 Scripture Reading: Daniel 10:10-21 NASB95
Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. [11] He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. [12] Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. [13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. [14] Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.” [15] When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. [16] And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “O my lord, as a result of the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. [17] For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.” [18] Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. [19] He said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” [20] Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. [21] However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince. In this story we are given a glimpse of battles in heavenly places. In the case of Daniel, the Kingdom of Persia was being set up to be conquered by the Greeks. This was more than a mundane battle between the Kingdoms of this earth. Even the angel Michael took 21 days to "fight" his way to Daniel. He was being opposed by a spiritual force called the prince of the kingdom of Persia. We live in a world of conflict. Even as I write this, Russia has invaded the Ukraine. The war is being fought across the physical plane of existence, but it is also being fought in heavenly places as well. As in the case of Daniel, God raises up nations and rulers, and He also brings down nations and rulers. This is all done according to the purposes of God. What is God's purpose in our world today? He is working to bring about the fulfillment of His prophecies and to execute His plan for our tiny planet. End time prophesies indicate that our world will be facing some very trying times indeed; we are talking anti-Christ, wars, persecution, and apocalyptical events. Should Believers be concerned? "No," we need to remember that God is in control. He has a plan and ultimately His plan will take down evil and establish His Kingdom in this place of darkness. Questions to Consider:
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 Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 5:2-14 NASB95
Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. [3] She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” [4] Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” [5] Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. [6] He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” [7] When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.” [8] It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” [9] So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. [10] Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” [11] But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ [12] Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. [13] Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” [14] So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean. The story of Naaman makes several points concerning healing clear:
What an amazing story. Through the proxy of Elisha, a prophet of Israel, God healed Naaman. The method by which the healing took place was rather unorthodox. Elisha did not pray over Naaman; in fact, when Naaman came to the door of Elisha's house, Elisha did not even meet with Naaman. Instead, Elisha sent his servant to deliver some special instructions. Naaman was furious and probably frustrated. He was expecting Elisha to put on a show. Naaman was angry enough that he was not going to follow Elisha's instructions. Naaman's servant posed a question to Naaman: (My paraphrase) "Naaman would you rather have a show and die from leprosy or follow the instructions of the prophet and be healed?" Naaman decided he would humble himself and do as instructed. Down to the muddy Jordan River Naaman went to dip himself seven times. (What a crazy thing to do? Or maybe not...) Naaman was healed! We need to remind ourselves that God does not always work according a formula or as we expect Him to do. I also think that we need to realize that perhaps God wants to heal people who are not people of faith. God heals so that faith is birthed in the hearts of those that do not believe in him. In the case of Naaman, the intervention of God could not be denied. Questions to be Considered:
and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Our family enjoys having pets around. We have a female Lab and a male Weimaraner dog. Both Labs and Weimaraner's are very affectionate family dogs but they are also very high energy dogs. Training them is a necessity. Training requires us to use many different methods. When training, we can have up to three different collars on them at one time. Their regular leash collar, a pinch collar and an e-collar. Each collar plays a specific role. But the purpose is to use all collars at once so you can control them and begin to train them to do what you want. The devil's scheme is very similar in that he desires that one area of bondage or control would lead to other areas of bondage and control so that he can "train" us for his ways. The man that Jesus immediately encounters in the country of the Gerasenes in Mark 5 was already bound by demons. The people in that region new that something supernatural and demonic was happening in his life by the way that he would break through even the chains and shackles that they would put on him. He was a nuisance as he would scream out from among the tombs and caves and gash himself with stones. No one could subdue this man because of the strength of the demons inside of him. I'm sure that there were some during that time who felt compassion and were truly trying to help him, while others found him quite annoying. But notice how they wanted to help him. They tried to bind him with shackles and chains. They must have thought, "at least if he is bound he won't be as much of a danger or nuisance. If we continue to find different ways to bind him and 'train' him, maybe we can find a way to deal with him in an easier way." This is a great illustration of the world's ways even today. When you are facing a problem that you can't fix, the world will say: "come under our control and let us direct you if you want to find freedom from that ailment. Take our chains on you, do what we say, talk like we talk, walk like we walk and all your problems will go away and you will be free." What they are essentially saying is: "Do you want freedom? Then take our yoke of slavery upon you and become bound to other things that will help with that one thing." We live in a time where the world is coming up with alternative ways to find "freedom" from the afflictions of life. But notice that almost every way of "freedom" that the world offers involves some sort of dependency upon something else. They don't remove anything, they just mask it by providing some sort of alternative way to help you "cope". But notice that even the coping mechanisms themselves become a yoke of slavery! I am thankful for modern medicine and how God has blessed humankind with the ability of the mind to come up with new ways to deal with sicknesses and ailments. For instance, as we have seen in recent years, there has been an incredible rise of addiction to Fentanyl. But even worse than that, an unprecedented rise of death because of addiction to Fentanyl. Something that was meant to be a way to help people cope with pain has become a yoke of slavery. An extreme example of this would be experiencing intense pain in your leg and then breaking your finger in order to take your mind off of the pain in your foot (Major Payne anyone?). That's not freedom; that's compounded bondage. When Jesus says in John 8:36: “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. Jesus is promising complete freedom. He says you will be free indeed, which means really and actually free. Not theoretically, not partially, not in our hearts, but actually, completely free. When Jesus casts the demons out of this man in Mark 5:12, 13 that man was totally free. Jesus didn't give him "coping mechanisms"; He set him free. Every time that Jesus brought healing or deliverance it was complete and final. "I once was blind but now I see" is complete and evidentiary. There weren't any gimmicks or tricks or additional things that Jesus added to His work. He spoke, He touched, and He loved to where freedom flowed from His innermost being. Are you free today; not theologically but in reality? If not, take God at His word and experience complete freedom through Christ by calling on His name the way that the man in Mark 5 did. Questions to Consider: 1. What are areas in your life where you are not free from sin? Will you share those areas with someone to receive prayer? 2. What are areas in your life where you have trusted in the world to bring about freedom for you but it hasn't worked? Examples: social media, watching tv, medications, alcohol, money etc. On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Mark 4:35-37 NASB
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:39 NASB Where did this storm come from? Who stirred up the wind to cause the sea to begin to roar against the boat that Jesus and His disciples were in? While we don't know the origins specifically, we do know that Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind, and uses the words "Hush, be still." This combination of words and actions are used elsewhere when Jesus casts the demon out of the man in the synagogue. But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. Luke 4:35 NASB When Jesus rebuked the demon, it is the same Greek word to describe what Jesus did when He rebuked the wind. When Jesus tells the demon in Luke 4:35 to "be quiet" it is the same Greek word when Jesus tells the sea to "be still". I believe there is a connection here. It seems that Jesus is handling this storm the same way He would a demon or a demonic influence that was at work. To dive deeper, read Job 1:19 and see that one of the attacks that Satan brought against Job (under God's authority) was the wind. Let's assume that this storm came from Satan to afflict or try and prevent Jesus and His disciples from getting to the other side. Satan is using the wind and sea as a way to bring about fear, anxiety, and worry with the hopes that they would turn around; or even better, perish. Satan had something on the other side of the sea that he did not want Jesus touching; namely dominion and influence. The wind and sea became instruments that Satan was using to afflict and cause pain. Satan's work has not changed since then; he still uses things of this world to afflict God's people. One of Satan's primary tactics is to render God's people useless by causing them to be paralyzed by fear. This is the reason for the enemies afflictions, trials, storms, and temptations that we all face. He is no match for the Spirit within us; so he afflicts with the goal of getting us to surrender our power and authority we have been given through Christ. What we are about to see in Mark 5 is that Jesus is going to take something that Satan is using and turn around to demonstrate His power; namely the sea. He is going to turn the sea of trial into a sea of triumph; a sea of bondage to fear into a sea of freedom. The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. Mark 5:12-13 NASB The same Sea of Galilee that was being used by the enemy to afflict and bring about fear, has just been used as an instrument of God to bring about freedom to a man. The enemies attempt to bring bondage did not succeed, but our God always succeeds. When we say "what the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it for good", we mean that our God is so much higher, more majestic, so mighty that even the plans of our enemies are used and turned for the purposes of God. My wife and I went through a horrible trial in 2015. Our marriage was on the brink of divorce and I could not see how God could restore. The enemy had come in between us with the purpose of bringing about death and pain for generations to come. The trial was unbearable. Yet, one year later God worked in me and my wife's heart and restoration began. It was a miracle of God! But that wasn't all God was up to. God had used that trial from the enemy as a way to teach me personally the importance of sowing into my wife and kids more than I was sowing into others through ministry. God had taken the potential divorce, the pain, the sleepless nights, and the heartache that the enemy wanted us to drown and perish in, and used it to drown my apathy towards my family in. Without the storm I would have never experienced the freedom that God brought. My God turned a sea of trial into a sea of triumph. Are you facing a trial from the enemy right now? That trial and storm is not unique. But what is unique is realizing that there is no safer place to be than in the boat with Jesus. He will bring you through; but if you set your mind on things above, He will use that trial as a means of freedom and growth that you may not even recognize you need. Trust Him; He is better at navigating and reversing the storms of life than we could ever be. Questions to Consider: 1. Have you ever experienced freedom that came as the result of a trial? How did that come about? 2. Think of some of the things that Jesus has set you free from. Take sometime to thank the Lord for His deliverance. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38 NASB
In the middle of a storm or trial, it is very common for us to question what is happening. Sometimes in those questions God will speak to us and reveal why certain things are happening. But there comes a point where our questions can cross a line and we actually partner with Satan (the accuser) and begin to bring accusations against the character of God. We've all done it. Like, when we experience some sort of inequity that we don't see others around us experiencing and we begin to accuse God of showing favoritism. Even if we know that scripture says that He is no respecter of persons (Rom 2:11, Acts 10:34). The disciples in the middle of a storm wake Jesus up from sleeping and they have one concern; themselves. They never asked Jesus why He wants to go to the other side, they never asked Jesus how He can be asleep in the middle of the storm, they never asked Jesus if He was afraid, they never asked if He wanted to turn around. They never asked: "God, what are you trying to do through this storm? What is Your plan in leading me into this storm?" Instead, the disciples were content in staying at the elementary level of questioning and accusing instead of growing into maturity. When we begin to ask the deeper questions like those, we will start to take on the "mind of Christ" and see things from heavenly perspectives. We all know that asking questions like "what are You trying to accomplish through this storm" is difficult to do though. Especially in a world that promotes the interests of man above the interests of the eternal God. Paul dealt with this same issue when addressing the church in Philippi: But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:19-21 NASB Paul said that he had no one else outside of Timothy that shared a kindred spirit and that did not seek after their own interests. This is one of the saddest, yet revealing group of verses in the whole of the New Testament; especially in the world we live in today. We live in a time where the interests of Christ take second place to the interests of men. Our safety, our security, and our happiness are what we are told to think on, plan for, save for, and live for. Sadly, when anything comes in and "rocks the boat" of our lives, the first thing to go is the interests and purposes of Christ. How do we combat these influences from the world and stand firm on the word of God? Paul reminds us that the secret is humility and intentionally (daily) taking on the mind of Christ: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:3-8 NASB Jesus shows in Mark 4 that He did in fact care about the disciples by rising up to silence the storm. But the question to ask is: "Do you and I care about where Jesus is trying to take us and what Jesus is trying to accomplish through the storm"? What the disciples experienced through the storm and what happened on the other side of the storm was the divine plan of Christ. Let us move beyond ourselves and into the divine plans of God. Questions to Consider: 1. Do you have someone like a Timothy in your life that you walk in unity with and share a kindred spirit with? If not, will you pray that God brings that person along? None of us are meant to walk the Christian life alone. 2. What are some of the interests of Christ that you are currently fighting to see accomplished? How can we as a church come alongside those efforts? 35On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Mark 4:35 NASB
We all know what happens next in this story. The disciples follow Jesus, they face a deadly storm on the sea, Jesus gets up from sleeping and rebukes the storm, and the sea becomes calm. Jesus certainly knew what was about to happen before He led His disciples into the boat that day. Yet, Jesus had a mission to go to the other side of the sea and was not going to let a storm divert Him. The disciples (and most of us) would have probably thought of turning around to head back to the closest shore; but Jesus never offered that as an option. Maybe the disciples would have thought that this was a warning from God to not continue to the other side and to turn back. Once again, Jesus never uses that as an option. So, why is Jesus wanting to go to the other side so badly that He would lead Himself and the disciples into a deadly storm? The other side of the Sea of Galilee is what was called the Decapolis (which means 10 cities in Greek). In 64-63 BC, the Roman general Pompey brought the entire Near East under Rome's dominion. He incorporated the Greek cities east of the Sea of Galilee into a league of cities known as the Decapolis. Most of these cities resisted the Jewish religion and were pleased to have autonomy to be able to practice their own religion, education, culture and philosophy. This whole region was considered pagan as they worshiped other gods through sacrificing pigs and other animals and by teaching that the human form was the ultimate ideal. While all of this is important to note, Jesus is not going to the other side of the sea to try and specifically change the Greek culture; He is going over there for one man who is in need of freedom. They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, Mark 5:1-2 NASB Jesus got into a boat, leaving behind crowds of people on the other side who were mesmerized by His teaching and authority, to face a storm that was considered life-threatening, to enter into a region that most Jewish people avoided because of their pagan practices, all to set free one man who was bound by demons who called themselves Legion. After Jesus gets done dealing with these demons (and pigs), He will be forced to leave the region. So, Jesus went through all of that to set free one man? So, what's on the other side of the sea? I am and so are you. It was not by chance that Christ found you. He did not just stumble upon you one day and call you to follow Him. The calling of Christ is an individual and sovereign call that Christ Himself makes. If you are in Christ right now, it is because Jesus humbled Himself, left His heavenly home, took on human form and suffered as a man on a cross that was meant for me and you. My redemption and your redemption was costly; all of eternity will be spent trying to comprehend the unmeasurable grace of God. Jesus came to the other side of the sea for you and for me, let us give Him the praise and worship due unto His name. "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."- C.T. Studd Questions to Consider: 1. Where did you find yourself before you met Christ? Will you share your testimony this week with someone you don't know? 2. Do you struggle with thankfulness or expressing your thankfulness? Will you take the time to express your thankfulness to God through prayer or praise for what He has done? On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Mark 4:35-37 NASB
After one of the greatest teachings of Christ in the Sower of the Seeds, Jesus calls His disciples to get into a boat with Him and head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As they are obeying this simple request of Jesus, they find themselves in a life-threatening storm. Jesus, being all-knowing, has just led His disciples into an extremely dangerous situation. To make matters even more perplexing, we find out in verse 38 that Jesus is actually asleep in the midst of this storm! Get the picture, they obeyed and followed Jesus, and then suddenly, without warning, found themselves facing an impossible, fearful situation. How could this have happened? Why would Jesus lead His disciples who had obeyed His command into this situation? One of the reasons for the storms of life is so we can see the mighty hand of God at work. To see a miracle take place is one of the greatest experiences that God uses of opening up our eyes to see Him rightly in all of His majesty. This is why the ministry and life of Jesus was marked by miraculous signs. But for a miracle to occur, something must go wrong or go against the natural order of things. If our desire is to have everything go perfect in our life and for us to never face any storms or trials, we are not only delusional but we are also asking for a life in which we will never see God move. These disciples (some who were fishermen) are about to experience something that they have never seen. Jesus is going to get up from sleeping and with these three words “Hush, be still” the powerful storm will cease. Without the storm, they would have never experienced this amazing revelation of Jesus as the Son of God who had authority over even the wind and waves. They had obeyed Christ to get into the boat; Jesus led them into the storm which revealed the grip that fear had on them; but there was no safer place to be on earth than in the boat with Christ in the midst of a stormy sea. I am certain that those same disciples would have chosen to go through a thousand storms to have that same experience of seeing the power of Jesus once again. This is the joy of obeying Jesus and abiding in the boat of life with Him, we consistently gain new revelations of the power and love of Jesus; and we are never the same. Questions to Consider: 1. Have you ever experienced a legitimate miracle in your life? Will you comment or share here your experience? 2. Are you facing some sort of storm in your life right now that you feel has come upon you out of nowhere? What is God trying to show you about Himself through that storm?  Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, [5] who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, [7] so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; [8] and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, [9] obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. Thomas did not believe the other disciples when they said that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Rather than rejoicing, he expressed doubt. His doubts were swept away when Jesus paid him a visit. Thomas believed when he saw Jesus face to face. Jesus rightly told Peter, "You believe because you have seen me, blessed are those who have not seen me and believe." It can be challenging to believe in something or someone that you have never seen. Some critics of Christianity would go so far as to say it is crazy for a person to base faith on something that is unseen. However, as in the case of Thomas, although he had not yet seen Jesus, Jesus was indeed alive. There are reasons that current-day Believers have put their faith in Jesus though they have not yet seen Him. The Apostle Peter talks about some of the reasons "we" believe without seeing Jesus. v3: We have experienced God's great mercy. v3: We have been given a living hope. v4: We have an inheritance waiting for us. v5: We are protected by the power of God. v6: We rejoice even when our faith is tested. v7: Out faith is like gold test by fire. v8: We have love for Jesus, and inexpressible joy. I know that all of these "connections" to God seem to be subjective; but, I would contend that they are real. It should be "expected" that although we live in a physical world our connection to God is spiritual in nature. our unseen spiritual connection to God is real and it is what fuels our faith; and "yes," we believe without seeing! Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8-14
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, [9] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, [10] but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, [11] for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. [12] For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. [13] Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. [14] Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. The Christian Faith is centered on a relationship between us and God. As in any relationship, the relationship becomes more substantial as we come to know the other person. Covenant friendships are forged over time and and common experiences. Marriages flourish as a couple builds a dynamic relationship built on love and trust. The Apostle Paul speaks of his relationship with God in such terms. Paul states: "I know whom I have believed." Paul is declaring that his faith is based on an ongoing relationship with someone that he "knows." Paul's faith is not in doubt, because he knows the person who is the basis of his faith. For Paul, God is not the man upstairs, God is living in him through the Holy Spirit. Paul's unshakable faith gave him the strength to endure hardship and persecution. Paul placed his life, his destiny and all the things that he cared about into the safety of God's providence. When a Believer comes to a place in their relationship with God, where they can place everything that they hold to be of value and importance (including their own destiny) into the safekeeping of God; they are now walking in faith and not by sight. Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. [12] Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
On July 11th 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law H.R. 619, a bill that required that the inscription “In God We Trust” appear on all paper and coin currency. Since the time of the Civil War the motto commonly appeared on most of the United States bills and coins. It begs the question, is "In God We Trust" nothing more than a motto or is it actually a statement of faith in the Almighty? As a people, and as a nation, do we trust in God? On a personal level, the whole idea of trusting in God starts with a person's view of God. Do you believe in God's goodness of character or do you believe that He is somehow flawed? Do you believe that God is inclined to love you or does He wish you harm? It would be nearly impossible to trust in a god who lacks in character. Both the Old and New Testaments reveal the heart of God. His heart is revealed as a loving Father who wants to bless, restore and heal. His character is revealed as having no flaws or deceptive motivations. In His goodness He has great plans in mind for His people. Plans of life beyond this life. Plans beyond our imagination. When I contemplate God's enduring love, amazing grace, and tender mercies, I can say without reservation, "I have put my trust in God." Questions to Consider:
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