My Sins are Gone

When the Lord forgives, the sin is gone. Your tendency has been hold tight to the memory of past sin and even to magnify it in order to punish yourself. You do this out of the mistaken idea that this will prevent further sin, but the opposite is true. You place yourself under the demands of the law rather than choosing to walk in the light of God's grace.

Self-punishment is ineffective. Staying clean before the Lord does not entail self-analysis. “Search me O God and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me...” (Psalm 139:23-24). This is a picture of release. Dear One, it is ever your mode of operation to attempt to take the reins of control over your own sin. You understand release in other areas of your life, but it is in the area of your own heart and yes, your own behaviors that God wants you to learn to practice release. Lay back in His arms and rest. You wear yourself out and you actually manage to weary the Almighty God with your constant thoughts of how you might improve yourself.

God understands human frailty. He sent His only Son to save you from sin born of exhaustion and fear. You feel despair because giving way to sin weakens the ability to resist further sin. It is then you must depend upon His grace. When you can’t save yourself, you need a Savior. He is your ace in the hole, your hidden blessing; your way out when no way seems possible.

Grace is not a goal that you must work hard to obtain. God's grace has covered you, His power has infilled you, His presence has sustained you, and His strength has enabled you to walk the path He's engineered for you. You ever hope to attain a standard that you have already achieved; God is with you, His grace has covered you; you may rest in Him.

Look to Your Heart

Disorganization in the form of a messy office or a cluttered bedroom does not equate with disorganization in the spiritual life. Do not judge yourself by outward signs, but by your inward commitment to obedience, praise, worship, prayer and intercession for the saints. In other words, look first to the state of your heart, and address the state of your kitchen cupboards only when the heart has been correctly aligned with Jesus. Remember that Mary was rewarded and Martha chastised. Quit condemning yourself for things over which the Lord does not chastise you. Disorganization is not a sin. Do not disengage from pure focus on Jesus in order to be more organized. Do not let go the spiritual in order to chase after outward signs of material control. The Lord's foolish children always want to attempt to control the outer environment, perpetuating the faulty belief that the outer life accurately mirrors the inward state. The desire to impress other human beings does not spring from a pure heart.

Listen

Listening to the Lord is not a task that can be completed. The Lord is never done speaking. Do not finish with listening.

Scripture: "Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" (Mark 9:7).

On This Mountain

You have learned that your Lord is the God of the valley. Through all the years of travail He has been at your side. But now He is saying, "I am the Lord of the mountain as well. You've trusted me in the valley. Now walk with me for awhile on this mountain."

Scripture: "In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.' The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain..." Isaiah 25:9-10

Come to the Waters

Child, you spend so much time pouring the water and preparing to bathe that you sometimes lack time to actually step into the water! No preparation is needed to bathe in the waters of God's grace. You can come as you are, trusting that He has prepared the way for you. Plunge right in!

Scripture: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." (Isaiah 55:1).

Humility

Humility is the ability to take a blow without retaliating. Always bring your hurt heart to the Lord first. In the rare instances when you need to speak immediately, the Holy Spirit will be your defense.

God's purposes will be fulfilled with or without your help. He is the Lord! No weapon forged against you will prevail, but if you lift your hand against a fellow Christian you will not prevail. Disputes between Christians are unique; you are not to take up arms against one another. It is a travesty to God's Name for His children to cause one another harm.

Do not be surprised when God does His greatest works through events, circumstances, and people who do not appear to be perfect. It is in imperfection that the Lord's perfection shines brightest.


Scripture: "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23).

Never Again

Across the stresses that you carry,
Over the disorder in your life;
The strong support beneath foundations that seem ready to crumble,
The Lord comes.
He is the Lord;
He is with you.

He flows with healing wind through the voices from your past,
The voices that caused you harm,
The voices that accused you and labeled you “inadequate.”

He is the voice for those who have no voice.
He was your defender when you could not defend yourself.

He has given you a voice.
He has lent you His authority.
Use this gift for His glory,

Speak with His voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

He is the Lord, He is God; Holy is His Name.

Never again will you be downtrodden.
Never again will your tender heart be mishandled.
Never again will ignorance or lust wage an attack upon your unprotected places,
Because there are no unprotected places.

You are no longer vulnerable to this sort of harm.

If evil were to come against you, the sortie would end with the enemy slinking away, defeated.

No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. (See Isaiah 54:17)

Speak with His voice for those who are tender—speak! The Lord is with you.

Scripture: The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

Rest

Dear One, you do not have to chase after blessings the Lord has promised. You are like an anxious child waiting for a flower to bloom. The petals are unfurling and do not need your “hurry-up” help. You can’t have an effect either for good or for harm. Quit struggling to move what you are not able to move, and stop fearing that you are going to inadvertently cause circumstances to go awry. Rest in the Lord.

Jesus slept in the boat as the storm approached; and you can rest now. Your storm is not a storm at all, but is rather an downpour of blessing. It will be somewhat like sitting in a shower of beautiful fireworks, but instead of the sharp prick of burning sparks there will be blessings; instead of darkness, beauty of light. You don’t have to appropriate these blessings for yourself, they will come to you. Nothing is required but that you enjoy the display with thanksgiving and praise.

His Desire is for You

The Lord is with you, intimately with you. He desires you, He breathes deeply of your scent; He delights in you.

You can’t be perfectly united with Him just yet, not in the way that you will experience togetherness with Him in the future; but you can delight in his company and allow Him to take delight in you in the here and now. Fulfillment of the longing in your heart will come soon; until then He is with you. You are not frustrated over longing for a human being; you are frustrated over longing to see your Lord face to face.

He longs for you uniquely, and He loves you uniquely. The part of Him that belongs to you belongs to no one else; you know Him in a way that no one else does; and He knows you completely. You touch a place in His heart that no one else can satisfy.

You will be completely satisfied in Him, and He in you. He is the Lover like no other; He completes you. You complete Him. Without you, He is whole, but He is not satisfied. Without Him you can be neither whole nor satisfied. Let Him prepare you for Himself. Let Him prepare you to be the perfect bride.

You don’t understand how this can be so, but do understand the fact that it IS so. Not seeing Him, you love Him. This is faith.

Feed on Him. Partake of His body and His blood, and find satisfaction for your hunger, your desire, your longing.

Scripture: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you"
(Psalm 73:25).

"I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me" (Song of Solomon 7:10).

Turn on the Light and Shut the Door

During a time of darkness God’s voice may not sound clearly in your ears, but understand that your perception of Him has nothing to do with the facts of His power, protection, and presence. He is with you always, regardless of the state of your hearing.

Do not give way to grief. Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears (Jeremiah 31:16). The Lord is bringing about healing as you walk and work and rest. Rest in Him now Child, rest.

You have brought your grief to the Lord’s light; now leave it in His hands. The healing occurs in the background, apart from your conscious awareness. This is by His mercy and love. You have turned on the light, now shut the door. You do not need to look at grief; instead, look upon His face.

Scripture: "I will strengthen them in the Lord, and in his name they will walk" (Zechariah 10:12).

The Lens of His Love

You become stubborn when you are hurt. This is the way you attempt to protect the injury, with this wall of stubborn clinging to the “facts of the situation.” Pray to be able to release the facts to to the Lord. The prospect of releasing one's perspective into God's hands is alarming; when you’ve been with Him any time at all you begin to realize that facts are fluid and that He is the only Truth. The dawning recognition that His ways are not yours and His thoughts are above yours can make release more difficult until you look upon the light of His face, perceive something of His power, and know of His love (see Isaiah 55:8, Psalm 44:3). The combination of love and power is calming, “Oh, He loves me perfectly and cares about my heart!” And, “He is powerful to control my circumstances.”

Pray to be able to take your eyes off the “facts” and place them upon the Lord; pray to be enabled to lift your eyes to Him. You know the Lord and you have thrilled to His love; now choose to view this situation through the lens of His love for you.

Scripture: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:2).

Entrust Your Case to God

You will fall to anger and resentment if you focus on the ways in which you have been hurt. You have kept a record of the blows you've been dealt and have rehearsed your arguments in an attempt to be prepared to plead your case. Have you forgotten that the Lord fights for you? It is safe to entrust your case into His hands because it will not be lost or forgotten; if you forget, He will not forget. Only remember to abide in Him so that you do not thwart His justice or deny your right to His good gifts when they arrive.

Imagine that you are at the center of a complicated legal battle. Many opponents are coming against you and, lacking the knowledge to defend your own case, you seek out an expert attorney. Entrusting your case into his hands, you willingly follow his lead.

Follow the Lord's lead. Give Him your full attention. Don't keep a careful record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). Your goal is not to justify yourself, but rather you are to love as you've been loved and to forgive as you have been forgiven (Colossians 3:13).

Scripture: "...Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).

In Just a Little While

The Lord is with you. He is intimately present with you, His desire is for you, and He delights in you.

You are not yet able to see Him perfectly, but you can take delight in His company in the here and now. Fulfillment of the longing in your heart will come soon, but until then He is with you through the Holy Spirit's presence in your heart. When you feel discouragement and anger over the circumstances of your life, understand that your longing is not for human love, but that you are frustrated with desire to see His face.

He longs for you uniquely, and He loves you uniquely. The part of Him that belongs to you belongs to no one else, you know Him in a way that no one else does, and He knows you completely. You touch a place in His heart that no one else can satisfy.

You will be completely satisfied in Him, and He in you. He is the Lover like no other; He completes you. You complete Him. Without you, He is whole, but He is not satisfied. Without Him you can be neither whole nor satisfied. Let Him prepare you for Himself. Let Him prepare you to be the perfect bride.

You don’t understand how this can be so, but do understand the fact that it IS so. Not seeing Him, you love Him. This is faith.

In just a little while, you will be at home with the Lord. Today the Holy Spirit lives within you. You are thus able to satisfy your desire for unity with Christ by feeding upon His Word. Your aching heart will find solace as you experience the peace of a weaned child with its mother (see Psalm 131:2).

Scripture:
"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me" (John 16:16).

"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7).

"...the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26).

"I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you" (John 14:18-20, The Message).

The Really Real

You must not spend so much time analyzing and recording the details of your circumstances. Your real life does not consist of what you can see or are able to experience with your five senses. Your true life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3, below). The difficulties you face are temporary inconveniences.

Dear One, you have spent much time describing in detail how you feel, but you have not inquired of the Lord. Now listen to the One whose grace is sufficient for you, for His power is made perfect in weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).

You have been given freedom of choice over what you will allow into your mind. In this way, you are actually able to block the Almighty God, who is willing to help you.

You are able to hear His voice if you choose to do so.

Scripture: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:2-4).

In Christ Alone

Dear One, you belong to the Lord; you are His own. The place you are now is not the place you will always be. He is bringing you out! Deliverance does not depend upon you, but upon Him. If you do not turn, He will place His strong hand upon you and you WILL change direction, not by your own choice but by His. Would you risk falling into the hands of the living God? Scripture says that this is a "dreadful thing" (see Hebrews 10:31). When God moves powerfully, the vain thoughts and plans of sinful human beings topple like a child's block tower. God is able to change you in a way that reveals without doubt that the glory belongs to Him and Him alone!

Pray that the Lord will enable you to turn. Pray to keep the memory of the fact that it is His power and not your own that enables you to hold to the path that will lead you to the glory of His presence.

Humble yourself before Him and He will have mercy. He remembers how you are made, He knows your frailty, He remembers your suffering, and He has collected all your tears. You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book (Psalm 56:8 New Living Translation).

And yet it is not your travail, but Christ's that has ushered you into the Holy Presence. You have partaken of grace; of the Holy bread and cleansing blood of the Savior. Humble yourself before Him, plead His mercy, abide in His grace, and when you have been delivered do not take credit unto yourself. Freedom from the confines of sin has been accomplished for you solely by the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: "It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them" (Psalm 44:3).

"When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

It is Well

You are bound by fear, but in the face of real tragedy, you would be able to say, "It is well." The enemy has his way with you in the realm of the horror that might occur. You are not afraid in the face of real problems in real time, so why grapple with what might be? Let today’s troubles be sufficient and leave tomorrow’s challenges in God's hands (see Matthew 6:34). This is all he asks of you.

God is able to sustain you both in times of extraordinary challenge and also in the face of everyday labors that would seem at times to threaten your ability to cope.

The great antidote for fear is the fact that God is with you. Learn more of what it means to be in the company of the Presence of God and your fears will evaporate. Fear cannot live where He is.

Scripture: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).

Feint, Don't Faint!

The Lord is a fortress of protection around and about you, and He has provided you the specific tools you need to further your ministry.

Do not flail in fear and do not avert your eyes or turn back on the path. Walk boldly forward in faith that God is with you, before you, and behind you. There is nothing to fear. There are many frightening apparitions, but they have no substance. Don’t fall to their wiles; they entice you to panic. Don’t be afraid of being hurt; He is with you. Don’t blanch at every threat; He is victorious. Feinting is not the same as fainting! Feint, don’t faint!

You see, Child, it is acceptable to dodge a blow, but you must not run except to the Lord, and you must not attempt to hide anywhere but under the shadow of His wings. A feint does two things: it allows you to maneuver out of line of the enemy’s intended blow, and it also is a ruse to draw his attention in the wrong direction. The Lord will help you. Feint toward the Lord and leave the job of outfoxing the fox to the Him. You do not fight alone. HE IS WITH YOU!

Scripture: "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save, he will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love..." (Zephaniah 3:17).

Strength for the Weary

Your physical weariness is a gift. It provides infirmity that is not damaging either to your health or to your integrity in the Lord, and thus you are able to practice walking by the Spirit and not according to the flesh. Coping with a physical body that is weak produces an irritability that is a temper of the flesh. The practice of overcoming this temper strengthens you to walk according to the Spirit, not allowing the flesh to dictate your mood, your behavior, or your actions.

If you are to overcome the dispositions of the flesh, you must partake of the elixir that strengthens the Spirit within. The Word of God feeds and strengthens your spirit just as food strengthens the body. Partake.

Scripture: "My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:8).

Be Still

The Lord has heard your prayer. No further histrionics are necessary; do not give way to fear in order to rev yourself to “adequate” prayer. Your inadequacy is completely filled by the Lord's adequacy. A vessel cannot be empty and full simultaneously, and the Lord has filled you. Peace, Child, be still. The Lord is with you and He is with those you love. Your awareness (or lack of awareness) of any situation is immaterial; He is the Lord! "Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit..." (Zechariah 4:6).

Scripture: "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:14).

Seeing God

The Lord does not withhold Himself from you in any way at all. He does not want you to do more. It is not in acts of service that you can honor Him best, it is in your words and body language that He desires to see your love. You cannot hate your brother, whom you can see, and love the Lord, whom you have not seen with physical eyes (see 1 John 4:20).

It’s alright, Dear Child. He sees your heart. He understands that you have attempted to protect yourself from further harm by insulating yourself from vulnerability to those who have hurt you. Your Lord will help you. Do not suffer remorse. “Suffer” love for Him and allow yourself to feel the pathos of compassion for your beloved enemies. Pray for them. The Lord will identify you with His interests in them and you will be His voice.

He knows the end of the story. You will not fail to heed the command to love; you have not failed. God gives warning before the danger arrives; not after…do not suffer guilt ahead of time. In order to spur you forward into His will, He has given you a glimpse of what would be if you did not love as He has commanded you to love.

Scripture: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8.

Look at Your Savior's Face

You have decided that your goal should be to focus upon seeking intimacy with the Lord, but do not set your mind on any endeavor (no matter how "holy"). Set your focus upon the Lord Himself. Intimacy with Christ is a free gift; you do not have to seek after what you already possess.

You have concluded that a Holy focus on Christ must happen in your mind first, as a prelude to bringing your physical and spiritual body into alignment with His will. This is inaccurate. Holy identification with the Lord does not begin as a mental discipline, it begins with the Cross. You have only to follow in footsteps along a path already broken for you. You do not have to make your own way.

The difficulty in embarking upon any program of self-improvement is that you will find yourself attempting to follow in the footsteps of a fellow human being (or your own self-imposed rules) rather than following the Lord.

There is a difference between thinking about Jesus and looking at Jesus. You can think about an "ought not" while in the very act of sin, but you cannot look into the face of the Savior who bled and died for you and continue the act that wounded Him. The sin will become abhorrent to you and you will fling it away in horror when you look into your Savior's face. Obedience is not a battle of the mind or even of the will; it is an act of love.

Remember that Peter had determined in his mind to follow Jesus, but under duress fell away. It was only when he saw Jesus die for him that he was enabled to lay down his own life for Jesus' sake. Don't just think about your faith, look at Jesus. See the Cross. See your Savior's face.

There are no “shoulds” for you. There is only the Lord's abiding presence, an open invitation to greater intimacy with Him day by day, and the promise that He will not leave you.

Scripture: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 8:1-3

Everything is Going to be All Right

Scripture says, "Judge not," but you do pass judgment upon circumstances and people, categorizing them neatly as being either good or evil. If there is a period at the end of each sentence of facts as you state them, there is no room for God to work in memories and perceptions to bring about the changes He has promised. All of God's promises will be fulfilled; all are in the process of coming into being. If something is going to be true, it behooves you to see it as being true now; otherwise you will not perceive the truth when it does arrive. You will have rehearsed the dark side of your experience so thoroughly that you will be unable to see light; you will change truth to fit your world view. Even when there is no longer a threat, you will continue to feel threatened. When all cause for grief has passed, you will continue to grieve.

There is no true liberty apart from the Lord, and you can participate in the freedom that is in Him right at this moment. You are not waiting for your salvation to arrive—He is here, now. Will you not look into His face?

Scripture: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Service

You pray for help with self-discipline, but the Lord will do much more than that. He will help you to remember your love for Him. Your tendency is to focus on all the ways you have failed, but the truth is that every day you bless Him with your love. In fact, if the Lord were to reward you for every righteous act you perform, you would soon acquire an elevated opinion of your own worth that would make you insufferable.

You know that none of your righteous acts purchase cleanliness; be sure to let this fact produce humility. Your purity before Him comes entirely from the blood of Jesus. Nothing you ever do will be enough, because the only medium that can elicit the needed change in your heart and mind is the Holy Blood of Christ. You cannot obtain the recipe for this precious life force; you must receive it as a gift. Let your acts of service flow out of the humility of the knowledge that you are a forgiven sinner.

Scripture: "Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else" (2 Corinthians 9:13).

Pull With Him

Turn your eyes from your grief (which is anticipatory, not actual) and place them on the Lord. You have the mistaken belief that your loved ones can control their own hearts and motivations, but the Lord is the only one whose reach extends to the full depth and breadth of the human heart. Your loved ones cannot control these hidden motivations for themselves any more than you can reach the influences that cause you to say, “I do what I do not want to do.” Your loved ones are unable to change themselves to please you, but God can change them to be pleasing unto Himself. Direct your energy to pull with Him. Guard your words and actions carefully and flow with the Holy Spirit’s love.

Release

Let go of self castigation and recognize this fact: everything is the Lord's "fault." He has taken every sin upon His own shoulders; He has taken the blame. Understand that in His own flesh the ordeal of suffering for your sin has been finished. The only way you can cause him additional pain is by a refusal to release your burdens to Him. Release grants peace like that of a weaned child with its mother; a weaned child is happy with the status quo.

Let me clarify something for you about release. Letting go requires no further action on your part. You lay it down, and you can then rest just as the Lord was able to sleep in the midst of the storm. No plan of action is required.

Do not misunderstand. Avoidance is not His will for you; release is not the equivalent of avoidance. Release is like handing the reins of control over to another, more qualified driver. You are still along for the ride! Pray when the Lord says to pray, rest when He says to rest, and take action when He says to act (which will be far less often than you think).

Dear One, His presence has not departed from you, but this constant worriment over your circumstances has robbed you of the joy of His presence. Give Him your own sin, and release also those you love into His care. Pray for them, but don't spend your strength unwisely. You do not have to agonize over them; Christ has died for them.

Place your trust in your Lord and God. You are His heart, and His life dwells within you. If He were to hurt you He would hurt Himself. Trust in the Lord and do not think of this as “giving up.” Release is a strategy of successful warfare.


Scripture: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a hungry lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:6-8).

"Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong," (Zechariah 8:13).

Remain Faithful

God is with you; do not be afraid. He feels your disappointment, He knows of your sorrows, your anger, and your grief. He understands your frustration, Child, but do not be frustrated with Him.

Scripture: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you..." (2 Peter 3:9)

"If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God" (Habakkuk 2:1-3).

Not As the World Gives

The heartache you feel does not belong to your beloved enemies: those loved ones you have held responsible for your pain.

Your heart has been broken through grief of loss, and the Lord is the only solace that can heal. The world’s kudos—and what you believe you want, Child, are “kudos” as opposed to genuine comfort and healing—will not provide you what you need. Laurels thrown at your feet will not fill your empty heart.

Laurels may be given, but even as they fall remember, God is your heart, He is your strength, He is your hope; and if you place your trust in Him, you will not be disappointed.