"Learning To Rest In Jesus"

If you have ever watched a Major golf tournament, there is something which is always exciting to be a part of; that is to watch an unknown Leader fall apart on the last day. It is almost a given, that the one in the lead will always fall apart, or fail to pull off the win, if they have never won a Major tournament before. You might wonder why that is almost always the case: the main reason is, because they are not mentally prepared for the victory. Golf is one game that requires the ability to 'get in the zone', even under the most immense pressure. But here is the problem: Because they have never won a Major tournament before, there is a new pressure that they are not use to performing in: The thought of winning. They either are too sure of themselves, or too insecure to complete the task. But whichever reason it is, they begin to fall apart; especially on the back nine of the last day. It is almost as if they surrender to the fact that they can not be the winner, because they have never won a Major before. And then what happens? They start falling apart, and tense up instead of relaxing; which causes them to start hitting the ball off into places they don't want the ball to go. Now really; what does this have to do with our faith in Jesus? Quite a lot actually; because, there is something which happens to us when it comes to holding onto our faith through the trials which cause us to stumble. Either we are too sure of ourselves, or too insecure to pull it off. So then, what do we do? We fall apart spiritually, and give in to sin; doing just the opposite of what we should do; when what we should do, is to let go and let God. But you see, for many of us, it is hard to let go; because we want to prove something to either ourselves, or maybe even to God. It's that old 'I got this' attitude; or the 'I'm not worthy' attitude, that make us stumble and fall. What we really need to do, is to learn to Rest in Jesus. Have you ever tried to save someone from drowning? It really can be difficult sometimes to do; and if you are not careful, they could hurt you, or even cause you to drown also in the process of saving them. Sometimes it is best to just let them drown, then pull them to safety, and pump out the water. It is really hard to relax when you think you are drowning; but really, that is what we must learn to do. We must rest in the promise that God knows best what to do in any situation. After all; Jesus went through it, and came through it victoriously; so He does know best how to get us through anything. Basically, what I am trying to say, is that the faith which we have been given in Christ, has already been tried, and is true; and that we must learn to hold onto that faith to the very end. Why is that so hard to do? Because we do not think that we can; which is all the more reason we must rest in Him. Let me try to illustrate something: Let's say that you are worrying about a certain issue in your life; Would you say that worry is sin? Yes it is. Because what worry means, is that you are doubting God; and doubt means that you are not trusting God; and when we do not trust God, we have sinned against Him. Remember this the next time you begin to worry about anything: "Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength". This is our greatest commandment to live by, and we must be strong in the Lord. "For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." (Hebrews 12:3 & 4)