Absolute trust and confidence

   "I am not ashamed; for I know Him [and I am personally acquainted 

    with Him] whom I have believed [with absolute trust and confidence in 

    Him and in the truth of His deity], and I am persuaded [beyond any 

    doubt] that He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him 

    until that day [when I stand before Him]. )2 Timothy 1:12, AMP)

Is this you? Do you have absolute trust and confidence in Him? What don't you trust Him with? Why? What stops you from complete surrender? Actually... not sure the right word is 'surrender' - that can sound like giving up/giving in. Don't really think this is what He seeks. I think it's more like complete confidence and commitment. Need both. Confidence can easily be a thought but commitment moves it into an act.

It may be only me, but it is the act-based Christian that gets the Lord's attention. Because in action, we prove our believing. Remember James?

   "But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me 

    your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

    (James 2;18, AMP)

We can say we are surrendered to the Lord, or we can sing, "I surrender all' but do we show this? Do we display absolute trust and confidence or just talk about it? Perhaps we haven't defined what this means for us? If so, how would you define these qualities in your life? Have you experienced this?

I don't believe that the Lord does anything by half's. I do believe we sometimes do. So, perhaps we need to discover how the Lord would define absolute trust and confidence. He gives us more than ample evidence that He is more than worthy of our trust and confidence. So what stops us? For each of us the reason may be slightly different but the bottom line is that 'what if' in the back of our minds. Not just of whether the Lord deserves our full trust but whether we can actually act on it.

I'm going to return to a fundamental theme ... everything is a process. we grow by putting line upon line, precept upon precept. We don't do 'everything' in all areas at the same time. We take one step... then another... build on one understanding... then another. This is how trust and confidence grows. There may be those who can 'sell out' completely but most of us can't. So it is OK that we do little bit by little bit - the point is that we act, take a step, do something and not just sit and expect it to fall into our laps. We are the ones that do the doing so that we grow and continue.

It truly may not be a lack of trust in the Lord, but a lack of trust in ourselves - can we trust and act in confidence. I sometimes believe it's akin to the cry..." I believe, I believe - help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) In this scripture the Lord did heal the child. Would He do less for us? Of course not. He will help us grow in our trust and confidence in Him. All He needs is that mustard seed of belief. He can grow a might tree of faith from this tiniest of seeds. Can, will you give it to Him? Do you 'know Him'?