was Joshua the high priest. He was God's man and God had his back. And, I love that the LORD didn't give satan a chance to voice his case! Satan was simply declared wrong.
The vision continues...
Joshua's clothes were filthy. So the angel told some of the people to remove Joshua's filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, "This means you are forgiven. Now, I will dress you in priestly clothes." (vs. 3-4)
How beautiful! Even the high priest is shown in filthy rags yet receiving grace and robes of righteousness! We are ALL in need of grace! No matter how much "good" we have done (or try to do) it is all still filthy rags in comparison with God's perfection (Isaiah 64:6). When we stand in the courtroom of heaven, they don't measure up! They are not enough! BUT GOD, made provision and is willing to redress us!
Now, there is more... something profound in verse 4 that isn't evident in this translation. The English Standard Version reads this way...
And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” (emphasis mine)
Do you know what that word "behold" means? It means to "advise oneself, behold certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, mark, perceive, gaze upon." (Strongs # 7200, Hebrew) Many consider this angel of the Lord to be the preincarnate Christ. Awesome! Regardless, in the court of heaven, Joshua was being told to advise himself of this... his sins were forgiven. An exchange was being made. His unrighteousness for God's righteousness. Mark this transaction! Why? I believe because the enemy of our souls will try and accuse us again and we need to know we're forgiven!
Read it for yourself! The scene even continues from here and Joshua is told that if he will walk in the ways of the Lord, he'll have immediate access to the Throne Room of heaven! That's what we have when we pray!
So where are you? If you found yourself standing before the Holy God today, have you traded in your filthy, sinful garments for His robes of righteousness? Have you ever let Him dress you with the robes that He provides? Have you given Him your sin? If not, today is the day! We have no guarantee of tomorrow.
If you have already done that, are you living like it? Are you living with the security and peace that comes from knowing the Lord does not condemn you? Or are you listening to lies that leave you discouraged and shamed? Behold...
O Holy God, Judge of the courtroom of heaven, thank You for the day that You took away my sin and gave me Your righteousness! I can't fathom the depths of Your love for me - the depths that You went to to provide robes of righteousness for me but I gladly accept them! Thank You for not even allowing satan to open his mouth against me! Help me to do the same when he comes to throw my sin back in my face. I'm forgiven! I have marked that transaction - and it brings me great joy! In the Name of Jesus, my Savior, Amen!
One of my favorite "pictures" in Scripture is from Zechariah 3. I first noticed it as I was reading in the CEV (Contemporary English Version). It's a vision that the LORD gave to the prophet Zechariah. In the vision, he saw Joshua, the high priest, standing in front of the LORD's throne.
...This time Joshua the high priest was standing in front of the LORD's angel. And there was Satan, standing at Joshua's right side, ready to accuse him. But the LORD, said, "Satan, you are wrong. Jerusalem is my chosen city, and this man was rescued like a stick from a flaming fire." (Zechariah 3:1b-2)
What an opportunist! It strikes me that wherever we are, satan is standing ready to accuse us - but, glory to God, the LORD doesn't even let satan get a word in. He knows why satan is there. He calls satan the "accuser of the bretheren" (Rev. 12:10) He immediately cuts satan off and tells him that he is WRONG!
I love that! For so many reasons, I love that! So why do I so often hear him out? When satan presents to me all of the reasons why the LORD must be ready to give up on me or how I'll never change, why do I listen to - and worse still - dwell on his accusations? But our accuser is clever. Sometimes his words sound like they come through our voice.
I love that it was Joshua the high priest. He was God's man and God had his back. And, I love that the LORD didn't give satan a chance to voice his case! Satan was simply declared wrong.
The vision continues...
Joshua's clothes were filthy. So the angel told some of the people to remove Joshua's filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, "This means you are forgiven. Now, I will dress you in priestly clothes." (vs. 3-4)
How beautiful! Even the high priest is shown in filthy rags yet receiving grace and robes of righteousness! We are ALL in need of grace! No matter how much "good" we have done (or try to do) it is all still filthy rags in comparison with God's perfection (Isaiah 64:6). When we stand in the courtroom of heaven, they don't measure up! They are not enough! BUT GOD, made provision and is willing to redress us!
Now, there is more... something profound in verse 4 that isn't evident in this translation. The English Standard Version reads this way...
And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” (emphasis mine)
Do you know what that word "behold" means? It means to "advise oneself, behold certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, mark, perceive, gaze upon." (Strongs # 7200, Hebrew) Many consider this angel of the Lord to be the preincarnate Christ. Awesome! Regardless, in the court of heaven, Joshua was being told to advise himself of this... his sins were forgiven. An exchange was being made. His unrighteousness for God's righteousness. Mark this transaction! Why? I believe because the enemy of our souls will try and accuse us again and we need to know we're forgiven!
Read it for yourself! The scene even continues from here and Joshua is told that if he will walk in the ways of the Lord, he'll have immediate access to the Throne Room of heaven! That's what we have when we pray!
So where are you? If you found yourself standing before the Holy God today, have you traded in your filthy, sinful garments for His robes of righteousness? Have you ever let Him dress you with the robes that He provides? Have you given Him your sin? If not, today is the day! We have no guarantee of tomorrow.
If you have already done that, are you living like it? Are you living with the security and peace that comes from knowing the Lord does not condemn you? Or are you listening to lies that leave you discouraged and shamed? Behold...
O Holy God, Judge of the courtroom of heaven, thank You for the day that You took away my sin and gave me Your righteousness! I can't fathom the depths of Your love for me - the depths that You went to to provide robes of righteousness for me but I gladly accept them! Thank You for not even allowing satan to open his mouth against me! Help me to do the same when he comes to throw my sin back in my face. I'm forgiven! I have marked that transaction - and it brings me great joy! In the Name of Jesus, my Savior, Amen!
Friday, May 18, 2012
A New Picture of God's Faithfulness to His Promises
Well, I've never done this before but I wanted to share a post that I put on my other blog http://praiseworthytales.blogspot.ca/2012/05/unlikely-promise.html. I hope you appreciate the lesson that I recorded there!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
If You Knew...
I was listening to John 4 in the car last night and something struck me that I couldn't wait to dig out this morning. Jesus and His disciples were travelling from Judea to Galilee and passing through Samaria. It's around noon and the disciples leave Jesus to go and find some food in the nearby village. Jesus is sitting by a water well when a Samaritan woman comes to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink and she is shocked.
I have heard and read this passage many times. I have heard it preached but something registered for me as never before. Verses 9-10 say, "The Samaritan woman said to him, 'How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?... Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you; 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." (emphasis mine) So what did she know? Her reality was that she had had her 3 strikes and she's out!
First, she was a Samaritan. To us, those may be just words, but in Jesus' day, the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other so much that a Jew would never condescend himself to speak to a Samaritan!
Secondly, she was a woman. In that culture, women held very little worth. For a man to address a woman was not the common practice.
The third strike hasn't been disclosed to us by this point but you can be absolutely assured that it was ever-present in the woman's mind and we're told later (vs. 17-18) that Jesus Himself was completely aware of the details of this woman's life. This woman had had five husbands and the man she was with at that point was not her husband! Even by today's standards, that would cause some eyes to roll.
Does that help you understand her shock at being addressed by Jesus? Now hear what He says to her... If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you... you would have asked him... These are the words that captured my attention! If you knew the gift of God... What is the gift of God? It's the Good News of grace! This woman's reality to this point was condemnation. She had 3 strikes against her and the people she encountered had written her off. Grace was an unknown commodity, but then, she had never met the Savior before!
Do you hear what the Savior is saying? No matter who you are, where you're from, what you've done and how the world views you, He is like no one you have ever encountered before! Grace - undeserved favor - getting a gift we don't deserve - is His specialty! And if we could get our minds wrapped around this truth, we'd be running to Him and asking Him for that living water which satisfies our deepest thirsts and makes us truly live!
Romans 3:23-25 (ESV) says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Here's the same passage in plainer words... Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (The Message)
Lord, no matter the apparent reality of who I am and how I've messed up, may I recognize that I've never met anyone like You before! You know everything I've ever done and yet You extend to me that precious gift of grace! May I continually receive it from Your nail-scarred hand!
I have heard and read this passage many times. I have heard it preached but something registered for me as never before. Verses 9-10 say, "The Samaritan woman said to him, 'How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?... Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you; 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." (emphasis mine) So what did she know? Her reality was that she had had her 3 strikes and she's out!
First, she was a Samaritan. To us, those may be just words, but in Jesus' day, the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other so much that a Jew would never condescend himself to speak to a Samaritan!
Secondly, she was a woman. In that culture, women held very little worth. For a man to address a woman was not the common practice.
The third strike hasn't been disclosed to us by this point but you can be absolutely assured that it was ever-present in the woman's mind and we're told later (vs. 17-18) that Jesus Himself was completely aware of the details of this woman's life. This woman had had five husbands and the man she was with at that point was not her husband! Even by today's standards, that would cause some eyes to roll.
Does that help you understand her shock at being addressed by Jesus? Now hear what He says to her... If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you... you would have asked him... These are the words that captured my attention! If you knew the gift of God... What is the gift of God? It's the Good News of grace! This woman's reality to this point was condemnation. She had 3 strikes against her and the people she encountered had written her off. Grace was an unknown commodity, but then, she had never met the Savior before!
Do you hear what the Savior is saying? No matter who you are, where you're from, what you've done and how the world views you, He is like no one you have ever encountered before! Grace - undeserved favor - getting a gift we don't deserve - is His specialty! And if we could get our minds wrapped around this truth, we'd be running to Him and asking Him for that living water which satisfies our deepest thirsts and makes us truly live!
Romans 3:23-25 (ESV) says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Here's the same passage in plainer words... Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (The Message)
Lord, no matter the apparent reality of who I am and how I've messed up, may I recognize that I've never met anyone like You before! You know everything I've ever done and yet You extend to me that precious gift of grace! May I continually receive it from Your nail-scarred hand!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Who Said It Would Be Easy?
I am coming to the conclusion that a lot of discouragement could be avoided if I changed my expectations. Not lowered them. Not raised them. Just changed them to be in line with truth and not buying into subtle lies. I was reading in 1 Timothy 6 the other day and was struck by these words...
But as for you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..." 1 Timothy 6:11-12a
Note the words that the Apostle Paul used... flee, pursue, endurance, fight, take hold... None of those are passive words! Each one demands action and energy! So why do I seem to live with the expectation that if I am living in accordance with God's will that life should be easy, blissful, without struggle? This is not biblical! I don't know how it happened. I know this with my head but somehow I lost track of this truth in my emotions...
Why are we told to flee unless there are going to be things that try to take hold of us? Why pursue if godly traits were going to characterize us without effort? Who needs endurance unless they feel the urge to give up? Why about fight or take hold? Friends, we are told that each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). We're told that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood - but we do wrestle (Ephesians 6:12)! We are told to press on toward the goal, straining towards what lies ahead (Philippians 3:12-14). That assures us that we are going to experience resistance pushing against us! Expect it! Be alert for it and don't be discouraged! We are told to "take heart" Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33)!
Father, thank You for showing me that I was discouraged because I was listening to lies. I fell into the trap of believing that You were somehow letting me down and that I was failing because walking on the narrow way was difficult. Father, when I think that way, my eyes tend to fall from You and put all of the pressure on me. When I try to live this Christian life apart from You, I do fail, but when I trust You with all of my heart and not lean on my own understanding, You bring me through victoriously! And Father, please help me to remember in all of this, to not listen to lies on the other extreme. You really do have good plans for me. Plans to prosper me, not to harm me. Plans to give me a hope and a future. Thank You that I can always take You at Your word.
But as for you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..." 1 Timothy 6:11-12a
Note the words that the Apostle Paul used... flee, pursue, endurance, fight, take hold... None of those are passive words! Each one demands action and energy! So why do I seem to live with the expectation that if I am living in accordance with God's will that life should be easy, blissful, without struggle? This is not biblical! I don't know how it happened. I know this with my head but somehow I lost track of this truth in my emotions...
Why are we told to flee unless there are going to be things that try to take hold of us? Why pursue if godly traits were going to characterize us without effort? Who needs endurance unless they feel the urge to give up? Why about fight or take hold? Friends, we are told that each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). We're told that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood - but we do wrestle (Ephesians 6:12)! We are told to press on toward the goal, straining towards what lies ahead (Philippians 3:12-14). That assures us that we are going to experience resistance pushing against us! Expect it! Be alert for it and don't be discouraged! We are told to "take heart" Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33)!
Father, thank You for showing me that I was discouraged because I was listening to lies. I fell into the trap of believing that You were somehow letting me down and that I was failing because walking on the narrow way was difficult. Father, when I think that way, my eyes tend to fall from You and put all of the pressure on me. When I try to live this Christian life apart from You, I do fail, but when I trust You with all of my heart and not lean on my own understanding, You bring me through victoriously! And Father, please help me to remember in all of this, to not listen to lies on the other extreme. You really do have good plans for me. Plans to prosper me, not to harm me. Plans to give me a hope and a future. Thank You that I can always take You at Your word.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Transform Me
O LORD, You're not at all like me.
Your ways - they pure and holy be!
O LORD, I'm not at all like You
So full of grace and mercy too!
O LORD, I need Thee every hour!
I need Thy great transforming power.
Please change my heart and thinking too
Until, O LORD, I look just like You!
Your ways - they pure and holy be!
O LORD, I'm not at all like You
So full of grace and mercy too!
O LORD, I need Thee every hour!
I need Thy great transforming power.
Please change my heart and thinking too
Until, O LORD, I look just like You!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Get Up and Go!
By faith Abraham, when called to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Hebrews 11:8
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you..." Genesis 12:1
I don't know if you're like me, but I am the type that really likes all of the details before I make a decision. I want to see the whole picture, consider all of the possible scenarios, weigh my options... You get the picture. I know that the LORD made me with a contemplative, cautious personality but He's also calling me to new depths of trust. Unreserved trust. Lately, He's been painting a picture of Abraham's journey for me and He's helping me to obey and go, even though I don't know exactly where I'm going.
Abraham trusted God. He believed. I imagine the LORD telling Abraham to leave all that's familiar and "go". I can almost hear their dialogue...
"Where would you have me go, LORD?"
"Head southwest."
"To where, LORD?"
"Just start out in that direction. I'll show you as you go."
Can't you just imagine God telling Abraham to follow that mountain range as it heads south? When Abraham came to the land of Canaan, God could refine the directions... now head to Shechem. And as Shechem approached, head to the giant oak of Moreh. From here, Abraham "proceeded to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east." We're told that "there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD." I wonder if he worshipped the LORD for the ways that He led him... I wonder if he called upon the name of the LORD asking if this was where he was to stop or were they continuing on from here... And "Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev."
Isn't it awesome! If the LORD had told Abraham back in Haran to head to such and such a tree or such and such a mountain, Abraham would have had no frame of reference. It's as those things appear on the horizon that we can appreciate where the LORD is directing us. My tendency is to want every direction, every turn, every landmark before I ever set out! But He's teaching me! The more I know Him, the less I need to know where I'm going. He is faithful. He has a plan.
I like Paul's description of genuine faith in 2 Timothy 1:5. The Amplified Bible puts it this way...
...your sincere and unqualified faith (the leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness)...
Joyce Meyers puts it this way, absolute trust and confidence in His power to be able to do what needs to be done, His wisdom to know what needs to be done and His goodness that He works all things together for my good.
Dear LORD, please help me to lean my entire personality on You no matter when or where you ask me to go. Help me to know You more every day because when I remember Who You truly are, it's so much easier to put absolute trust and confidence in You. Forgive me, LORD, for holding back my obedience because I want to have all of the details. In Jesus' Name... So be it.
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you..." Genesis 12:1
I don't know if you're like me, but I am the type that really likes all of the details before I make a decision. I want to see the whole picture, consider all of the possible scenarios, weigh my options... You get the picture. I know that the LORD made me with a contemplative, cautious personality but He's also calling me to new depths of trust. Unreserved trust. Lately, He's been painting a picture of Abraham's journey for me and He's helping me to obey and go, even though I don't know exactly where I'm going.
Abraham trusted God. He believed. I imagine the LORD telling Abraham to leave all that's familiar and "go". I can almost hear their dialogue...
"Where would you have me go, LORD?"
"Head southwest."
"To where, LORD?"
"Just start out in that direction. I'll show you as you go."
Can't you just imagine God telling Abraham to follow that mountain range as it heads south? When Abraham came to the land of Canaan, God could refine the directions... now head to Shechem. And as Shechem approached, head to the giant oak of Moreh. From here, Abraham "proceeded to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east." We're told that "there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD." I wonder if he worshipped the LORD for the ways that He led him... I wonder if he called upon the name of the LORD asking if this was where he was to stop or were they continuing on from here... And "Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev."
Isn't it awesome! If the LORD had told Abraham back in Haran to head to such and such a tree or such and such a mountain, Abraham would have had no frame of reference. It's as those things appear on the horizon that we can appreciate where the LORD is directing us. My tendency is to want every direction, every turn, every landmark before I ever set out! But He's teaching me! The more I know Him, the less I need to know where I'm going. He is faithful. He has a plan.
I like Paul's description of genuine faith in 2 Timothy 1:5. The Amplified Bible puts it this way...
...your sincere and unqualified faith (the leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness)...
Joyce Meyers puts it this way, absolute trust and confidence in His power to be able to do what needs to be done, His wisdom to know what needs to be done and His goodness that He works all things together for my good.
Dear LORD, please help me to lean my entire personality on You no matter when or where you ask me to go. Help me to know You more every day because when I remember Who You truly are, it's so much easier to put absolute trust and confidence in You. Forgive me, LORD, for holding back my obedience because I want to have all of the details. In Jesus' Name... So be it.
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