Trust and obey; it is always easiersaid than done. For so many believers and non-believers, the word trust andobey is easier said than done. How can one that claims to trust in God belying, deceptive and manipulating in the name of God?

Withoutseeking to know who the LORD is and what He can do, it is impossible to trustin him. Also, without knowing to fear God, it is not possible to obey God. Obedienceis having its source in fearing God. It is how much you seek and fear Him thatwill determine your trust and obedience in God.Ê

Ê~MATTER~

No matterhow it matters to you, the conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God. Thenthe ability to obey Him in all that He requires from man will flow. It allstarts with seeking Him; trusting Him; then fearing Him.

~ABOUTFEAR~

Devotion: Fear of God is in devotion not anemotion. When you are devoted to fearing God, you are in a position to have theword of God established in your life.

Psalm119:38,Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You. What else would a believer desirein this world than to have the word established in his life?

Tohate: tofear God is to hate evil. How do you react to seeing or hearing evil deedsaround you? Are you comfortable or do you take it as a joke whenever you witnessevil activities around you?Prov.8:13, the fear of the LORD is to hateevil.

Zealous: Tireless diligence. Does thatrepresent how you fear God? Prov.23:17 Do not let your heart envysinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day. Beingzealous for the fear of the LORD all day is a possibility and that is why theword requires it.

Nowant: Godspoke in volumes and none of His word shall go forth without performing it. Itis written in Ps.34:9, Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is nowant to those who fear Him. It does not matter who or how many wantsare around you, as long as you live in the fear of the LORD.

Miracle: In the early church, because theywere obedient, they continued steadfastly in the apostlesÕ doctrine andfellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon everysoul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles (Acts: 2:42, 43). Fear came upon them and miracleswere delivered. Fear of God and what He can do will also generate miracles.

Revealsecret: Gen.18:17and the LORD said shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing. Abrahamfeared God. God could not hide anything from him. Ps. 25:14, The secretof the LORD is with those who fear Him. And He will show them His covenant. Whenyou begin to fear God, you become a dweller in His secret place.

Deliverance: Fear God and deliverance will bepackaged to you. 2King17:39, but the LORD your God you shall fear; and Hewill deliver you from the hand of all enemies. Any matter that hasrisen against you is an enemy in your life. Fear of God is your way ofdeliverance.

~THEEYE OF GOD~

Your fearof God will gain the attention of GodÕs eye. Ps.33:18, 19 say, behold theeye of the LORD is on those who fear Him. On those who hope in His mercy, todeliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Whenyou have the LORDÕs eye on you constantly, the hand of your enemy will have toround up God before it gets to you. To fear God is the only way.

In fearingGod, determination will fail; your strength will not prevail because bystrength can no man prevail. However, the grace of God will impact fear.ÊÊ

Do youactually desire to fear God in deed and in truth? Pray for it. Jer.32:40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn awayfrom doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they willnot depart from me. Ask God to put His fear in your heart,

A very long time ago, in a regionwhere rain hardly falls in a year, Noah prepared for a flood. In hispreparation, he engaged in building an ark made out of gopher wood. It was not justan ark, it was a huge ark.

~Ark~

The lengthof the ark was three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits and its heightthirty cubits (Gen. 6:15). It was a huge ark to escape a flood in a regionwhere it hardly rains within a year. Who would have responded to this kind ofwarning? Would you have been able to respond to God just as Noah responded?None of his friends were mentioned as part of the escape team. Neither any ofNoahÕs neighbor nor business partners were mentioned in the escape team. Noahwas given a ticket of escape only to his family. Remember LotÕs escape? It was also only to his family. Now it isclear why Joshua said as for him, he and his house will serve the LORD (Joshua24:15).As the head of your house, what do you desire? It flows from the head to thetail. Are you working out a salvation plan that will cover for you and your householdor a salvation plan that will serve only breakfast, lunch, and dinner? If youdo not desire for your household to be saved when the Lord comes to judge theearth, it will not become a done deal. Noah and his family departed into theark of escape from a devastating flood; an unimaginable flood in anunimaginable area in time. He made it because he lived for God in the midst ofwicked generation and he was able to respond to GodÕs warning. Are you livingfor God? You cannot be successful if you claim to be living for God and notresponding to His warning signs. Neighbors, friends, business partners andcommunities were going by the dayÕs business (in their own term) enjoying life;minding their own business. It rained, it flooded and there was no way ofescape. They were all wiped off the face of earth. It sounded like sweetsaying; story telling isnÕt it?

~Real?~

InDecember 2004, a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter magnitudescale created a TSUNAMI causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia,Thailand, Malaysia, The Maldives and many other areas around the rim of theIndian Ocean. The death toll is currently estimated at more than 300,000. Doesthat sound like tale telling? The fact is, the rain that flooded in the time ofNoah rained forty days and forty nights, but the TSUNAMI executed for perhaps acouple of minutes in duration. In that period of time it touched down in manyregions on the face of earth. What will an hour of consistent and continuousTSUNAMI bring to the whole world? Yet, many still take the word of God with considerableexcuses. Everything around us is pointing to the fact that the word of God iscoming to manifest itself all over the face of earth. He is coming back tojudge. Gen. 6:5, then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was greatin the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evilcontinually. He rained and flooded. Just as it was then, it is today.Evil and wickedness are reigning in all corners of the earth. God is a just andconsistent God. He would not be consistent if He did not do just like He did inthe time of Noah.

~Salvation~

God hasmade the provision for salvation through Jesus. And it is written in Jh.3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoeverbelieves in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Today isyour day of salvation, look up to Him and He will look out for you.

Andthose who know your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have notforsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:10

Where haveyou been putting your trust? The question is not who you trust. It is one thingto say, ÒI trust GodÓ, but it is another thing to actually put your trust inHim. Could it be that you Òthink you trust HimÓ? Trust should not be about thought;it should be a knowing that comes from an understanding that GodÕs name is a strongtower.The problem behind your situation is, you are rusting from your situationwith no solution because you have not trusted Him. Trust in Him and rest fromrust.

~source~

The sourceof your trust is in knowing the name of God. The Psalmist stated clearly, thosewho know the name of God would put their trust in Him.(Ps.9:10)As aresult of this statement, it is clear that the source of trust is in knowingthe name of God not knowing about the name of God.

It doessound elementary to you but it has not been working for you because you assumeyou know. When the fact is, you only know about Him.Until you understand andknow the source of information that comes your way; your transformation is intotal and complete delay. Consider this a serious detriment to your breakthrough in life. Information from God is the transformation unto GodÕs side.When you are transformed unto His side nothing formed against you will prosper.You will rest and put all your trust in His awesome power of deliverance.

~Victory~

David;from mountain to mountain, wilderness to wilderness was being chased by Saul andall the resources in the power of Saul, to kill and stop David from getting tohis divine destination. In every step that David took, it is written that heconstantly asked from God when, where and how to move. That was a demonstrationof putting trust in the name of God. In 1Samuel 23:14, Saul sought him (David) everyday, but God did not deliver him into his hand. David put his entire move in thetrust of God. Do you still consider the issue of trust elementary? Examinedyour conscience and determine within yourself if you have actually beenconsciously and consistently putting your trust in Him during stormy season.

~Nameof God~

His nameis Mighty God; the all sufficient, and that settles it.

The nameof God that you know will work for you. If you know Him as healing God and youcall Him for healing he will answer. You call Him with understanding andknowledge not because you are conversing with people around you that are callingHim healer. He is the healing healer.

ThePsalmist said ÒFor you, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek YouÓ. (Ps.9:10) David recognized God as God that does not forsake those who seekHim. David called Him by His name because he knows him as a deliverer. Do youknow His name? Which God are you calling concerning your situation? How willyou call Him when you do not know His name?

ThePsalmist said it all in this same verse when he said ÒFor you LORD havenot forsaken those who seek YouÓ (Ps.9:10) Those who trust Him enoughto seek Him find the secret of knowing the name to call. When you seek Him, youwill have word encounter; He will reveal Himself; and He will send you with Hisname. When you seek Him you will also know to put your trust in Him.

God is aGod of identity and He will not show up to you or send you without backing youwith His name. When He called Moses, He identified Himself; He gave him thename to use in his message to Pharaoh.

~Prescription~

SeekHim; (you can not seek Him and not find Him) discover and identify His name. Thename of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (Prov.18:10)

Put yourtrust in Him. You do not trust God with mouth; you trust Him with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Trust in Him and enjoy His blessing or trust not on Him and be less in His blessing.

ÒThespirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him norknows HimÓ

(John14:17)

What youdo not see you will not receive; what you do not receive you do not become.

When God directed Moses to send men to go and spy on the promise land, it was with apromise that he will give them the land (Num. 13:2).

InNum. 13:17,18 then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said tothem, ÒGo up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: Ê

Moses knewwhen God says go, it is good. He specifically asked them to see whatit looks like. He also encouraged them by reminding them to be of good courage.

Despitethe fact that the hand of God has seen them( you) through great miracles in andout of(your) Egypt; despite the fact that God has never failed them(you) of Hispromises in their life in your life) the spy failed to see Êtheir Canaan.

It is morethan important but very crucial that you begin to see by faith in allthat God has ordained for a believer that is seeking God.

Thosespies failed to see the positive that God has placed for them butnegative. They saw inability, defeat, hindrances, and failure that was unmovable.It is time for you to begin to see through the glasses of heaven and receiveby the grace of God.Ê ÊÊÊÊ

Num.13:30,then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ÒLet us go up at once andtake possession, for we are well able to overcome itÓ

Caleb andJoshua saw and sounded it. It came to be and they received theirconfession.

As much asit is important to see, so is it important how you sound it if you arestanding in Him.

~Sound~

ÒAndthe LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath,saying, surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that goodland of which of which I swore to give to your fathersÓ1Det. 1:34.

Can you imaginedisaster caused by a negative sound? After getting out of bondage of over fourhundred years, into a wilderness journey that should not have taken more thaneleven days, took forty years. Passing through the wilderness was exchanged fortheir promised land.

Are youexperiencing stagnation in your journey? Is it true that what is supposed totake a couple of years is taking you more? Wilderness is a passage not ahabitation. You will have to change the sound you often produce. Your sound isdelaying and denying you.

~Seeing~

The bibledescribes faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence ofthings not seen Heb.11:1. When you begin to see things that arenot there as being there; when you begin to look at your mountains of hindrancesas being leveled; because you stand in the LORD then miracles will begin toanswer for you. The word of God says the just shall live by faith. Everythingthat you do is by faith and without faith, God is not pleased. If you pay carefulattention to Heb. 11, you will identify that all the giants of faith that werementioned from the time of the Old Testament to the time of New Testamentoperated by faith. Understanding was by faith, offerings, sacrifices, moves,obedience, waiting, subduing enemy, seeing, receiving; all wereobtained in faith by faith.Ê Ê

When youbegin to see, motion comes to life and stagnation will cease. See,move and receive by the sound of your mouth. Your mouth is the channelof your miracle. Begin to live by the word of God and you will begin to receive
by the word of God. The word of God is neither story nor mouthdecoration. The word is life and truth.

Jesussaid it all the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because itneither sees Him nor knows Him Jh.14:17 you cannot receive if you do not see.Ability to see Him is built in knowing Him and not just knowing about Him. Itis what you see that you will receive.

When youare able to see and hear in His

words, understandingwill make you stand

out in allareas of life.

ÒThereis a way that seems right to a man, But the end is the way of deathÓ Pro. 14:12

Whenever a dog chooses its way bynot listening to the owner, that dog will be lost and death is the dead end oflost. The same applies to a man that chooses to get out of the way. Jesussaid in John14:6, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes tothe father except through Me.

As anacclaimed believer, have you ever considered the way you are going?

Are youlooking into your material wealth as a determinant of your way? Let your successnot deceive you because success is not the measure of GodÕs blessing. Also, theposition of power you are now in is not the measure of GodÕs blessing.

Take timeout and sincerely identify the way you have chosen. Is it the way of the wickedor the way of death?

The way ofdeath is wicked and the way of the wicked is death. Let me bring to yourawareness the identity of one that is walking in the way of wicked or death.

~Identification~

Jer.12:1, In his conversation with God, he asked Òwhy are the way of wicked prosper?
Why are those who deal so treacherously? Verse 2, you have planted them,yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes they bear fruit. You are near intheir mouth But far from their mind.

If by any wayyou are one that has the word in the mouth but out of the mind, you shouldconsider yourself as wicked.

The wordof God says you should not lie, period. But in the corner of you mouth ahighway for telling lies runs through your mind. Half lies are the same aswhole lies. Deception is a lie. When you promise what you cannot deliver, youhave lied. A follower of Jesus telling lies is a way of death. The Lord iscoming back for a church without spot or wrinkle.

~Heart keeping~

Pr.4:23keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Judas Iscariot failed to keep hisheart. When you fail to keep your heart with all diligence through Christ Jesus,Satan will enter. Luke. 22:3 ÒThen Satan entered Judas, surnamedIscariot, who was numbered among the twelve,

Verse4, So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he mightbetray Him to them.

JudasÕfailure to keep his heart was costly to him. He lost his number and will not becounted in the last day. Keep your number and get counted where it counts; inthe kingdom of God.

Judas wenthis way. He left the sure and the true way. He went a way that appeared rightto him and not right to God. It was the way of his death.

Satan willnot announce himself before he enters your heart.Ê You have to renounce himfrom entering by keeping your heart diligent.

Jer.24:7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and theyshall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me withtheir whole heart.Do you desire this? What you do not desire, He will not deposit.Ê

Ask Godtoday, to give you a heart to know Him so that Satan will not enter.

~ConvenientWay~

Mark14:11 and when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

ServingGod is a commitment, not a convenience. The day you begin to seek for yourselfa way of convenience in serving Him, Satan will serve you with a convenient wayof selling Him. When you sell Him you have betrayed Him.

As smoothas telling lies could be; as easy as it can be delivered to achieve yourpurpose, it is a smooth step into wicked ways. Every act that is contrary tothe way of God is a wicked way.

Prov.15:29, the LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of therighteous. Today,pray the prayer of the righteous as recorded in

Psalm139:23 Search me O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; Andsee if there is wicked way in me,

Andlead me in the way everlasting. Ê