Fearing God from A to Z

B is for Believe 

I need to buy groceries and run a few errands today.That requires a couple of things. Driving my car to the store and spending money once I get there. First I have to believe the car has gas in the tank and will start when I turn the key. I also need to believe we have enough money in the bank to pay today's inflated prices for a basket of groceries. If I thought both the tank and the bank were empty, would I even leave the house?  

The simplest actions grow out of what we consider true. Likewise, the simplest Scriptures throw us when they challenge our longstanding beliefs. For instance: 
      
      "Without faith, it's impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God               must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently 
      seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

The fear of the Lord is an action verb, not merely a state of being. Our good fear of God can be seen as we act on what we truly believe about God, His creation, and ourselves. Some of us come to God like the homeless, pushing a rusted shopping cart full of the garbage we've collected. Not treasures but symbols of the life we've accepted as our reality. Tragically, most of those beliefs are crafted by the enemy who is determined to destroy us.  

Ten or 20 years down the road, we're still hanging on to at least half of the baggage in our cart. God wants to set us free from all of it, even the rusty cart!

He gives us detailed instructions on how that happens. But the process requires some assembly from us. In His wisdom, God knows our interaction strengthens our relationship with Him. The gifts in which we participate, we appreciate.    

One of our most challenging assignments from God is taking every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5,6). He tells us to insist each thought change to agree with Jesus. Wow! Some statistics say we think close to 50,000 thoughts each day. On those mornings when our mind wakes us before daybreak, the numbers are even higher. 

If we think in negative patterns long enough, stubborn mindsets form and become the beliefs we live by. Too often the words we accept as truth, the one we really believe, directly oppose God's Word. So what do we really believe? 

If like me, you've been spring house cleaning this month, we need to sweep the dust and debris from our minds as well. That's how we make room for more of God's truth so it can truly change the way we think and the way we live.