Trusting and Trustworthy
FEBRUARY 21, 2024

[Daniel] was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.
Daniel 6:4, NLT

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32
It’s hard to trust people today, isn’t it? How many people are frustrated because of a spouse who was unfaithful, a friend who disappointed them, a salesman who was dishonest, or a doctor who misdiagnosed an illness? Rebuilding a friendship is difficult after a perceived betrayal has occurred.

We can’t always do a lot about others who are untrustworthy, but we can do something about ourselves—or rather, we can let the Lord do something within us. He is utterly trustworthy. Psalm 119:86 says, “All your commands are trustworthy” (NIV). Psalm 145:13 says, “The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does” (NIV).

As Christians, we’re to grow in His faithful love and kindness (Ephesians 4:25-32). One way to do this is by fostering trust in our relationships. Brotherly kindness begins with a trustworthy spirit—the willingness to be honest and kind. If you’ve been betrayed, seek to forgive. And in all your dealings, be someone who can be trusted with the cares, secrets, and confidences of others.

Ask God to help you grow in your ability to be trusting and trusted.

Among the blessings and enjoyments of this life, there are few that can be compared in value to the possession of a faithful friend.
James C. Gibbons

The Greatest: Faithfulness
FEBRUARY 3, 2024

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Recommended Reading: 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Mercy and grace are different. Grace means receiving blessings we don’t deserve; mercy means not receiving discipline or punishment we do deserve. While both grace and mercy are present throughout the Bible, in very general terms the Old Testament is the story of mercy, while the New Testament is the story of grace.

Why is the Old Testament the story of mercy? Because of how unfaithful Israel was to God and how faithful (loyal) He was to them. Israel deserved to be judged—and was judged at times—but God always restored them. His love never failed. As Jeremiah wrote when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed” permanently. God’s faithfulness was great; His compassion for Israel was renewed with the rising sun every morning. Paul highlighted God’s faithfulness when he wrote that even if we are unfaithful, God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).

Thank God today for His great faithfulness to you, that His mercy and compassion never fail. In spite of our sins, His mercy and grace are always present (1 John 1:9).

Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see.
Thomas O. Chisholm

Always Faithful
JANUARY 9, 2024

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:13

Recommended Reading: Psalm 136
Perhaps the most challenging idea in biblical Christianity for new believers to grasp is the dual concept of God’s grace and mercy. The ideas that God always loves us and always forgives us are hard to embrace at first.

The grace of God means He blesses us when we don’t deserve it, and the mercy of God means He doesn’t punish us when we do deserve it. The mercy of God is a dominant theme in the Old Testament. The phrase, “His mercy endures forever,” occurs 41 times—26 times in Psalm 136 alone. God’s grace and mercy are reflections of His character, specifically His faithfulness. It is impossible for God to be unfaithful. Even when we are unfaithful, “He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Therefore, God can never be ungracious or unmerciful. His grace and mercy flow continually from His character, regardless of our behavior. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s faithfulness, nor is there anything we can do to lose it (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The next time you are less than faithful, don’t spend a second doubting God’s love or forgiveness. He has made you the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Measure your growth in grace by your sensitiveness to sin.
Oswald Chambers

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cucked
plural cucks
1: a man whose wife is unfaithful : cuckold
2 informal, disparaging + often offensive : a weak or submissive man
—often used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a man who has politically progressive or moderate views

Is the path of the wicked all that good?

Satan tempts me to believe that evil ascends and rules, and if I listen to these thoughts of demons I will hear lies similar to the thoughts below.

Satan's lies include: The wicked prosper, their body is fat, they don’t get in trouble like other men, and they aren’t plagued like mankind. They are full of pride and violence. Their imaginations are horrifically evil. They mock and talk about oppressing others. They speak against God. They are wealthy. It doesn’t pay for me to walk in purity. (Ps. 73:1-15)

The truth about those on evil paths
• The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway. (Prov.15:19)
• I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths. (Hos. 2:6)
• The wicked are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. (Ps. 1:4-6)
The truth about those on righteous paths
• How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Ps. 1:1-3)
• You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Ps. 16:11)
• The path of life leads upward for the wise that he may keep away from Sheol below. (Prov. 15:24)
God gets involved
• The ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths. (Prov. 5:21)
• The devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. (Prov. 3:32)
• The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. (Prov. 3:33)
• They did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thess. 2:10-12)
• Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. (Prov. 3:34 )
• I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. (Prov. 4:11)
• The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. (Prov. 4:18)
• How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. (Prov. 3:13-26)
Here’s how I step from delusion back into the truth
• Hearing God’s voice: When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form. (Ps. 73:16-20)
Reflections on my life under demonic deception versus my life under divine revelation
When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. (Ps. 73:21-28)
Assignment
• Come into agreement with what God has spoken. Repent for false beliefs. Confess and declare truth!
• Journal and fill your heart and mind with ONLY words and pictures from God. He gives perfect peace to those whoes minds (imaginations) are set upon Him. https://www.cwgministries.org/blogs/perfect-peace-when-your-imagination
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