Faith and Trust

This morning, as I entered into my study, I just kind of look at my table, I saw my laptop, I saw the folders and the files and the books and my Bible, and I look at my chair and I just just kind of sit down and open my Bible and I just read from my Bible, spend some time with Jesus. I did not stand next to my table by looking at my chair and say, listen, I believe with my whole heart, if I would sit on this chair today, that this chair will hold my weight. I just sat down and trust that the chair will hold my weight. If you think about the word faith, for instance, it means to lean upon, is to trust fully, is to put your full weight upon something. It reminds me of Peter when Jesus told him to come and Peter just kind of take that word coming from Jesus and put his full weight upon that word and took a step of faith by putting his feet on the water. I remember a few years ago when I was preaching in America and I was scheduled to fly back to South Africa the Monday morning and I remember Friday morning, I receive an email from South Africa and attached to that email was an invoice that needs to be paid and I didn't have the money in my bank account. But that morning in my quiet time, I was reading this passage about Peter putting his full weight upon the word of the Lord Jesus. And I remember as I was reading this, meditating upon this, I just kind of flip over onto my knees and as I was kneeling, I was praying and said, Lord, I don't have the finances at this moment, but you said put your full weight upon something just as you told Peter. And by faith, I believe that you can provide for us, but by faith, I want to trust you to provide for me. And I remember the peace that floods my heart in that moment. And the Monday I was flying back to South Africa, arriving on a Tuesday, Wednesday morning, somebody paid money into our account in South Africa and he was able to pay the full bill of that invoice. You see, there's a difference between faith and trust. We believe in something or we believe something can happen, but we have a difficulty and we struggle to trust, to trust someone or to trust Jesus. Many people believe that Jesus has died for us on the cross, but very people struggle to trust him for themselves, to set them free from all kinds of addictions and take them to heaven. We believe God can save us and take us to heaven, but we have a hard time believing God can set us free from all kinds of things which is hindering us and becomes a problem for you and for I in our daily lives. So there was a man called Charles Blondin. He became known as the man who walked across the Niagara Falls for the very first time. He was born in 1824. His name was Jean-Francois Gravelet, but he changed his name into Blondin. In 1859, he advertised that he's going to walk on a rope across the Niagara Falls and thousands of people came to look at the spectacle because this has never been done before. It's a thousand one hundred feet long and a hundred and sixty feet up in the air. And as he was exercising and doing some warm up exercises on the rope and people start to look at this, but see, but this man is unstable. This has never been done and this will not even take place today. So they start to laugh at him and making jokes and and fun at him. And then he started to walk across for the first time. He almost like tripped and fell and he stumbled in. But he came back and that was all part of the show. Then he shows them he walked across the Niagara Falls five times without any problem. He came back and he put the pole down. He went back and forth without the pole. He came back and he took a chair and he took the chair halfway and sat on the chair and came back and he took an oven, make some food for himself to eat halfway and came back and juggled some pins and all kinds of nice things that people can see. And then then he told them and he brought forth a wheelbarrow and he told them, do you believe or he asked him this question, do you believe that I can take this wheelbarrow across to the other side and back? And they said, yes, because we have seen you walk a number of times across and even the oven and the chair as well. And then he walked across with a wheelbarrow and came back and he said, do you believe that if I put someone inside this wheelbarrow that I can take it to the other side and bring it back safely? And the majority of them said, yes, we believe you can do that. Then he said, but I'm looking for a volunteer and nobody volunteer. There's a rumor that his mother came forward and said, I'm willing to trust my son and get inside the wheelbarrow. And there's also an article that speaks about the fact it was his employer. It was willing to put himself inside the wheelbarrow. He took somebody to the other side inside the wheelbarrow and back and later on, you can put someone in the back of his back and walk across to the other side. You see, we are just like that people. Next to the Niagara Falls that day, we believe. That something can take place and happen, but we have a difficulty of trusting. Look what Jesus is saying in Matthew chapter 21. Jesus, the next day, made his way back into the city all the way from Bethany. And now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry and he's seeing a fig tree by the road. He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves. And then he cursed the fig tree. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, how did the fig tree wither away so soon? And then Jesus said this. Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt. You will not only do what has done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatsoever things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive. The Amplified says faith is personal trust and confidence in me. Do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn into two different directions. Have faith in God constantly because do not doubt in God's unlimiting power. Believe with confident trust that you have received and it will be given to you. The difference between faith and trust, we believe in something, we believe God can do something, we believe God can provide. But we have a difficulty in trusting for ourselves. Let me just ask you a question today. What is it that you that you believe God can do for you? What is your greatest need today? What is the challenges that you face at the moment? Is it finances or is it issues with your health, maybe a relationship, difficulties, conflict in your family members, in your marriage, whatever the case might be? By looking at the scriptures, we all say we believe God can change this. I believe God can change my father, my mother, my brother, my sister. But I have difficulty in trusting God to do that for me. And maybe that's your struggle too today. You believe God can do something for you. Why don't you take a step of faith then and put your full weight. Upon the invitation and trusting to do that also for you, because that's really the difference. Faith is to lean upon and to come to the place of putting your full weight upon something. I sat down in this chair believing, no, trusting that this chair will hold my full weight. And that's what God wants you to do. Believe God can do this for you? No, even beyond this, but to put your full weight upon his word, upon his promises and trust him to do that also for you. And may God bless you throughout this day in this coming week.