Even More of God's Promises

Over the weekend I received the book I ordered from James MacDonald's ministry, Walk in the Word!  WOW!  I haven't had a lot of time to read it, but I'm already on page 37.  I am marking it up like crazy!  It is AWESOME and I do not use that word lightly.  Most people who know me personally know that I simply don't use that word, except for praising God or a God-thing.  But this book truly is Awesome and a God-thing!  I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone!  In fact, I am considering buying an extra one and giving it away to one of my followers, if I can get some people to start following my blog.  So, please, sign up!!  :o)

I found the following devotional over at Walk in the Word, also written by James MacDonald and it is continuing on the Promises of God.  It is really good stuff.  One of the things that Pastor James says in his book is that "God's promises are the assurances that He gives His people so they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work."  That is truly walking by faith.   That's awesome!


God Is Always In Control; I Will Not Doubt

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6
　
Someone has said that doubt is cancer of the soul. Like a wrecking ball against your house, doubt pounds away and damages the structure of the most important thing about you - what you believe about God.

However, if in times of doubt we take our questions directly to the Lord, then our faith increases. We can't claim we won't doubt; instead, we aim toward knowing what to do with doubts when they do come at us. The promises of God and His character can stand under the most microscopic scrutiny. Doubts should drive us back to God's promises, not cause us to back away from Him! When you say, "I don't know exactly what God is doing, but I know He's in control" —that's evidence you're trusting Him. You don't realize how much you need God's promises until your smooth and easy life suddenly turns sideways. That is the time to dig into God's Word and get something to wrap your faith around.

As we've already seen, God makes two kinds of promises — conditional and unconditional. This one is conditional - you've got to do something. You have got to trust in the Lord with all your heart. You have got to acknowledge Him in all of your ways without leaning on your own understanding. If you do your part, God will do His part. "He will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:6b). The wording I memorized as a kid says, "He shall direct thy paths" (KJV). That means He will make your paths smooth — God will make the way passable.

Proverbs 3:5–6 is really quite a commitment on God's part. There are no illusions here. This is God we're talking about. "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14). He can handle anything that's in your path with one hand tied behind His back. A common way we express this is by saying, God is in control.

 There are times when all we can see is the hard road and the heavy load. But the Lord promises that if you trust in Him with all your heart, and that if you do not lean on your own understanding, and that if you acknowledge Him in all your ways, then He will make your paths smooth. God will pave the way for you. ~James MacDonald