WHERE IS YOUR TRUST
Very austere times may be coming to America due to current run-away government spending. The “survivalists”, who are also sounding warnings of what lies ahead for our nation, are stressing the importance of preparing for very hard times. Although their warnings may be accurate, their methods of preparing are lacking the most important ingredient and will cause people to place their trust in the wrong things. It also causes others who are observing such things to become fearful; or to totally reject the warnings; or become hopeless.
The survivalists want you to buy a years supply of food for every member of your family. They want you to invest your money in silver and gold. They also want you to buy all manner of survival supplies and equipment; all of which they want to sell to you; (seems like they are creating their own market).
There is nothing wrong with having things in store or being able to buy them. However, most people are not at all able to make such purchases to prepare for what they say may be ahead for this nation. So what are they to do? Since only the wealthy would be in a position to purchase large qualities of stored food and supplies, then those of average or below average income, which is the majority of us, are doomed to suffer.
This is not how God sees it; He is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), meaning, He does not favor the wealthy over everybody else. Therefore it behooves us to find out how God wants us to be prepared for what is coming. He has promised to always make a way, even when there does not appear to be a way though.
Scripture tells us that it is better to put our trust on God that in anything or anyone else:
Psalm 118:8-9 – It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
Don’t put your trust in man, or government, they always have ulterior motives or selfish agendas to gain more wealth, power or control by taking advantage of you.
Luke 12:15 – And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth
Then where are we to put our trust when times are difficult or impossible? ……in Him who loves us and provides for us!
Psalm 23 – A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Why? …..because everything that is natural or of man will be shaken and fail.
Hebrews 12:26-27 – Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
If everything of man shall fail and collapse, what then do you want to have your confidence in? the government; your retirement; the stock market; silver and gold; your job; your bank account; your material possessions; your club membership; your position in the community? Remember, these ALL will be shaken. Only what is OF God or IN God will not be shaken and will remain as on solid rock.
Scripture indicates that everything will be shaken, so how will you react to nuclear and /or biological attack; invasion; massive terrorist attacks; loss of electricity or gasoline; economic collapse of banks and stock market; famine or inability to get food; extreme natural disasters of earthquakes, volcanoes or massive storms and floods. What are you going to do? Like most people you probably don’t want to even think about it. Will you fear, fret and fall apart?
Luke 21:25-26 – And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Or is your confidence in God and His Word that He has provided for you? How well do you know His Word? It contains His promises to those who trust and obey Him. Let’s look at what His Word says about such times:
Isaiah 26:3 – Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Isaiah 41:13 – For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Isaiah 43:1-2 – But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Luke 12:7 – But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
John 14:1 – Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
So how is it possible not to fear and fret when we begin to see and experience these things? By trusting in the Lord God and what He said He would do for those who trust Him. Put more confidence in Him than in the circumstances or threats you face. How is this possible? ….again, you must know His Word and hold to it; He and His Word is the rock that cannot be shaken.
John 15:7 – If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Know what the scripture says about evil times and calamities and how they are to affect those who trust in the Lord. You must know that God loves you and what you mean to Him; and also that you love an trust Him with all your heart and life. H does have a plan for to protect and provide for you; but you must know that plan and His promises and have confidence in Him to complete that which He promised.
Titus 1:2 – In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
He wants to take care of you, but He requires something of you in order to do so; He requires you trust in Him and to love Him. He wants you to know that He is for you, not against you.
Romans 8:32 – He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Know this also:
Romans 8:35 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Yes evil times and bad things WILL come, so what does His Word say about such conditions and how are they to affect us:
Psalm 33:18-19 – Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine
Psalm 37:3 – Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalm 37:19 – They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
Psalm 37:25 – I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psalm 37:39-40 – But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Matthew 6:31-33 – Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
(Read also Psalm 34 and Psalm 91 for added inspiration and confidence.)
There is a necessary preparation to make in order to survive the days ahead, but it is more spiritual than material; and the spiritual preparation doesn’t cost money so even the poorest among us can do it. If you can make material preparation, like buying and storing food and provisions as the survivalists recommend, that’s fine. The problem is that most people do not have the financial ability to do so, or the place to store such. I consider myself to be average and it is all I can do just to buy groceries for the week. Buying a whole year’s worth of food for the family is just not possible.
Then there is all this talk about building your portfolio and having a certain percentage of it in gold and silver. How can this be possible when it’s all one can do just to put gas in the car, and I’m not raked in poverty level. Actually I consider my self to live well, but I can’t afford extras or luxuries; it takes all I earn to make ends meet; there is nothing to spare. I’m typical, just like you.
The cry of the survivalists then does nothing but put fear in the hearts of those who do not have the finances to make the material preparation they say are absolutely necessary. Where does that leave us typical people? ….in harms way, according to their mantra.
Unfortunately, the survivalists have their focus and faith in the wrong place. Material and physical preparation is NOT the answer to the terrible conditions soon to come upon this nation and the world. Putting trust in the one who promised to meet ALL your needs, the one who even gave his life for you, is the answer.
Philippians 4:19 – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
It is important to note that the words, all your need, does not just apply to money. It applies to just exactly what it is that you need at the time you need it; this includes protection as well as provision.
Some of the scriptures of God’s promises to provide food in time of famine have already been listed; many more are in the Bible – learn them! How God gets His provision and protection to you is not your problem, it is His; and there is nothing impossible to Him. It is your responsibility to pray to Him and trust in Him. You may find yourself eating manna some day.
If you question, “How is God going to do this”, then your trust in His ability will start to diminish. Your responsibility is to TRUST HIM to do what He said He would. Supernatural provision and protection for physical necessities still happens today, and many testimonies are available to verify God’s supernatural intervention. Remember, what is supernatural to us is only natural to Him. However, such provision comes to those who TOTALLY TRUST HIM ANDHIS WORD.
Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 13:5-6 – Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me
At this point it is necessary to warn the silly, the presumptuous and the stupid who take the spiritual/supernatural too far. You are not to abandon your God given responsibilities and obligations to your family and others and say, “God will take care of me”, I can quit my job and go sit on the mountain to await His return”, and such the like, etc. etc.
In a parable Jesus gave His disciples regarding waiting for His return He said, ”occupy till I come”. This means to be busy and diligently engaged in your trade or occupation until His return. You are to do what is in your hand (capability) to do. What is beyond your ability to do , that is what you have to trust God for!
He is faithful to His Word; it is living, practicing and trusting in His Word that brings His promises. It is not you that He honors; it is your faith that He honors; it is HIS WORD that HE honors, blessing all those who hold to it and in whom it resides, etc. – (see John 15:7).
It is absolutely necessary to prepare for what is coming upon this nation (and the whole world). Jesus gave the warnings and told us what to look for. Everything He gave as warning signs are here now. Your preparation is IN HIM & IN HIS WORD! Everything else will fail and fall. Even churches and pastors who are not totally trusting in Him will fall. If your church or your pastor is not equipping you to fully TRUST GOD/CHRIST and HIS WORD; if you a re not being instructed in His truths and directed to walk with Him; if they are not promoting an intimate knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17-19), then you better find a church and pastor that will or do so or you will have to do it yourself at home.
Unfortunately, many Bible believing, salvation preaching, churches are more focused on ”their” programs, activities, building projects, then they are in building up the saints in their most holy faith; building that necessary intimate fellowship with the Lord. This is the problem that was identified in the church at Ephesus:
Revelation 2:2-5 – I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
I notice that typical pastors seem more interested in preaching entertaining and appeasing messages than preaching what the Spirit would have them say to the people. They avoid preaching on topics that may disturb or trouble the saints or get them riled up about something they don’t want to hear; they don’t want to preach on anything “negative”, including preaching about sin and repentance. They know people don’t like to be moved out of their comfort zone or provoked to action other than what they are doing; they prefer the status quo.
To build your trust and confidence on God takes time, quality time, in order to get into the Word and to get the Word into you. Cultivate that word with prayer and always ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. He is the Spirit of truth:
John 16:13-14 – Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
John 14:26 – But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26 – But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
You need to develop a spiritual sensitivity and an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. You will then be equipped to hear Him direct you to protection and provision as He knows what is best for you. The best parties that everyone can do this, it is not just for the wealthy to make this kind of preparation for the shaking and turmoil that is coming.
What is it that cannot be shaken? …. His Word, (which reveals Him and His love for you). What cannot be shaken includes anyone and anything that is founded in and on His Word. This should include you!
Luke 21:34-36 – And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
