By Jacqueline Melancon
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
Hebrews 10:23 reads, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
My definition of hold fast is “Do not change your mind even though people, or circumstances try to sway you.”
What are you saying, believing, and hoping for? Are you standing firm no matter what it looks like? Do you believe the word of God and have faith in who He is, and what He says we as His children have? If yes, then we should not be easily swayed away from the word of God.
Jeremiah 17: 7-8 reads, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spread out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
There’s a prerequisite to being blessed. That is to trust in the Lord and have hope in Him only. What are the benefits of a tree planted by the waters? The tree stands firm because the nourishment from the never-ending water supply replenishes it. The roots are able to grow down deep and take a hold because the stream of water gives it life. We should put our trust in God and His Word, which will continue to water our spirits, and renew us with strong faith. The faith that will let us stand firm no matter what comes our way. When drought, problems, and difficulties come, we will not fear or walk in doubt. Because we are connected to the life-giving source, we will trust God and not be anxious. Our hope should be in God to give us strength and deliver us. We know trials will pass and we will see the hand of God move in our situations and we will see fresh good fruit.
There are things we have faith in easily and stand firm on. Then there are circumstances that we find difficult to not waver on. Psalm 118:8 reads, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” It doesn’t matter that your time clock has run out. God does not operate on our time. It doesn’t matter that you wanted a certain house and did not get it. God has a better one for you. It doesn’t matter that you did not get the job you wanted. God has a better one for you. Your employer tells you they will give you a raise, or a bonus, but when it comes time they have an excuse as to why it is not going to happen. Your spouse tells you they love you and you can trust them, and they will be there for you. But you find out later they were empty words. Let us be fair, we as humans can have the right heart and intentions, but at times things do not always work out the right way. If we admit we have all fallen short. When things don’t turn out right in our favor don’t give up. Stand firm on the word of God and trust Him.
There is nothing too big for our God. He can and will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. If He said it, then nothing is impossible. He is faithful to keep His promises, so just trust Him. Remember the things He has done in the past for you and your family. He will continue to be there. He requires us to believe, trust and have faith without wavering.
When you purchase a product and it has a malfunction, or even breaks down, what do you do? You go to the manufacturer’s manual and try to figure out what is wrong. If you cannot fix it, you return it back to the store or return it online. Let us return to putting our trust in God. Be quick and turn to the Creator and Lord, who knows us better than we know ourselves. He is always there, and we can count on Him. He has proven Himself over and over. When others have given up on us, He has always been in our corner supporting and cheering us on.
Why not put all your trust in Him? The one who gives us our very breath and wakes us up every morning and protects us throughout the day?
Stand firm.
