ESOCS Devotional 15 January 2021
TEXT: ISAIAH 26:1-13
MEMORY VERSE: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV
One of the foremost attitudes we need to develop in our relationship with God is to have absolute trust in Him; a trust that does not waver, and is unalloyed. It has a constancy that is definite and steadfast, even when we face the risk or threat of death or destruction. The young lad David demonstrated this trust when he insisted that he was going to fight the Philistine giant and war veteran, Goliath. He said to King Saul, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:29 NKJV).
Such attitude shows that we have confidence in God to the extreme, if we practise it. Nothing should make us worry or afraid. He is with us always. All powers belong to Him. He is the Creator and Commander of heaven and earth. Trusting God for all things and in all situations or circumstance is a good Christian virtue. We need to train heart and mind in the matter of trusting God, and make it a regular Christian exercise and practice. It would help us remain fit in the Christian race, just as the athlete exercises to keep fit for a competition.
As David did, if we always think back, we would recall certain things God has done for us in the time passed, through His grace. We should cast away fear from our heart. Let us resolve in our heart to depend on God and rely on Him for our wellbeing at all times. He alone has the answer and solution to every trouble situation. Let us make Him our True Champion.
A person “whose mind is stayed on God” is that person that thinks about Him always, depends on Him, relies on Him, waits on Him, rooted in Him, does nothing without thinking of how God would feel about it, he is careful not to do anything that would offend God, he loves and fears God to the extreme, perseveres in the hour of trial and temptation to ensure that he does not derail and compromise godly principles and his relationship with God, and he desires to worship Him in truth and in spirit.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Such people are usually sober and do not involve themselves in riotous living (Prov. 23:20; Gal. 5:21). They live the life of Christ and run away from anything that has the resemblance of sin and worldliness (Jam. 4:4). They set their minds on the need to be like Jesus, so that they would remain in the nature and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26; Rom. 8:29). They are mindful to be conscious to live by the word of God and walk in godly principles, and thereby cut themselves away from the ways of the world. They are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and respond quickly to what He tells them or lays on their hearts and minds. They study the word of God regularly, imbibe the truth in it, apply them to their life, and are blessed by it. They shun all forms of ungodliness and crave to be with the Lord Jesus at His Second Coming, as they set the kingdom goals for themselves.
If we have these in our character, we would always experience the kind of peace that only God can give; for God would always keep in perfect peace everyone who is careful and mindful to do His will. Let us not forget that the best we can do for ourselves is to maintain a good and perfect relationship with God, our heavenly Father.
CHALLENGES
Trusting God wholly is great virtue. Strive to cultivate it in you, and never give up.
PRAYER POINT
Lord, increase my faith and trust in you that I may not fail you in this life.
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 25:1-9; Luke 1:5-25; 1 Timothy 1:12-20
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ESOCS Devotional 15 January 2021
