Are You Pleasing God or Trusting Him? By Pete BriscoeSample

Gambling On God

In these times, God’s people must trust Him for rest of body and soul. —David Wilkerson

When we choose to trust God (rather than try to please God), we enter into the realm of faith, believing in what cannot be seen; yet acting as if we can see it. It’s a gamble!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

Our identity and position in Christ is “unseen” in the physical world. In fact, the world screams out the exact opposite, telling us that we are failures, guilty, and inadequate. It takes real faith to act on God’s proclamation that we are accepted, forgiven, and complete in Christ. Yes, faith is putting our trust in Him and what He says is true. Faith is putting our lives in His hands, even though we can’t see Him.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The physical evidence for God’s creation is conclusive, yet it still takes faith for us to believe that God created the universe because we weren’t there to see it happen—but I think it also takes faith to believe that God has made us new creatures in Christ!

… anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Blaise Pascal, the famous French philosopher, physicist, and mathematician put it this way:

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

Dear God, I believe that You exist. I believe that by trusting You, I am pleasing You. This day, by the promise of Your Holy Spirit, my Counselor, I choose to believe what You say is true about me. I am loved, adopted, acceptable, and cherished by You in Christ!

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Reflection:

1. In what ways do you try to please God in your own effort instead of trusting Him?
2. Are you willing to trust Christ to live a life through you that’s pleasing to God?