A Little From Psalms (4)

"It  is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8 NKJV)
Trust is confidence in and reliance on the integrity, ability and strenght of a person or thing.
There is a tendency to trust humans around us, because of  wealth, position and influence.  We somehow have  such confidence beneath the threshold of our consciouness and most times we dont realise it until the chips are down.  We have people we call men of substance, men of timber and caliber, but remember that no matter how influencial a man is, he is still a man -  a created being, with limitations and weaknesses, and also in need of help  of the ALMIGHTY God for sustenance. 
It is wrong to hold everyone in doubt, but it is neither right to have more confidence in man than in God. How do you know if your confidence is in man and not in God, because putting man first in your life means you have no confidence in God at all.
1.  If the dominant thought in your heart borders around human's ability and help.
2. If prayer is your last resort. A believer that does not pray has confidence in someone/something else.
3. If disappointment from men have 'great' impart on your life.
"Thus says the Lord : “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord . For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which  is not inhabited." (Jeremiah 17:5-6 NKJV).
It is better to trust in The Lord!

The Word Always works!

"...as He is, so are we in this world." (I John 4:17 NKJV)
You are what the says you are
You can do what the word says you can do
You have what the word says you have
It remains true whether you believe it or not
Your doubt cannot undo it
Because your faith didnt create it, Grace did.
If you say its not showing,
I will tell you its because
You have refused to acknowledge it - philemon verse 6; and
because you aint 'working' it
The word ALWAYS work for those who work it - Phil. 2:12
Once again I say:
THE WORD ALWAYS WORK FOR THOSE WHO WORK IT.

The Truth About Your Challenges

We seem to know these truths but our hearts somewhat get beclouded in the face of opposition, and we find it difficult to apply them when the battle becomes tough. 
There is no big deal about your challenges. no matter how grievous, it is common to men 1Cor.10:13). If you will widen the scope of your enquiry you will discover that people of God have overcome  more deplorable problems in the past.
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM
i. Your problem is not the worst in  the world ( 1Cor. 10:13b)
ii. Your problem is no big deal to God (Exodus 14:10, 15-16)
iii. The people of God have overcome more terrible challenges in time past (Psalm 107:1-20; 2Cor. 4:8-12; 2Cor.11:23-33)
iv. Whatever you think about the most would becomes the biggest and most compelling influence in your heart, and the most compelling influence in your heart will always control your life (Prov. 23:7)
v. The more you think (worry) and talk to people (throw pity party) about your problem, the bigger it becomes in your heart and you might end up seeing it as bigger than God; how? Once you get to a point where you couldn't believe God's word  for solution, your challnege has become bigger than God in your heart. (Jer. 32:27)
vi. Sympathy (from people) as good as it is,  is not a 'problem solver'; in rare cases, it lightens the burden but most of the times it takes you farther away from faith (Mark 5:35-36)
vii. All things are possible with God (Mark 10:27)
viii. All things are possible to him that believes (Mark 9:23)
ix There is no challenge that the word of God cannot solve ( Isaiah 55:10-11)
x. If you will believe the word of God for solution and remain steadfast in faith IT WILL BE TO YOU ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH (Romans 4:17-21).
blessed?

The Invisible Realm (1)

"And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “ Lord , I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (II Kings 6:15-17 NKJV)
The Bible reveals that the believer is in the company of countless multitude of angels (Heb.12:22). Being fearful in the midst of such a great host is an anomaly; safety and security stop being issues of concern when you know where you belong. For the fact that you live in fear and in anticipation of evil is an indication that a vital information is lacking in your heart and that also implies that something new (Revelation of God's word) must happen to your heart - there is something you don't know, and that ignorance is keeping you under. If only you will become conscious of the vast spiritual realm of God to which you belong:
witches, wizards, and enemies will stop featuring regularly in your prayers;
you will leave your house and believe that it cannot be burgled while you are away because angels are on guard;
you won't be afraid of robbery attack when it becomes necessary to travel in the night; you will be at peace like Jesus was when He slept in the boat in spite of the raging storm.
All that Elisah's servant needed was an opening of his inner eyes, and his fear was dispelled at the sight of the host of God that sorrounded them.
Don't you think you should change your prayer point to that of spiritual enlightenment? If only you can see it from the word by revelation everything will change. Oh! That the eyes of your hearts will be enlightened to see and be conscious of the invisible world you belong to as believers

Trust not in Man!

"Thus says the Lord : “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord." (Jeremiah 17:5 NKJV)
Friendship that consists in mutual trust and support among humans is God's idea for He created man with the  capacity to love and be loved, to care and be cared for. Yet He did not intend that human relationship will take His place on the thrones of our hearts.
The man who puts his confidence in another man does not have a better lot than the pilot who thinks that spider web could give a safe support to his aircraft in the face of looming crash.
Most of the friendship you will enter in your lifetime will not last for more than 3-5 years on the average. Wont it be wise therefore not to base your life on such temporary phenomenon. 
The attitude of reposing confidence in man usually creeps into the heart subtly and remians there for a long time unnoticed by its bearer. In most cases, circumstances and happenings have been the revealer of this "malady" of the heart - you really don't know how much confidence you have in people until they disappoint you; though they did not actually disappointment you, they are only being human, because human beings do not have the capacity to be the object of your trust like God is. Psalm 118:8-9 comes in handy: "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."
You speak of a close friend who back-stabbed you; you describe the deep hurt of betrayal; you vowed never to forgive the man that let you down when you least expected, you bear the pain of human disappointments, you have become a victim of failed promises: the impact of their infidelity is so great that up till now, you couldnt put the broken pieces of your life together. 
Do you not know that the more you rest on a man, the more hurting you will be when he fails you; can a man bear his own "weight" without God, talkless of bearing that of another? Can you not see the folly of giving to man what ONLY God deserves?
Its only a matter of time (at most 2 years), you will get to discover that the man you call your "brother from another mother" is just as fickle as any other person you have met. I have not by this suggested that you should live in suspicions and hold every man in doubt; not at all. Am only saying that you should trust humans ONLY within the limit allowed by God; because any step beyond that boundry will only set you up for a crash. Jesus our Lord exemplified this according to John 2:24-25 "But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,  and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man."
The mockery of His kinsmen, the turning back of His disciples (John 6), the evil plot of the Jews against Him; the betrayal by Judas and the denial  by Peter, the doubts of brother Thomas all put together  were not enough to hurt Him or make Him resentful: He remained unruffled, He did not loose His peace, He still achieved His purpose; the will of the Lord propsered in His hands in spite of the odds from men.
"Wait on the Lord ; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord !" (Psalms 27:14 NKJV)

JESUS HAS DONE SO MUCH!

His back for the whips, so deadly , His  skin could not but give way for the gush of blood.
Never has man been so tortured; - Isaiah 52:14
for Elohim was privy to His affliction - Isaiah 53:10
He was betrayed and denied,  shamefully arrayed, 
despised and defamed without any defense from Him - Isaiah 53:6-7
How could such a strifeless and harmless man be dealt with so maliciously
How could equity be so "dormant" at a time when justice should have spoken loudly
Aaah...! He was sentenced to death by crucifixion
He bled and died with His arms openned wide
The price was paid in full - John 19:30
The demand of divine Justice was fully met - Isaiah 53:11
He died as sinners' substitute - Isaiah 53:12
For His persecutors, being laid behind the stone marked the end  
but for us who were saved  and are being saved,  it was the beginning of our liberty, joy and reign.
His redemptive work changed everything and made the unprecedented difference
He canceled the warrant of our condemnation and nailed it to His cross  Col. 2:14
The one time slaves  of the devil have suddenly become his masters...  Yeeeeeh!!  
The sin-soiled souls have become God's holy vessels!
Though born in and under sin, we have now become the children of God in glory;
transformed into His image, partakers of His nature.
The awesome God has brought man on common ground with Himself  - inconceivable! (Eph. 2:19)
We are no more ordinary, but extraordinary and supernatural
blessed, forgiven, Justified, healed, sanctified, empowered, delivered and glorified.
His work is perfect and irreversible  Ecc. 3:14
The impact and the benefit of His work is limitless and inexhaustible
We don't need more, we have all.
He did the best of His best
He has done soooo much!

BY HIM, OF HIM, WITH HIM, IN HIM...

All that Jesus did in Redemption He didnt just do it for me, I was in Him when He did it.
I was crucified with Him - Gal. 2:20
I died with Him - Rom. 6:3
I was buried with Him - Col. 2:12
I resurrected with Him - Eph. 2:5-6
I am seated with and in Him in the heavenly places - Eph. 2:6
His crucifixion is the penalty for my sin - Rom. 4:25
His death is my death to sin and the world - Rom. 6:6
His burial is the end of my sinful nature - Rom. 6:4
His resurrection is my victory over sin, death, the world and Satan - Rom. 6:9-11
His glorification is my reign in the realm of life - Rom. 5:17
He is for me - Rom. 8:31
He is with me - Matt. 28:20
He is in me glorified - Col. 1:27
I am in Him justified - Rom. 3:24
The Bible is the receipt He gave me as the irrefutable proof of payment for my freedom and victory - signed, sealed and delivered! glooooory!