“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exo. 14:14 NIV)

Sometimes negative things happen that are out of our control to solve. And that’s where you have to have faith in God’s promises, be still, and fully trust God to bring you the help you need. A few years ago, Susan and I were traveling through a very large and unfamiliar Texas city while on our way to a convention. This was long before modern technology like GPS and cell phones were available. I had made a wrong turn and became hopelessly lost in a very dangerous part of the city; people with guns and knives were on the streets, and we could tell they were looking us over, and we felt like we were in definite danger. We drove around, trying to find a way out. But every turn we made seemed even worse. So, we prayed and asked God to protect us and lead us to safety. Suddenly, a police car appeared and pulled up alongside us. The officer rolled down his window to speak to us and asked us where we were going. We told him the name of our hotel, and he said, “Follow me.” And he led us to our hotel, a few miles away.

Praise God and don’t be afraid!

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalms 56:3-4 ESV)

Don’t lean on your own understanding!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5 ESV)

Trust and say, “You are my God!”

“But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!” (Psalm 31:14-15 ESV)

Trust and rejoice in His steadfast love for you 

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5 ESV)

You will be blessed when you make the Lord your trust!

“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!” (Psalm 40:4 ESV)

Therefore

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11 ESV)

“Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.” (Gen. 2:29-30 NIV)

God supplied for every need

The above passage says God gave us every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth, every fruit tree with seeds, and all animals, including everything that has breath and life in it. All this was there for us to control and take advantage of to meet our needs.

God gave us work to do

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen. 2:15 NIV)

You shall be blessed by the labor of your hands

“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” (Psalm 128:2 ESV)

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 99:17 ESV)

Therefore

“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.” (Eccles. 2:24 ESV)

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27 NIV)

There is a lot said in this passage of Scripture about mankind

·      First, God makes mankind in His own image which is the image of God. He did not say this about animals.

·      Secondly, mankind means male and female. Today, there are some who say they are “transgender” or “gender neutral” among other gender designations, but God makes it abundantly clear that He only created two genders, male and female.

A man’s helper and companion

God created a woman so that man would have a helper and companion.

“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Gen. 2:18 NIV)

Marriage turns a man and woman into one flesh

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

God has an order for things within a marriage

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Cor. 11:3 NIV)

A man must love his wife as Christ loved the church

Men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:25 NIV)

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself…” (Eph. 5:33a NIV)

Women are to love, submit to, and respect their husbands

 “And so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2:4-5 NIV)

“... let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Eph. 5:33b NIV)

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” (Col. 3:18 NIV)

Men and women are equal in God’s sight

Because God has an order to things in marriage, people sometimes conclude  that men are more important, or better than, women. Nothing could be further from the truth! Yes, men and women have different rolls within marriage, but one isn’t better than the other.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 “Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy…” (Psalm 78:41-42 NKJV) 

We do limit God! 

It’s hard to believe that we could actually limit God in any way, because He is, well, God! But according to Scripture, we can and do limit Him. How is this so? God has set some self-imposed rules (limits) in place that He follows. For instance, He limited himself when He became God in the flesh. Jesus said there were things the Father knew that He didn’t know, such as when He would return some day (Matt. 24:36). And Jesus could do very little in His own hometown because He was limited by their lack of faith (Mark 6:5). Yes, we can and do limit God in many ways!

We can limit God because of fear

God wanted the Hebrew children to enter in and live in the promise land. But, they “limited” His blessing for them out of fear of giants that were in that land! Therefore, they died in the wilderness instead of entering in and enjoying the promise land’s abundance!

The Bible says 365 times, “do not fear.” That covers every single day of the year! 

Stop limiting God! Trust Him for immeasurable things that He is able to do!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Eph. 3:20 NIV) 

Jesus said…

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10a ESV)

Ask God to teach you to profit and to lead you the way you should go!

“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.” (Isa. 48:17

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” (Isa. 58:11 ESV)

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14 ESV)

I have a business friend who has made millions of dollars in numerous business ventures. He says one of the big reasons he is so successful is because he takes advantage of his business friendships. In fact, over the years he has amassed a vast contact list made up of many successful businesspeople he utilizes for advice and counsel. Before he completes any project or venture, he runs it past them for input. He said their valuable counsel has saved him numerous times from making serious mistakes.

Plans fail for lack of counsel

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Prov. 15:22 NIV)

Wise guidance brings victory

“For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (Prov. 24:6 ESV)

A wise man listens to advice

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Prov. 12:15 ESV) 

You will gain wisdom for the future   

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Prov. 19:20-21 ESV)

“My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Prov. 7:1-3 NIV)

There is a little book written by Dodie Osteen, “Healed of Cancer,” which tells her amazing story of how God healed her of pancreatic cancer. She had reached the stage where her skin had turned yellow, and the doctors had given up and told her there was nothing more they could do except send her home to die. But instead of giving up, she decided to apply God’s Word with faith. She began by looking up all the healing verses in the Bible. She wrote them down by hand in a notebook, poured over them daily, and claimed them with faith for herself. She memorized, personalized, and spoke out loud key verses like, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:17 KJV), and “He Himself bore my sins in His body on the cross, so that I might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds I have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24). She also placed on her walls lots of pictures of herself as healthy and well; these constantly reminded her of good health. And it worked. She did not die, but improved a bit every day until she became totally well and healthy again. Dodie’s testimony is a great example of the promise at the top: “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as your own.”

Therefore 

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:9)

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 19:17)

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36 KJV) 

Definition of freedom

Freedom: The quality or state of being free: such as. 1: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. 2: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another: independence. 3: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous.

Wherever the Lord is, there is freedom

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor. 3:17 NLT)

Therefore

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16 ESV)

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NLT)

The above passage is the gospel (good news) stated very simply and clearly in only one verse. Let’s look at and define the verse a few words at a time: 

• FOR GOD - The Father, creator, maker, ruler of the universe, and the source of all moral authority

• MADE – caused, compelled, assigned, appointed

• CHRIST – Jesus the Messiah, the chosen one, the anointed  one, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords.

• WHO NEVER SINNED – a man of pure and perfect nature, untouched by sin.

• TO BE THE OFFERING – to be the acceptable gift sufficient to pay the total cost  

• FOR OUR SIN – for our transgression against God’s moral laws which have separated us from Him.

• SO THAT WE COULD BE MADE RIGHT – so that we could be made righteous, blameless, and irreproachable in God’s sight

• WITH GOD THROUGH CHRIST – and have peace with God through what Jesus has done.

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Prov. 10:9 ESV)

Integrity – The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. honesty, honor, good character, ethics, righteousness, virtue, decency, fairness.

Integrity means renouncing wrong ways and walking in God’s truth

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Cor. 4:2 ESV)

The integrity of the upright is their guide

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” (Prov. 11:3 ESV)

“By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. “ (Psalms 41:11-12 ESV)

The righteous walks in integrity and their children are blessed

“The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!” (Prov. 20:7 ESV) 

In your teaching show integrity

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity.” (Titus 2:7 ESV)