A few years before his death, David Wilkerson, the founder of Teen Challenge wrote something in his newsletter that has stuck with me:
“In Gods eye’s our problem isn’t sin” it is trust. Jesus settled our sin problem once and for all at Calvary. He doesn’t constantly harp on us, “this time you’ve crossed the line.” No, never! His attitude toward us is just the opposite. His Spirit is constantly wooing us, reminding us of the Father’s loving kindness, even in the midst of our failures.
When we become focused on our sin, we lose all sight of what God wants most: “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6)” —From David Wilkerson’s February 26. 2007 Newsletter.
When we fixate on our sin, instead of God, we get discouraged. Try as we might, our propensity to sin is still great; our promises, hollow; and our failings, many. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.
But, as David Wilkerson points out, God has already dealt with OUR sin through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus. The real question then becomes: Are we able to trust that, or any of the other things He has promised us?
And, if we DO become aware that our trust is weak, how in the world do we trump up some more?
I have wrestled with this issue myself. I WANT to trust more. I BELIEVE God deserves to be trusted . . . and yet it has been an ongoing challenge for me to let go of my fears and actually trust God with the situations and challenges of my life.
In frustration I asked God about this in prayer one day. I felt that He told me that trust couldn’t be forced into existence. He told me that the only way I was going to learn to trust Him was to spend more time with Him. He assured me that the more I got to know Him and how he responds to things, the more I would find I was trusting Him. Trust would come not from trying harder or pretending that I had it, but by simply getting to know him better.
My trust level still isn’t where I would like it be, but I think I’m finally moving in the right direction. I know what my part is in the equation. I need to sit with God, talk with God and bring all my confusion and burdens to Him. The more I make time for Him in my life, the more my trust and hope grows.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” —Romans 15:12-14 (NIV)
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