Paul's second letter to Timothy gives us a blueprint for growing in trust. In the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes", a rambunctious young boy named Calvin often entertained himself for hours by imagining himself as Stupendous Man. He was courage personified. He was might in thights. He inspired knee-knocking fear in everyone he met. But then bedtime would arrive…and darkness. Suddenly Stupendous Man's heart of valour would turn to jelly. There were monsters under the bed!
    Monsters lie in wait for all of us. As soon as the light goes off and we lose sight of our trustworthy God, their whispers begin. "You're going to get cancer and your faith is going to fail you." "Wait till you lose your job! Then we'll see how well God provides." "How can you be sure that your 8-year-old is still going to love the Lord when he's 18?" "You'll never get that project done on time. You're in way over your head!"
    With monster messages coming at us from all sides, what can we do to ensure that our trust in God keeps growing no matter what challenges it?
    The young pastor Timothy faced a monster that told him he was inadequate for ministry. "You're afraid of witnessing. You're helpless against false prophets. You're too young to be a spiritual leader." The litany of fear and discouragement must have played with deadly repetition in Timothy's mind. Paul's early words in his second letter to Timothy hinted of help to come for a tottering trust. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Tim. 1:7).
    Paul's message resounds with encouragement to all of us who want to trust God more but instead find our faith flagging in the face of disappointment, discouragement, hardship, and daily stress overload. He refuses to soft-pedal the challenges to maintaining an abiding trust in God. But ever practical, Paul helps us focus on the resources God has provided to keep our faith in Him vital and growing

Seek faith-inspiring models.

    Paul commends Timothy's "sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice" (2 Tim. 1:5). He reminded Timothy of the inspiring models in his life. Paul himself was such a model to his young son in the faith. In 2 Tim. 3:10-11 he urged Timothy to recall his "teaching, (his) way of life, (his) purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings." When we watch others respond with deep trust in God in a variety of circumstances, we find our own trust strengthened.
    Several years ago, my friend Cindy urged me to buy a house. I laughed. I was a newly returned missionary living on dwindling donor income, with no savings. Everything I owned fit into a couple of suitcases and two footlockers. I was, to use my grandmother's term, a gypsy.
    Nevertheless, Cindy persisted. And when I told my boss, Doug, about her ridiculous idea, he took her side! Both were conviced God wanted to do this for me. Neither saw my dismal financial status as a barrier. Soon they were "selling" the idea of helping me buy a house to anyone who would listen. In two months' time, more than $14,000 in gifts came in - enough for closing costs, a healthy down payment, and some basic furnishings.
    My faith was too weak to trust God to provide a home of my own. But Cindy and Doug's faith was infectious. As I rubbed shoulders with them, I "caught" their trust in God as a Provider, a loving Father who delighted in giving good gifts to His children, the Creator who could bring something from nothing.
    Are you hanging out with people who boost your faith? Or are most of your friends worriers, complainers, or doomsayers who trash your trust with their pessimism and hopelessness? Look around you and identify the faith builders - the Loises and Eunices and Pauls, the Cindys and Dougs. You need these people in your life if you want to grow in trusting God.

Immerse yourself in Scripture

    Paul draws Timothy's attention to another faith builder in 2 Tim. 3:15: "From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures." Those Scriptures teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness (v. 16). In the process of this teaching and training, we learn to trust God more deeply because we see Him more clearly.
    I was living in the Philippines in the 1980s when the People's Revolution erupted. Since we were several hours north of Manila and communications were iffy, my teammates and I had only a foggy picture of what was going on at Camp Aguinaldo, where the rebels had taken refuge. To this day I can recall the churning in my stomach when words such as evacuation and escape route entered our conversations.
    During a sleepless night, while monsters frolicked under my bed, I turned to the psalms and read words that restored my flagging faith: "The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace" (Ps. 29:10-11). At a trust-trying time, my Bible offered me a picture of God enthroned, reigning over my adopted country's political flood. In the turbulent days that followed, this image strengthened me and blessed me with peace just as the verses promised.
    I love the way God speaks to me through His Word when I need it most. But perhaps more valuable in my pilgrimage of faith has been the steady, unspectacular intake of Scripture that transforms me and boosts my trust almost without my knowing it. Years of quiet times are helping me focus on God daily and live in dependence on Him. As I repeatedly read through the Bible I see God's entire plan unfold chapter by chapter, book by book - showing me how big and worthy of trust He is. Verses I've memorised come to mind when my need is greatest.
    Paul's desire for Timothy was that he "correctly handle the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). In so doing, he would have a sure defense against godless chatter, foolish and stupid arguments, and unsound teaching - things that could otherwise undermine his fragile faith. We have the same choice today - to listen to the myriad voices around us that are characterised by foolishness and falsehood, or to listen to the true Word of God. One erodes trust; the other builds it.

Remember God's past faithfulness.

    Another faith booster that Paul introduced to Timothy is remembering. "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David" (2 Tim. 2:8). Notice the context from which Paul writes. He is in chains for preaching the gospel. If ever anyone had reason to feel discouraged, if ever anyone had an excuse to lose faith, it was Paul. Yet because of his focus on Christ he could write, "If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him" (vv. 11-12). When he thought of giving up, Paul remembered Jesus, who endured the cross. He remembered Jesus, who promised we would one day reign with Him. He remembered - and his trust grew stronger. We benefit from keeping "our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Heb. 12:2).
    We also benefit from remembering what God has already done for us. At times an unChristlike attitude or deeply entrenched habit will leave me despairing that I will ever be like Jesus. I begin to doubt the transforming power of His Spirit in me. For me, the only way out of this pit of pity is to remember. As I leaf through my old journals, prayer lists, quiet-time notebooks, and Bible studies, I begin to acquire a fresh vision of the difference Christ has made in my life. I remember from whence I came…and I can rest again in my reliable Lord.
    The exhortation to remember runs throughout Scripture. "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt," God told the fickle Israelites through Moses (Dt. 5:15). "I will remember the deeds of the LORD," resolved Asaph, the psalmist, at a time when his "soul refused to be comforted" and his "spirit grew faint" (Psalm 77). "Remember your Creator," urged Solomon after concluding that all the world offered was vanity, a chasing after the wind (Eccl. 12:1). And Jesus, knowing that upcoming events would test His disciples' trust to the uttermost, and knowing that His return to heaven would at times leave His disciples feeling abandoned and fearful, instituted a ritual of wine and bread for His disciples to do "in remembrance" (Lk. 22:14-20).
    When your trust in God is threatened, retreat and remember. Then let remembrance lead you into praise. Remembrance plus praise are poewrful faith builders.

Stretch beyond your comfort zone.

When I read 1 Cor. 16:10-11, I get a picture of Timothy that suggest he was a worrier who was a bit insecure. "If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace."
    He was young for the responsibility entrusted to him by Paul (1 Tim. 4:12). He was timid (2 Tim. 1:7). I imagine he was a reluctant leader, uncomfortable in the spotlight.
    Yet Paul keeps pushing Timothy out of his comfort zone: "Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord" (2 Tim. 1:8). "Pass on to others what you've learned from me," Paul exhorted him. "Preach the Word; rebuke; correct; encourage; instruct; do the work of an evangelist."
    Some of us are natural stretchers, always poking our heads into something new, always reaching higher and exploring uncharted territory. Others of us prefer the cosy sanctuary of the familiar. Why break new ground when it's so pleasant where we are?
    Pleasant is what I expected when I agreed to spend my summer vacation with some people known as The Navigators. I should have known that nothing called a "summer training program" could possibly be easy. Yet it sounded like a great excuse to spend a week at the ocean and meet a bunch of totally cool Christians. The first two days were rich with Bible teaching and small-group study, plus plenty of time on the beach perfecting my tan. On the third day I overheard people talking about boardwalk evangelism - and my blood ran cold. Ocean City was a party town. People were there for a good time, not to be accosted by gangs of overzealous Christians. It suddenly seemed prudent to develop a migraine or break a leg!
    That afternoon we received a crash course in how to use a pamphlet called "Bridge to Life." That night, kicking and screaming all the way, I "allowed" God to stretch me. I found myself approaching people with an uncanny calm that was beyond my ability to explain - and I talked to them about Jesus as if it was something I did every day. In short, I learned that what God called me to do He would equip me to do. The calmness and the clarity of thought and words were gifts straight from His Spirit to His faith-deficient child. It wasn't comfortable. Stretching rarely is. But it was a trust builder that still inspires me to take risks nearly 20 years later.
    How is God trying to stretch you today? For a seed to grow, it must endure severe discomfort and stretching. The shoot must break out of the seed cover; it must slog its way through packed soil; it must peek its tender, vulnerable head through the soil, seeking sun and rain but also risking life and limb to voracious beetles, a misplaced boot, or an overzealous weeder.
    What obstacles are you placing in His way? Unless you're content with a puny faith, you will want to surrender your timidity and fear to Him and let Him lift you to a higher level of spiritual fulfillment.

Cultivate a lifestyle of obedience.

In 2 Tim. 3:1-9 Paul lists characteristics of people who have "a form of godliness" but no power. He warns against pride, self-indulgence, ungratefulness, brutality, slander, treachery, and so on. Paul then urges Timothy to have nothing to do with such behaviour.
    When Paul steers Timothy away from ungodly behaviour, he is also steering him away from puny faith. A lifestyle of disobedience eats relentlessly at our faith. Disobedience often means taking the easy way out, relying on our own understanding rather than God's (Prov. 3:5-6). In such situations, our trust muscles get little exercise and soon grow flabby.
    In contrast, when we obey - when we relinquish our will and our rights - we discover on a deeper level that God is trustworthy. It's no longer head knowledge; it's heart and soul knowledge.
    I first encountered the impact of obedience on trust when I was invited to join the staff of The Navigators more than 16 years ago. I had contentedly resettled in my home state after several years of separation from family and familiar haunts. I had a secure job and was finally building a nice little nest egg. Yet I was being asked to leave that behind and move halfway around the world. Furthermore, I'd have to ask people to send money each month to my mission so I'd have a salary to draw on. Not an inviting prospect to my proud, self-sufficient nature!
    Despite the enthusiasm of my spiritual mentors, my first response was a rather joyless, teeth-grinding, jaw-clenching determination to surrender my rights to a comfortable life in favour of fulfilling the Great Commission. I had no vision of the joy of obedience, but I feared God too much to refuse Him. Below the surface was the hope that this was all a big mistake, and we'd soon discover that He was calling someone else to missions, not me.
    He was calling me. And He immediately set about proving to me His trustworthiness. I needn't have worried about how awful it would be to approach people and ask them for money - people approached me and asked if they could give! I also discovered that for every doubt and fear that emerged, God responded through Scripture. My journals from that time are an ongoing reminder of God's faithfulness. For every tearful confession of inadequacy or admission of terror, there is an entry a few days later recording verses that seemed to be written specifically to my need at that moment. I referred to those journals many times in the next several years as I encountered the sometimes painful reality of serving God cross-culturally. Whenever I wanted to scream "This is too hard!" my journal reminded me, "Too hard for you, maybe, but not for God."
    The hymn says "trust and obey." But sometimes, it's the choice to obey that comes first, followed by a strengthened trust. After I said no to ungodliness in the forms of pride and materialism, I had to obey a command that seemed too hard to bear. Then I received the ability to trust that God had my best interest at heart. Looking back, I can see that the moment I relinquished my will, my trust in God moved south from my head to my heart.
    Is your faith growing feeble because you are resisting God in some area of obedience? We proclaim - and therefore strengthen - our trust in God each time we say no to ungodliness and choose the path of surrender.

To be continued

One sentence from Paul's letter to Timothy sums up the life of ever-growing trust: "Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of" (2 Tim. 3:14).
    Something in our human nature loves the one-shot deal. "Hey," we whine, "I went on a summer missions trip in my 20s. I paid my dues. I'm settled now and deserve some comfort." Or we rationalise: "You know, I spent a lot of time in the Word when I was single, but now I have a wife and kids. I don't have time to read my Bible. I can get by with what I already know."
    None of Paul's remedies for a flagging faith is a one-shot deal. As George Goodman wrote: "It is not a present experience that ensures fruit unto maturity, but a patient continuance."
    Is your trust sluggish? Are the monsters under your bed growing fiercer and louder? Paul's second letter to Timothy offer the ingredients for a vibrant, growing trust in God: faith-filled models, saturation in Scripture, remembering, stretching, godly living. Begin again to incorporate these faith builders into your life. Then pursue them with a patient continuance.
 
 
 

A Letter From A Special Friend

To My Circle of Friends,
As many of you know, I am a college student at Judson College in Marion, Alabama. Well, it is time for me to go home and my last exam of my freshman year was April 24, 1998.  So my last days in chat would be that week.  I will be coming back to chat in late August.  I don't have a computer at home so I can't chat at home, but I have a friend that does.

Also, I plan to visit Judson during the summer so I will try to come in.  Now for the sad part of this letter, I would like to thank you guys and girls and adults for being there for me. Y'all are like a 3rd family to me.  Being a freshman and going to an all women school can be stressful  some times but you have been there for me.  I love y'all very much.

There are some important people that I would like to thank.  To the Ashmores (Bill, Trish, Alisha, and Bryan)-- I love you guys--Y'all are a blessing to me.  Thanks for being my 2nd family.  To all my chat moms (b~, Jam, Bev, and Mom t!)-- thanks for keeping me in line.  I love y'all!  To all my chat bros and sisses--Listen to Mom t! or I will come and get you!

To Richard--I love you bro, thanks for all the long talks.  I am going to miss you so much.
To New, Jerri, Joyce, Jason, Laura (the ugly bug), Tanya, Angie, and Joel--this is like a 2nd goodbye to y'all!  I love y'all too.  Last but not least to Doug-- thanks for everything.  You are so cool.  Write me and thanks for all the new nicknames.  If  I forgot anyone I love y'all too.  Also to Point of Grace (if y'all read this) Y'all are the Bomb!

Well, I do have a prayer request.  Some of you know that I have a boyfriend.  Pray for Jason!!  I know that I am going to miss him and that he is going to miss me.

Well, I need to close.   Please remember me and my real family in your prayers and I would like to hear from you.  Please email Trish for my home addy and/or phone number.

I love y'all and I will  really miss you!

Love in Christ,

Treeva

P.S. Visit my webpage!!