Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 2 - Unexpected Intelligence Agent

Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 2 of 3 

Unexpected Intelligence Agent

In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11 is often dubbed the “roll call of faith.” It describes several people, in the Bible, who are commended for their faith. If you haven’t read it for a while, I highly recommend you do and be encouraged.

One of my favorite people honored for her faith is a woman named Rahab. She was an Ammonite who lived in the city of Jericho. Rahab began to trust God just on hearing about Him.

She had heard about the God of Israel and the mighty things He was doing for His people. We’re introduced to Rahab in the second chapter of Joshua. 

For the Israelites, the forty years of wandering was finished. Moses was gone, and Joshua was leading the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan. The very first city to conquer was Jericho. So, Joshua sent two spies into the city to scope things out.

The spies went to the home of Rahab for lodging. She was a prostitute. Our first thought would likely be, “How unseemly! —that they would go to such a place.”

But…think about it. Men would come and go from her place consistently. And over-riding that fact, God knew the heart of Rahab and He had already handpicked her to enter into His plan. 

She had heard about Yahweh, the God of Israel, believed in Him and trusted Him. So, Rahab agreed to hide them in her home.

She said, “for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death” (Joshua 2:11c-13 KJV).

“So the men answered her, ‘Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you’” (Joshua 2:14 NKJV).

When the authorities came, looking for the Israelites, she hid them and told the pursuers, “They went that-a-way. Hurry, go catch them!” So, they left.

The spies promised to spare Rahab and her family. Then when the walls of Jericho came tumblin down, she and her household were rescued from destruction. 

Like Rahab, because we have put our trust in the God of Israel and His Son, Jesus, we have been rescued from destruction. 

It excites me to know the story of Rahab does not end here. In her ensuing story, we see a beautiful picture of God’s redeeming power. 

Was it not enough that the lives of Rahab and her family were spared? No—not where God was concerned. God is so good and His grace so amazing! Rahab went on to marry an Israelite named Salmon and her name turns up in the genealogy of Jesus, our Savior.

Salmon and Rahab were the parents of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, who married Ruth. Their son was Obed, who was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the most famous and beloved king of Israel.

As we continue through the descendants of David, we come to Jesus Himself. So, Rahab, the former prostitute, is in the family tree of our Lord. 

Here we see redemption. Rahab put her trust in God and was saved. The people we read about in Scripture didn’t have a Bible like we do today. 

They had the Word of God as it was given to Moses and as they witnessed God do mighty works. Rahab heard the Word of the Lord second hand and believed. She mixed the Word with faith and made a decision to put her trust in God. 

We must remember, God knows more than we do. He knows every minute detail of every thing and every one. He knows what the outcome should be. And He’s trustworthy.

Bottom Line:

“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them: but the word that they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV).

In other words—They heard the Word preached, but it did not benefit them because they didn’t mix it with faith. So, when we mix God’s Word with our faith we have what we need to trust God. 

In the comment section below, please tell of a situation in which you needed to trust God this week.  Thanks so much.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford

Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God - Part 1 of 3

Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 1

Don’t forget to trust God!

“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You” (Psalm 5:11a).

We hear it said, “Trust God.”   <><>  YES—that’s excellent advice.

I would like to suggest, “Mix the Word with Faith—Then Trust God.”

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2 KJV).

In other words—They heard the Word preached but it did not benefit them because they didn’t mix it with faith. So, when we mix the Word of God with our faith we have the wherewithal to trust God. And we can be assured the Holy Spirit in us is powerfully blending it all together to give us peace all we need to truly trust. 

When was the last time you HAD to trust God? I mean really trust Him.

I wanted to say, “When was the last time you were forced to trust God?”

Though it may have felt like you were forced, we’re never really forced. We have a choice. 

Trusting God is a choice—in any situation. Have you needed to trust God for something today—this very day?  Think about that for a moment.

Thinking back to one of my own experiences in trusting God was when our son, Shannon, who was eleven at the time, had a head injury in a bicycle accident.

I know—I know. You’re thinking, “Why wasn’t he wearing a helmet?” This was back before helmets were required. At that time only big-time bike athletes wore helmets. So don’t judge me.  😊

Anyway, the ER doc said he had temporary amnesia.

AMNESIA! That word will stop you in your tracks—especially when it’s in regard to your child’s head injury. But the word that meant the world to me was, temporary.

I remember, clearly, sitting by Shannon’s bed, hour after hour, hoping Dr. Cook meant it when he said temporary. Fear rushed through me as I considered the possibility that Dr. Cook may have said that just to comfort me in the hopes that it really would be temporary.

So, I sat there alone, hour after hour. My husband was in Michigan for a week-long business trip. My parents were at work and our younger son was with a neighbor who offered to tend him until my mom got home. 

I knew, though, that I wasn’t alone. I was well aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence. 

When fear rose up and wanted to overtake me, I realized that I had a decision to make. I heard a voice in my spirit (not an audible voice). It said, “Okay, Connie, what are you going to do? Are you going to trust God—or fall apart?”

I knew my God. And I had enough of God’s Word in me to know He was trustworthy. I decided to trust God.

What I did was mix the Word with faith and trust God.

Though this was many years ago, I remember sitting there, nodding my head and telling God, “I’m going to trust You. I know Shannon will be fine. I believe Dr. Cook is right—that this amnesia is only temporary.”

So, I kept vigil at Shannon’s bedside answering his same questions over and over in between his periods of sleep. Every few minutes he asked:

“What day is today?”

“Did I miss Neil’s birthday party?”

“Who is my girlfriend?”

I patiently answered him each time as we went through the series of questions, and I would thank God that I could trust Him that Shannon would be fine. 

I had stopped asking Dr. Cook, “How much longer?” because I knew his answer would again be, “I don’t know.”   

Instead, I would pray, “God, You know and that’s what counts.”

Occasionally, I would wipe a tear from my eye and say, “God, I trust You.”

There are a lot of things in life that are completely out of our hands. 

Are you a control freak? We often want to control people. And we often want to control situations to the point it can drive us crazy. It’s amazing the stress relief we can achieve when turn a person or situation over to God and just trust Him.

Think about how frustrating it is when people won’t do what we think they should do. In just a few weeks, my husband and I will have been married for 48 years. 

A long time ago, when I learned that I cannot and should not try to make him to do what I think he should do, a huge burden was lifted from me. My maturing in that area possibly saved our marriage. 

Besides that, I am not to take responsibility for his actions. 

I put him in God’s hands. Instead of talking to him about what I think should happen, I talk to God. 

That’s not to say that Guy and I don’t talk. Certainly, we do. But I don’t keep repeating things and trying to convince him, hoping to manipulate the situation. I speak my mind to Guy and to God. Then I trust God. God always knows what’s best.

Sometimes things go my way and sometimes they don’t. But I’m letting the ultimate result be God’s. If Guy and I mess up, I know God will help us straighten things out.

We can do this in all relationships. God knows more than we do. He knows every minute detail of every thing and every one. He knows what the outcome should be. He’s trustworthy.

When an outcome seems to be not what is best, due to human error or weakness, sin, rebellion, or whatever— God’s not shocked. He doesn’t fall apart. He stands ready to forgive and turn what Satan meant for evil into something He can bring good out of. God’s like that. He’s trustworthy.

Trusting God is about having faith in God and we know that without faith it’s impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

The Bible teaches us how to trust and why we can trust God. We need to Mix the Word with Faith, make every effort to follow God’s leading and do things God’s way, and trust the results to Him. He’s always trustworthy. 

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll look at a woman in the Bible who trusted God. Her life and the lives of her family depended on it. I hope you’ll check back in.  

Please share about a time you needed to trust God. Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford