scripture reading — Devotions — Kristine Brown, Author

We are blessed today to have encourager Carmen Horne share her wisdom. (She wouldn't want me to brag about her, but I'm going to anyway.) I know you will feel the sincerity of her heart when you read her words. Welcome Carmen!

2 Ways to Choose Trust

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.” Isaiah 55:8-9, MSG

Do you bounce back and forth between worry and trust? My word, I do. Recommitting to my decision to trust God in certain situations is not only a yearly thing for me, it’s often daily.

Please tell me you struggle with this too. We are firmly dedicated to letting go of the anxiety that comes with a situation, and before we realize it, our devotion begins to wane.

It’s not like God has abandoned us. It’s not like He has never answered our prayers. We fill journals with thankfulness.

For me, I think part of my distrust rests within my fear of the unknown. I heard one of my favorite Bible teachers say in reference to God answering prayers, “We don’t know if He will, but we always know He can.”

Oh, but we want to know He will. We want that assurance that His answer will always be yes. We know best, right?

How will we ever overcome this tug of war in our souls? Are there ways to make our choice to trust God in the midst of the unknown for real this time?

Here are a couple of things I am trying to remember when I begin to worry and fret. Hopefully you will find them helpful as well.

Remember who God is and what we know about His character -

Scripture is filled with affirmations of God’s love and care for us – Jeremiah 29:11, John 14:27, Proverbs 1:33 are some of my favorites. Not only scripture, but our lives testify to a loving God that is faithful. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I think back on the times God has met my needs, protected my family, and healed my body. I look for truth – not what I am feeling at the moment. Our feelings usually gravitate toward the negative during stressful times.

Understanding that choosing trust is powerful –

There is power in a choice. We decide. It’s an act of our will. Quoting Joyce Meyer, “In Deuteronomy 30:19 (AMP), God says, ‘…I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.’ ‘Every choice is a seed you sow, and those seeds produce fruit in your life – either for life or for death. And if we want to have the life Jesus died to give us – an abundant life full of real peace and joy – we need to make wise choices.”

Choosing trust is good seed sown for our peace.

Often, I choose trust with my knees knocking, my voice trembling, and tears flowing. I don’t think trust has to look pretty, I think it just needs to look sincere.

Living with abandon in Christ’s love and care can happen for us. Let’s choose life.

Wife, mom and Jesus girl best describes Carmen. She has been married to her fella, Lary, for 38 years and has one beautiful daughter.

She walks out her calling to women’s ministry as a writer, speaker and Christian Women’s Hope Coach, lending her ear and heart to those looking to find hope in the craziness of life.

Carmen is convinced her home in heaven will be beach-side with a chocolate filled closet, but until that glorious day, her family makes the Bayou State their home. Connect with Carmen here:

Visit my blog at Carmen Horne, Walking With Women, Embracing God's Truth.

Please welcome writer Ellen Chauvin to the blog today!

Ellen pens her stories from the Bayou Country of South Louisiana, but her heart and birthplace are in Mississippi. She’s a Southern Belle through and through. When not writing, you can find Ellen digging in the flower beds, relaxing on her back porch, or traveling with hubby John. She is passionate about scripture and shares the truth of God’s word at www.ellenchauvin.com. It is there that she encourages ordinary women to walk in extraordinary faith.

Memorizing scripture is like a preparing a good juicy steak.

Yep, that was my thought a few days ago. I had purposed in my heart to memorize scripture this year. AGAIN. I’ve tried and given up a hundred times. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why it was so hard hard for me! Other than the fact that I’m, well, not getting any younger. And you know, at this season in my life, if I can remember anything, it’s miracle.

As I was pondering memorizing God’s word, I realized I had been approaching it all wrong. I had arbitrarily chosen a verse, and tried to remember it. I wrote it down several times over the course of a few days, then moved on to another one. That just wasn’t working for me. One day, a friend on Facebook posted about her life changing scripture memory experience. She was using the Beth Moore Siesta Scripture Memory plan, which is one verse every two weeks. Hallelujah! I think I can do that!

Choose a Method

I bought a set of spiral index cards (recommended by Beth Moore). It’s small enough to fit easily in my purse. I prop it on my desk at work. It literally keeps me going during the day. I glance at the cards often, close my eyes and recite the verse. Sometimes I will write it down several times. Making progress! Another suggestion was to begin with a verse that is meaningful to you. By starting with a scripture near and dear to your heart in this season - but one you haven’t memorized - you’ll feel like a rock star at the end of the first two weeks, because you know it up down and sideways!

Begin with a verse that is meaningful to you.

Next, I chose an arbitrary verse that I didn’t really know. Hmmm, getting a little harder! I realized if it isn’t a scripture that has personal meaning for me, I had to get to know it. I needed to marinate in it like a good steak, soaking in the seasoning. (Did you think I had forgotten about the steak analogy?) I needed to spend time with this verse.

How can you get to know a scripture? Read it in several different translations. Chose key words and look at their meaning in the original Hebrew or Greek. Check out the cross references. Do a little scripture mapping.

Ask questions. Psalm 61:2 says “From the end of the earth I call to You when my hear t is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Where do I have to be when I call to Him? Anywhere, from the end of the earth. When do I call” When my heart is faint, and I’m feeling alone, afraid or abandoned. Who do I cry out to? God, my Rock and my Refuge.

Marinate in the verse.

Just like that wonderful juicy steak I devour, I also need to ingest the scripture.

Ezekiel 3:3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. NIV

What happens when we eat good food? It provides nutrients and keeps us healthy. Food fuels our energy and keeps us going all day. When we add God’s word to our daily diet, it provides nutrients for spiritual growth. I don’t know about you, but it keeps me going all day long.

But you know what? Don’t get comfortable there. Dig into scriptures that challenge you (and possibly give you indigestion).

Perhaps you’ve eaten food that didn’t agree with you. Same with God’s word. Sometimes we find His revealed will in scripture hard to digest. How about that scripture that tells us to pray for our enemy? Oooh, heartburn. What about the one that says pray for those in authority. Anybody need some Tums?

Choose a scripture that challenges you.

One of the verses I memorized was 1 Corinthians 13:5

Love…”does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered”

As I memorized, chewed on, scripture mapped and got to know the verse, it began to make me uncomfortable. Because you see, I was failing at all things “love” each day at work. What an eye opener. By marinating in the verse, I realized I was blatantly ignoring what it said to do. I was rude, selfish and irritable.

Give yourself grace.

If you are having trouble persevering in your quest to memorize God’s word, please don’t give up! You can do it, and there are so many online resources to help you. My friend Jana over at Sweet to the Soul has a beautiful Scripture Memory Journal and Verse Mapping Pages.

Don’t give up!

The Holy Spirit will bring to mind the scriptures for you. But we have to do our part: we have to put the words in our minds!