Hosanna Restoration Church

Previously, we considered our need to be sure of God and His Word, and then we touched on hoping especially when it looks hopeless; now let us consider what we can to do build up and increase that assurance and hope.

Assurance and hope are built by experiences with God. Abraham started out believing God and receiving the promises of God as a result. God did bless and increase Abraham from the very beginning of His journey. Based on this alone Abraham kept moving ahead with God. Along the way Abraham found that God was faithful even when he was not. There were some things on Abraham’s journey that he messed up, but God intervened and made them turn out to Abraham’s advantage.

Abraham had also watched as the Lord went to battle for him in the rescue of Lot against an army and again when God was going to destroy Sodom. Abraham had much to base his trust in God on. How did he attain these things? He attained these things by trusting God. We gain confidence by seeing God perform and we see God perform by trusting Him to perform and giving Him praise and honor and glory for what he has done.

For instance, just this week, God again proved to my wife and I just how great His ability is to protect us. Yes, it is the first God Wing story of the season. Whenever we go out we declare the favor and protection of the Lord and we thank Him for it. Yes we have His promises in our covenant with Him, but we also have the command of God to draw on those promises and see how good He is. With each experience our faith is increased along with our awareness of just out dependent we are upon Him. In this instance, I had just been singing and praising God declaring that He was a shield about us and that He was our protector. My wife had been declaring the same things as well. As we came up behind a person driving a mule (large 4 wheel vehicle that farmers and ranchers use) suddenly this person proceeded to pull right across the highway in front of us. It really looked like a hopeless situation, but by the grace of God with my bride and me calling on Jesus and a blast of the God Wing trumpet there was just enough room to avoid an ugly accident.

I do not yet know if God stimulated the man’s reflexes or if Angels hit the brakes or stood in front of the mule, all I know is that we were rescued by the Lord and so was the driver of the mule. Two things came from this with many to follow I am sure. First, I never doubt that the Lord is watching over me, but I am also certain that the declarations that my wife and I made, the praises we sing, the binding of the enemy and the calling for angels to serve according to God’s promises in His Word were key to the provision and preservation in our lives.

The other thing that God used this to teach me was to sound the alarm early and often. From now on, I will use that horn to warn in advance. Even if it may annoy someone I will use it to help prevent close calls. It is good warn people of impending danger and of their need to know God. Don’t just assume people are aware; be sure. Build your faith and always believe.