A spiritual direct deposit

Like a lot of people I have my paycheck directly deposited into my bank account. I know with confidence funds will be available at 12 am est the night prior to payday. I often began swiping my debit card before I check my bank statement to verify I have the money deposited into my account. This is normally not a big deal because the money is always there on payday. So I had a lesson on faith at the grocery store. I was buying groceries and I heard the Holy Spirit say, you have a lot of faith in your bank account. Why aren’t you that confident in your faith in me? I was blown away. The Holy Spirit then said to me, where does your income come from? I said my employer pays me. Wrong answer! God promptly reminded me that He is my source for everything. I quickly realized I needed a paradigm shift in my thinking. I was thinking in limited terms and focused on earthly things. Worst of all I was trusting in man and not God. I asked God, how on earth is this possible? How do I develop this mentality of a spiritual direct deposit? Lord, how can I walk with confidence that I can totally trust you automatically without hesitation?  In theory this sounds so good….and so spiritual. I mean, don’t we sing songs about this very thing at church every week? So why is it so hard to put faith into practice? How does this happen? Here are a few things I've learned:

Learn to crucify the flesh

To put our faith in Christ alone we have to learn to crucify the flesh daily. This involves choice and action. I have to make the decision to die to myself and then obey what God is telling me to do. This is a daily process. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The bible says that we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Christ.When putting your faith in Christ it means that you died and now your life is in Christ. We give him control of our lives which means all hopes, dreams, wants, desires. Then look to Christ alone to fulfill you. God tells us His will for our lives step by step. You have to obey step 1 to get to step 2, 3, 4 and so on. If you don’t obey step one and try to get to step ten God will always re direct you back to step one before you can move forward.

“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Galatians 2:19-21, NIV)

 Obey God and leave the consequences to Him

My pastor talks about this all the time. He is completely right! I have experienced this myself. One thing I have also discovered is that I find it literally impossible to trust God when I am being disobedient. This is because I start trusting in myself and relying on my own understanding. Then I get all confused and frustrated. The bible says God will confuse the proud but give grace to the humble. My desire to do things my way is a form of pride. Disobedience is sin; partial obedience is also sin. I have also learned that sin runs wild. Whenever I start thinking hey I can dabble in a little sin in this area and it will be OK, I am always wrong! If I'm disobeying in one area it spills over to other areas like a wild fire which makes it impossible for me to trust God. Being disobedient also causes a loss of intimacy with God.When I obey God and allow him to run my life his peace comes over me like a tidal wave. I feel joy and excitement because I know He is taking care of my life. It also brings me back in close relationship with God. 

Spend time with God

I find it hard to trust someone I don’t know. This is how it works with God. The more time we spend with Him the more you know His character and the more you will be able to trust him. When you earnestly seek God He will draw near to you as you draw near to Him.

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but the wicked he will destroy.” (Psalm 145: 17-20)

Be honest with God

I have fallen into the trap of telling God one thing but feeling totally different in my heart. It makes no sense to do this. God knows everything. He knows our secret thoughts, he knows our motives and intentions (Hebrews 4:13).  If something is bothering you, be honest. God knows anyway. When I had this lesson at the grocery store I realized I didn't completely trust God and I told Him the truth. I also asked him to help me, change me and give me renewed mind and heart. The good news is God is faithful to his word but we have to also do our part.