Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Trust

Happy Are The Meek

Encouragement, Trust

‘Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.’
Matthew 5:5

Meekness is never described as weakness. In fact meekness consists of strength and self-control. It takes strength to remain meek and gentle.

Moses was considered as one of the meekest according to Numbers 12:3, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Moses never showed weakness as he led the children of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years.

Meekness is defined as humility, patience and discipline under control. Sometimes when we are not under the control of the Holy Spirit we may say or do something that later we regret. Meekness is a characteristic of God that needs to be learned and practiced in every Christian.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We can learn from Jesus as He was the example of meekness for all to see.

Submitting to God and obeying His Word takes self-control, patience, and discipline. Blessed are the meek. What or who are you facing today that requires you to be meek? Be patient and be humble. Be gentle and exercise self-control.

Pray

Lord, I love You and trust You. Instruct me in all my ways. Strengthen me to be meek and gentle yet bold and courageous.

He Will Assist You

Encouragement, Trust

‘Cast your burden on the Lord , And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.’
Psalms 55:22

Have you ever given something to someone but when you reached out to hand it to them you couldn’t release it? That sounds pretty silly doesn’t it?

To not let go means it’s valuable and you don’t want to get rid of it. So what’s keeping you from giving your burdens to the Lord?

When you give a burden to the Lord, you hand it over for God to deal with it. Look at what the psalmist says after casting your burden on the Lord… “and He shall sustain you.” The true meaning of the word sustain means to assist.

When we cast our burden on the Lord we allow Him to carry the load. We allow God to take the heavy load off our shoulders so that we can walk freely in His grace. It takes the pressure off of us.

It doesn’t mean that your troubles disappear. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have to make tough decisions or deal with difficult situations. But it does mean that God will give you the strength to get through. He will assist you.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” The only way that we can rest is to fully trust in the Lord. Jesus wants us to have peace and not be anxious.

The best thing we can do with our burden is to release it. It’s very similar to throwing a fishing lure into the water. Once it’s released there’s nothing we can do but wait. And with our burdens, we wait on the Lord to do His great work.

Pray

Lord, I know You care but You are waiting on me to ask for help. So Lord, help me! I can’t do it alone. I praise You for what You are doing in my life.

The Wilderness Class

Faith, Trust

‘So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord . ‘
Deuteronomy 8:3

Have you ever been at a place where you couldn’t turn to anyone but God? You had nothing else and no one else to count on? This is how God humbles us.

God humbled Israel as He brought them to a place where all they could do was depend on Him. The wilderness was a classroom of learning to be humble. God was teaching Israel a lesson on dependency.

Israel had no other option but to rely on the Lord. They were allowed to hunger so that they could experience the goodness of God. For some, this doesn’t make sense but it’s how God works.

The lesson in the wilderness was to teach the Israelites to trust God in His word instead of trusting in material things. We too must learn that the word of God is our food and substance where we find life. Obedience to the Word of God is a place of joy and blessing.

It’s okay to be in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where we can truly count on God. It’s a place where God allows suffering for our own good. The place where we experience the grace and goodness of God. A place of blessings indeed.

Pray

Lord, I want to trust in You and You only. Guide me through the wilderness if I need to go through it. Humble me now before I pride myself into destruction.