Did NOT... Do/did

Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of [mind and] heart [in gratitude] for the abundance of all [with which He had blessed you]...

Deut. 28:47 (AMP)

Such as sad testimony..... "you did NOT".. and the consequences that were the result of that lack of action... Wow. 

Such a great goal..... Serve the Lord my God—

—with JOYFULNESS of mind and heart

—in GRATITUDE for the ABUNDANCE of all that HE has blessed me. 

My prayer is that I'll strive to achieve the goal of "do/did" rather than be known by the "did not".

Trust = Do What is Asked

Trust = Do What is Asked

Yet in spite of this word you did not believe (trust, rely on, and remain steadfast to) the Lord your God, Deuteronomy 1:32 (AMP)

Likewise when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you, then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and you did not believe Him or trust and rely on Him or obey His voice. Deuteronomy 9:23 (AMP)

Trust is followed by obedience. Distrust is followed by disobedience. That's an easy concept to understand. Trust = do what is asked. Distrust = rebel, and do it on your own. 

Easy to understand. However, sadly, it can be hard to actually apply. The Israelites had seen time and time again God's miraculous care and provision, yet they still did not trust Him. Why the distrust? Because they figured that their circumstances were bigger and more difficult than God could even handle. They forgot WHO God was! 

Trust is not based on just what someone does, it's based on WHO they are. It's sad when I choose to look at my circumstances and tell God, "Sorry, but You can't handle this. This situation is just too difficult for You. Therefore, I'm not going to trust you to take care of it, I'll figure out a way for me to handle it—myself." 

The MOMENT I change my trust from GOD to MYSELF—I'm in BIG TROUBLE! The Israelites had seen miracle after miracle, yet they continued to forget WHO God was! Each time a problem arose, their first reaction was to complain and worry and fret. They should have instead, stopped and REMEMBERED what God did when they faced the last problem. Short-sighted for sure. 

If I trust God, then I'll obey Him and respect Him—no matter the circumstance, no matter the difficulty, and no matter the surmounting task at hand. If I make the decision to distrust God and do it on my own—then I have to live with those consequences. And those consequences will be that of my own choosing—often void of God's blessings. 

How do I make sure that I'm not short-sighted and that I continue to trust God and not be overwhelmed by my circumstances? It all begins with a heart permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God! For when I respect and honor God, I'll trust Him! My trust needs to be placed in God—not myself. And that respect and trust in God will then lead to obedience and doing His will. 

Trust: Proven Trustworthy

And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people provoke (spurn, despise) Me? And how long will it be before they believe Me [trusting in, relying on, clinging to Me], for all the signs which I have performed among them? Numbers 14:11 (AMP)

The Israelites had been walking through the desert toward the promise land. They arrived at Canann. The spies went in to check it out, and returned with their report. Most said, "The land is awesome! But there is no way we can fight those that live there. They are just too strong and powerful for us." Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, said, "God said He'd give it to us, let's go get it!" 

The people rather than TRUST in all that God had proven He could do, relied on what only they, themselves could do. 

God had proven Himself to be trustworthy. He did what He said He would do. He took care of His people at the right time, even in the midst of their complaining and disobedience. God said it, all the Israelites had to do was TRUST that He'd do what He said. 

Trustworthy. God is trustworthy. That means when I don't understand what or why He is doing something, I have to stop and remember all that He did, and that He is One who always keeps His word! God is trustworthy. 

Trustworthy. We only know if someone is trustworthy by what they've done. However, with God, we know that He is not only trustworthy for ALL that He has done, but because of WHO He is! 

God is faithful. God is honest. God does not lie. God is God Almighty! 

Too often I, like the Israelites, forget Who I am placing my trust in—God Almighty! Rather, I look around and see the impossible situations—at least impossible based on my abilities. If I know someone is trustworthy, and they have proven themselves trustworthy time and time again, then I need to continue trusting. Sadly, it's too easy to get caught up with the impossibilities, instead of trusting in someone else. And the impossibilities are based on what I CAN DO—not on the one I am to be trusting to do it. 

Only, when I stop trusting in myself, and put my trust in the One who is trustworthy to accomplish all He says He will do, can I fully enjoy the journey and end results. And I will only be able to fully trust God when my heart is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). 

Trust Based on Sight

And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians, and the people [reverently] feared the Lord and trusted in (relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord and to His servant Moses. Exodus 14:31 (AMP)

The Israelites had just been led out of Egypt and WALKED across the dry land of the Red Sea. God had miraculously delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. Exodus 14:31 is the response as they looked back at the Red Sea, and the dead Egyptians. They were now delivered. 

They SAW the GREAT WORK the did. And their response was REVERENT fear and TRUST in the Lord. 

There is something being said for SEEING and then trusting. That can be good as recognizing what God has done is very appropriate and it should be seen, recognized, and remembered. However, if trust is BASED on sight, then trust can be short lived. 

We see that with the Israelites. For in Chapter 15, three days into their wilderness journey, they could not find water, so the murmuring and complaining  started and DISTRUST set in among the Israelites. 3 Days into their journey..... (Exodus 15:22).... and they forgot what GREAT WORK the Lord had done. 

Trust based on sight is short-lived for as the scenery changes often the trust is misplaced as well. Trust is not to be based on WHAT as been done, but rather WHO is involved in the doing. Trust based on sight, is too often blurred by our doubts, our anxiety, our circumstances. Trust based IN God Almighty is steadfast, for He does NOT CHANGE! He is not only worthy of trust, He has proven Himself faithful for generations, and He is the One who knows what the future holds. 

Trust based on sight is not true trust. Rather it is short-sighted trust, based on ME and what I can see or have seen. And since my sight is limited to only what effects me, or the present, I do not get the big picture of what God is doing. 

Seeing what God has done and giving Him honor for it, is the respectable thing to do. Recognizing all that God has done is part of having a heart permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). However, if I truly have a deep sense of reverence for God, then my trust will NOT be based on sight, rather my trust will be PLACED in GOD—period.  When my heart is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God, my trust will not be short-sighted. 

Trust: Accomplish His Plan

Trust

As I continue on my desire to have a heart permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God, I thought I'd study "Trust" throughout the Bible. What is trust? In whom do I place my trust? Who is trustworthy? Am I trustworthy? What are the results of trusting God? How do you continue to trust God with things don't go as I planned? 

I'm looking forward to learning about Trust, hope you will enjoy reading what I learn as I study God's Word. 

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And he [Abram] believed in (trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness (right standing with God). Genesis 15:6

The command to go to the land which the Lord would show him, accompanied with the promise to make of him a great nation, had awakened in him a certain expectation; which, however, waited for some performance to ripen it into faith. But waiting in a state of suspense is not faith, but doubt; and faith after performance is not faith, but sight. 

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

What was there now, then, to call forth Abram‘s faith more than at the first promise? There was the reiteration of the promise. There was the withholding of the performance, leaving room for the exercise of pure faith. There was time to train the mind to this unaccustomed idea and determination. And, lastly, there was the sublime assurance conveyed in the sentence, “I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward,” transcending all the limits of time and place, comprehending alike the present and the eternal, the earthly and the heavenly. This, coupled with all the recorded and unrecorded dealings of the Lord, leads him to conceive the nobler feeling of faith in the Promiser, antecedent to any part of the execution, any unfolding of the plan, or any removal of the obvious difficulty.

Thus, faith springs solely from the seed of promise. And from that moment there stands up and grows within the breast of man the right frame of mind toward the God of mercy - the germ of a mutual good understanding between God and man which will spread its roots and branches through the whole soul, to the exclusion of every noxious plant, and blossom forth unto the blessed fruit of all holy feelings and doings.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Abram trusted in the Lord even when it seemed impossible, because God had fulfilled other promises. Although Abram couldn't understand or even begin to see how God would accomplish His promise, Abram trusted. 

Abram trusted in God. And God saw that Abram was willing to trust God to make the seemingly impossible happen. When we place our trust in God and WAIT on Him to accomplish HIS plan in HIS time, we have a peace and joy that overflows when God acts. However, when we try to do things on our own, then we cause trouble for ourselves and others! Consequence of trust in God lead to promises fulfilled and joy! Consequence of trust in oneself or others, often leads to misery and heartache. 

If I want to learn to trust God and wait on Him to accomplish His plan for me and through me, then my heart must be permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). For only when I have a deep reverence and respect for God, will I be willing to wait on Him and TRUST that He will, in His time and in accordance with His will, accomplish His plan.