Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”
This verse makes two main challenges to us:

1) to make a choice to have our faith dominate our mindset and decisions – this commands us to “trust”; and

2) to make a choice to place our faith in GOD and not to place our faith in ourselves and our own mental abilities.

This means we must make our decisions based on God’s direct revelation rather than human reasoning or rationalizations.

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Joshua 14:6-9 – Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’ (see Deut. 1:36)”

The original meaning of the name “Caleb” was “dog” in ancient Hebrew. Caleb was, in fact, like God’s “bulldog” in the Old Testament – tough, persistent, eager to fight for the Lord, and sure of his victory. He was the son of Jephunneh, whose name meant “nimble” in Hebrew. Caleb provides a prophetic illustration for us of what a faithful believer should be like.

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Ruth 1:16-1- But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

The three women in this story teach us a lesson about those who, having put their hand to the plow, look back, and those who don’t. Naomi was of the people of Israel, a people separated by God to accomplish His project of redemption. She had been forced to go out of her country with her husband and two sons because of the famine in the land. Famine in Israel was typically God’s way to bring back to Him the people, when they started to disobey.

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“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  - Colossians 3:1-4

One of the distinctive elements of Paul’s writings was his focus on eternity.  People today often think of the Apostle Paul as a great teacher or theologian, or as a successful church planter, or even as a person who performed impressive miracles.  All these things are true, but when we look at what Paul himself considered the most important, the defining element is that he kept his eyes fixed on eternity, not on material things. 

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Acts 13:22 – ” After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” 

Saul had a large standing army and weapons, but could not fight against a single person who defied his army (Goliath – see 1 Samuel 17).  David defeated Goliath with a simple stone and slingshot. 

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Isaiah 41:13 - “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

This verse is part of a chapter of promises for God’s people, along with challenges for us to serve Him alone.  In addition to the promises of what God will do on your behalf, this verse has a lesson about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. continue

Isaiah 41:13 - “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

This short verse contains wonderful promises and blessings for us, like most of the verses this chapter.  Isaiah 41 is a chapter where the Lord rebukes the enemies of His people, where the Lord challenges the idolaters for making useless images for worship, and where He promises a new period of divine protection and blessing.  The Lord actually promises three types of action on behalf of His servants:

• He will take hold of your right hand…
• He speaks to you, saying, “Do not fear”…
• He will help you…

Three is a biblical number representing the operation of the TRINITY.

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Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  

Many people think of faith merely in terms of a certain feeling, or a strong religious opinion that people hold for a period of time.  True faith, by contrast, interacts with the prophetic realm.  Faith from eternity is dynamic, not static.  We say it is “dynamic” because it is connected to God’s unfolding plan or project of salvation, so faith keeps in step with what God is doing at the moment.  Human feelings and opinions (the things that unbelievers think of as “faith”) are static and temporary.  

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Psalm 32:8-9 - “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”

We believe that God spoke and revealed Himself through the Bible, and He still speaks today. The Bible itself teaches us that God wants to speak to us and tell us His will for our lives, so that we can obey Him fully. In this Psalm, He promises to speak to us each step of the way. How do we hear from God? He mentions four ways that He speaks to us.   continue

John 1:1-5, 14 - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth....”

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