Dick Leggatt, President of Derek Prince Ministries – USA and this comprises his July 7, 2017 Newsletter. Click here to receive the Derek Prince Ministries emailed E-devotional.

 

Do you trust the Lord with every detail of your life? Are you convinced He will truly watch over all the matters that are of concern to you?

Most Christians would automatically say yes to these questions. Why? Because we are trained to do so. Question: “Do you trust Jesus completely?” Answer: “Absolutely.”

However, if you and I are honest, we will admit that often, the way we live doesn’t testify to the absolute trust we espouse. You and I still battle a lot of unwarranted worry in our lives.

Is it possible to move from persistent worry to a solid trust in the One who loves us and cares for us? That will be the focus of this month’s Partner Letter. Hopefully, by the end of it, you and I can testify more boldly to the truth that Jesus is totally trustworthy.

A Moment of Anxiety

This topic of trust arose recently when I was confronted with an unexpected moment of uncertainty. I had been helping my daughter with some of the construction work for the renovation of a property she and her husband own in Charlotte.

We had been working hard, putting a new tile floor in the kitchen area — and I returned home late in the evening.

As I pulled off my work clothes and cleaned up for bed, a terrible thought hit me: “What if someone breaks into the property, damages the place, wrecks all the work we have done, and steals all of our power tools?”

I am not normally prone to these kinds of fretful thoughts, so the intensity of the worry surprised me. But there it was, forcing me to deal with it. Interestingly, as I battled this onslaught of anxiety, an old Scripture chorus started to fill my mind: “For I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that Day.”

God Our Guardian

I didn’t know the location of the verse, but I knew it was the Lord’s answer to the worry I was experiencing. Right there and then, I prayed: “Lord, You are completely able to watch over that property and keep it safe. I entrust it all to You and place it in Your hands.” Five minutes later, I was sleeping soundly — convinced afresh that He is totally trustworthy.

When I took time to study 2 Timothy 1:12, the passage that had dispelled my episode of worry, the truth took on greater significance. The New American Standard version has even richer language than the little chorus I learned as a kid. “For I know Whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” The Lord stands guard over all we entrust to Him.

The truth of this verse reminds me of the wording in another favorite passage, Philippians 4:7, where we see this promise: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.”

Can we fully grasp this amazing truth — that the Lord is our greatest guardian? That He neither slumbers nor sleeps, but is always watching over every detail of our lives?

Our Responsibility in Guarding

There is another important aspect of this process of entrusting ourselves to the Lord. We have an active role to play in the process. It is interesting to note that before and after his declaration that the Lord is able to guard what we entrust to Him, Paul encourages Timothy, his son in the faith, to be a part of the guarding process.

In 1 Timothy 6:20, Paul urges: “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust….” Then, in 2 Timothy 1:14: “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” How is this accomplished?

I believe the words, “through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,” provide the key. We do our best to guard what Jesus has entrusted to us — not in our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

With His help, we place ourselves and all we own in the hands of the One who is totally trustworthy; the One who is able to keep that which we commit to Him. We guard what He has given us by entrusting it fully to Him.

Practical and Personal

Derek Prince was someone who fully trusted in the Lord, and he shared some helpful insights on this process of entrusting ourselves to Jesus.

In the following excerpt from “Progress to Perfection,” a selection of radio messages on the topic of faith, Derek starts with practical, relational aspects. Then he touches upon the Scripture we have been studying.

In Galatians 5:6 (NIV), Paul says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

I understand that here Paul is saying, in essence, that in our Christian life, no outward ceremony or ordinance is of ultimate value. It is what is in us that matters — and the greatest basic requirement in us is faith. Not just nominal or theoretical or doctrinal faith, but faith that is active and practical. Faith that expresses itself through love.

It is important to see that this kind of faith is not primarily doctrinal or intellectual. Rather, it is a personal relationship to God.

This is illustrated by the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 1:12 “…I know Whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.”

Paul was near the end of his life. He was in a very difficult situation — alone in prison, awaiting execution. Some of his best friends had forsaken him. Yet he still had firm, unshakable faith. I think one of the keys was that his faith was not in a doctrine, but in a Person — God.

He said, “I know Whom I have believed….” Lots of people would say, “I know what I have believed.” But that won’t see you through.

And what will not help you in that evil day that is coming. “I know Whom I have believed….” Our faith must be directly and personally in God, His faithfulness, His ability, His wisdom.

Secondly, I think the key to that relationship with God is stated where Paul says, “I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” Another version says, “…what I have committed.”

The key to that kind of relationship with God is commitment to the Lord. Total, unreserved, personal commitment to God. To put your life totally in God’s hands and say, “God, I’m Yours. Do with me what You will.”

I believe that out of that kind of commitment comes a kind of faith which Paul demonstrates here. Can you say that? I know Whom I have believed. That is where it all begins.

The Beginning Step

As Derek said, “That is where it all begins.” Have you taken the step of fully entrusting yourself to the Lord? If not, would you like to do so right now? Together, through the following prayer, let’s place ourselves in His capable hands.

Lord, I confess that I still experience times of worry and anxiety. I recognize now that the reason could be that I need to trust You more completely.

With this prayer, I want to take the beginning step. Based upon my relationship with You, the One in whom I have believed, I want to commit everything to You right now.

My life, my future, my loved ones, my work, my possessions. Lord, I place myself and every other aspect of my life in Your hands.

God, I am Yours. Do with me what You will. As I give everything totally to You, I make this proclamation: “I know Whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

It’s all Yours, Lord — and I thank You that You will do a much better job of taking care of me and all that belongs to me than I ever could. Thank You. Amen.

His Responsibility Now

The prayer you and I have just voiced is a huge step in our relationship with Jesus Christ. This total commitment of our lives and everything pertaining to us can mark a significant turning point for you and me.

You may find yourself breathing a sigh of relief right now. That’s because it is a tough job worrying about every aspect of our lives and futures. You and I are His responsibilities now.

From now on, we are His — all the way to that day when He takes us home or returns to receive us to Himself in His second coming. We are His, and He is totally trustworthy.

Allow Us to Help

We don’t know the day or hour of His coming, and presumably there will be a lot of life to live until that time. Staying in a posture of trust through the coming days will take discipline and encouragement, and we would consider it an honor to stand with you in both of those regards.

On the discipline side, you and I need to stay in the Word of God — for it is our life and strength. Please allow us to keep you supplied with Derek Prince’s biblical teaching, starting with a free offer for the MP3 of the radio series in which “Progress to Perfection” is found. (This is the message from which we excerpted Derek’s quote, and it’s yours by using the download link below.)

On the encouragement side, let’s stay in touch. We earnestly desire to hear from you, and to pray with you and for you as you move forward in your relationship with Jesus.

Your involvement with us — especially your prayers and financial support — represent a special bond between us. In gratitude for your partnership, we want to be of service to you in every way possible. Thank you for being a vital part of DPM and all we do.

Moving Forward

The rest of our lives awaits us now. Like the Apostle Paul, we want to finish well. In the latter part of his second letter to Timothy, Paul shared a remarkable testimony.

Looking toward the end of his life, which would occur soon thereafter at the hands of a Roman executioner, Paul said these words in chapter 4, verses 7 and 8: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

In that last phrase, Paul is talking about us. You and I are on a journey to “that Day” to which Paul referred.

We have committed ourselves unreservedly to the Lord Jesus — and we can count on Him to guard what we have entrusted to Him.

In these significant days as we move steadily toward “that Day,” we will surely find Him totally trustworthy!

 

All the best,
Dick Leggatt
President, DPM–USA

P.S. Thank you again for your commitment to the Lord — and for your devotion to the work of Derek Prince Ministries. We are grateful. Please make sure to draw deeply on the resources we are offering — starting with the free MP3, “Progress to Perfection, Part 1.”

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Materials used by kind permission of Derek Prince Ministries.

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