Prov 3:5-6 (NIV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Jesus, teach me that everything I am going to be doing in Christianity will be dependent on whether or not I trust God. Teach me that there are six things that You require of me that if I won’t do, You won’t help me. Teach me that these are desire, study, pray, believe, love, and take faith-action.

1. DESIRE: Jesus help me see that I won’t desire what God has to offer, if I don’t trust Him. Psa 146:3 (NIV) Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. This is a very important statement; but, show me that it will mean nothing to me, if I don’t trust what God has to say. People would be able to tell me things and I would accept them just as quickly as I would a word from God. My body could want something, the world could teach me something, and the devil could offer me something, and if it sounded good to me, I would let it into my life.


2. STUDY: Jesus, I can be reading my Bible; but, if I don’t trust God, I will be reading it as if they were suggestions, just information, and things I might give thought to. Gen 2:16-17 (NIV) And the LORD God COMMANDED the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” That wasn’t a suggestion; it was a command. Show me that since it came as a command, Adam wasn’t confused as to its importance.
   
   Jesus, with God giving a command, Adam couldn’t think God was just making a suggestion and simply give it some thought. Adam couldn’t just ignore it because he thought God was just kidding. Teach me that God gives commands so I will trust His words even if I don’t understand why. I may not like being commanded; but, if I am about to be hit by a car and someone commands me to get out of the street, I will either appreciate it when I obey; or, I may be dead. Adam and Eve ended up dead spiritually.


3. PRAY: Jesus, show me that if I don’t really trust God, my prayers will just be hopes or wishes. I will feel like You probably won’t do anything; but, it is worth a try. God will just be one of my many sources of possible solutions. But, help me see that if I really trust God, I will talk WITH Him and see what He wants to do. If after I have discussed it with God, He indicates that He is against what I want, let trust help me go with what God wants for my life. Let me trust Him so much that I know He is doing what is best for me.


4. BELIEVE: Jesus, teach me that faith enhances trust and trust inspires faith. The more my faith produces results, the more I experience God’s love and generosity. The more I experience God and His provisions in my life, the more I will find myself trusting Him. Help me understand that trust is based on my experiences with God’s character and attitudes. As I get to know God through my experiences with Him, I trust Him because I found Him to be trustworthy. Teach me that the more I find Him trustworthy, the more I will believe in Him.


5. LOVE: Jesus, because God is love, help me realize that my trust relationship with Him must be built on love. Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Make it clear to me that it would be impossible to have a love relationship with God without me first trusting Him.


6. FAITH-ACTION: Jesus, it is one thing to think something is true; and, it is another thing to base my life on it. Help me step out and structure my behavior on God and His Word because I have a lot of trust in Him. Help me allow God to remove certain behavior and replace it with things He wants there. Let that be because I am trusting Him with my life.

Rom 5:12 (NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. Jesus, the world around me has been badly damaged by sin. Help me understand that the wars, the disease, the famines, the storms, the tyranny, the crime, and the suffering in general are the results of sin. It has ravaged God’s perfect creation. Keep me from blaming God for all these things rather than sinful man. Show me that if I blame God it will make it difficult for me to trust Him. But, if I join God in fighting sin, I will learn how to resist my body, the world’s teachings, and the devil’s lures.

Rom 5:13 (NIV) For before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Jesus, teach me that a lack of law is what brought the flood; it is what brought wars that didn’t bring “good guys” to the rescue. Make it clear to me that if EVERYTHING is legal, then no matter how wrong, bad, or evil I am treated, it is all legal. I can’t take them to court; I can’t call the law enforcement people; and, I can’t accuse anyone of not being fair--There’s no law against any of it. That does help me trust God and His laws better.

Rom 5:14 (NIV) Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the One to come. Jesus, help me understand that there was a tree in the garden of Eden called the tree of life. If Adam and Eve had chosen it, their bodies would have never got sick, got old, and died. But, No! They chose the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So, help me see that because they didn’t trust God, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. That helps me see how important it is to trust God.

Rom 5:15 (NIV) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man (Adam), how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the One Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Jesus, I have wondered and I have heard others ask: “Why doesn’t God do something about all this?” Help me always remember that He has! But, it wasn’t some mighty move that put the entire planet back in order. It was an offer to each, individual person. Help me see that I can help ANYONE who wants the sin solution and God will give it to THEM.

Gen 1:27 (NIV) So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Jesus, I have heard the question, why won’t God just make everyone get along? Why doesn’t He solve all these problem so we can have peace, safety, prosperity, and unity? Teach me that when God made humans in His own image, that gave them a God-given free will. Show me that all the people on the planet are doing what they want to. Help me explain to others that this earth can have peace, safety, prosperity, and unity by everyone choosing to live according to the principles of the Bible.

Rom 5:16 (NIV) Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. Jesus, help me keep in mind that no one has to earn this gift, deserve this gift, or pay for this gift. They can be set free from the drives of their body, the addictive pressures of this world, and the evil temptations of Satan. You PURCHASED this provision with Your death on the cross so it would be free for everyone. I can trust a God like that!

Rom 5:17 (NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One Man, Jesus Christ. Jesus, help me understand that Adam CONTAMINATED all humans; so, You did what it took to provide the cure for all humans. Plus You opened the door for everyone to be born again into God’s family. Anyone who wants to can freely become a child of God. That’s the kind of generosity I can trust.

Rom 5:18 (NIV) Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. Jesus, You had to give up Your position in heaven and come down here and join me. You didn’t just feel sorry for me. You didn’t just send me some resources to help me feel better. You didn’t just sympathize with me and wish me well. You did what it took to provide me with a whole new life here and an eternal life in heaven. Thank You so much for doing that!

Rom 5:19 (NIV) For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous. Jesus, teach me that if one man, Adam, could make us all sinners, then God established the rule that One Man, Jesus, would be able to make us all righteous, if we what Him to. Everyone has a God-given free will; they can go on sinning and doing horrible things to themselves and others. But, You offer righteousness that does only good things to me and others. That’s fair!