What Is Needed to Establish Feelings of Security?

What makes men and women feel secure will differ, depending on their age and circumstances, their personality and temperament, as well as what has been learned from childhood onward. The opposite of feeling secure is feeling vulnerable and unprotected, which tends to create anxiety.

Feelings of insecurity can be conquered by not allowing fear to dominate your life. So face the reality of your situation rather than permit your imagination to create ways to avoid taking positive action. Fear must  be subdued, or else it will take control of your thoughts and behavior.

When God told Abraham to move to where he would show him, he encountered obstacles and uncertainty that threatened his commitment to God. After it happened he acknowledged his failure and returned to God’s guidance and the faith God provided. Whatever you’re facing at this moment, believe God will empower you to stay within his boundaries and plans for you. 

                 

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[Jesus said,] “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

~John 10:28-30 New International Version

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How Does Being Faithful to God Insure His Blessings?

Is it more difficult today for men to find their place in life than at any other time in history? My father was born in 1907 to a farming family. He saw only one option for himself as a young man, and that was to farm the land where he grew up. He later worked as a craftsman in an aircraft factory.

With so many options available today, it would appear that finding a career could be done with ease. Two generations ago if a man was fortunate enough to find a good job, it meant security until retirement. With mega-mergers and outsourcing, job security diminished for both men and women.

When Abraham was 75 years old, God told him to move to a new place. He, his wife, and nephew went in search of God’s promise. Hebrews 11 tells us Abraham believed God would keep his promise, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

Being faithful to God insures his blessings.  

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Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise.

~Hebrews 10:23 Good News Bible

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Have You Reached for What Seemed Impossible?

Remember the story from Genesis 22 that relates how God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice in place of his son Isaac? Consequently, he named the place Jehovah Jireh, meaning "God will provide.” Hebrews 11:8 reminds us that, when challenged to do the inconceivable, faith motivated Abraham to obey God.

In a transitional moment, God may call you to reach beyond life’s expectations and stretch for the unimaginable. 

When God calls you to a unique task, he enables you to accomplish whatever that assignment happens to be. God will provide.

Permit God to expand your faith by trusting that all things are possible with him. Be ready for any temptation by allowing God full access to your conscience so all hidden sins will be exposed, confessed, and forgiven. Refuse to compromise your high calling by keeping your eyes fixed on Christ Jesus. God will provide.           

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God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourself and more than enough for every good cause. As the scripture says, “God gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever.”

~2 Corinthians 9:8-9 Good News Bible

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Let Your Faith Blossom

Faith is difficult to measure in real terms although it’s not a matter of how much faith one possesses, but of how active it’s expressed in each area of life. Jesus noted that faith the size of a mustard seed has the power to move mountains. Ronald Reagan came to Washington with that kind of faith and ended the cold war.

Faith should be thought of as growing and never reaching its peak. Faith is forever reaching onward to what God has in store for those who love and serve Him. Abraham believed God and by faith set out to discover what God promised was his destiny.

Listen to the Apostle Paul’s testimony. “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them as worthless so that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Give your faith a chance to grow and blossom by discarding every obstruction that holds you back.  

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Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for his blessing even before it happened. He was completely sure that God was able to do anything that he promised. And because of Abraham’s faith, God forgave his sins and declared him “not guilty.”

~Romans 4:20-22 The Living Bible

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From the Known to the Unknown

Moving from the known to the unknown takes determination and courage. God asked Abraham to leave all that was familiar and go to a place He would reveal to him as he was on his way. What would you think and feel if God were to ask you to embark on such an outrageous journey at this time in your life?

 

Rare is the person who wants to stay home indefinitely. As a late adolescent, I had it in my heart to get as far away as possible from the small farming community where I grew up. I did not hate my family or community; I just needed to leave. My parents thought this was the worst decision I could possibly make, but it helped me mature and discover God’s purpose for me.

Jacob could have lived out his life in Haran with his father-in-law, but God's plan meant moving from the known to the unknown. God calls us to make this step for a significant purpose. The challenges are great and demand faith; yet God, without exception, equips us with hope and faith for making the journey.