May, 2009

“But I Trusted You!”

We say that we trust God. We also say that we trust people but who of the two should we really be trusting? If God is really sovereign and in control of all things, if nothing happens out of His will, then why do we trust man or woman at all?

Throughout my life I’ve trusted people and have been devastated when they betrayed me. I’ve heard many stories where trust has been broken in a relationship. It can completely level you. Think of the relationships you’ve had throughout your life, or even the one you’re in now. Have you experienced betrayal? Have you betrayed someone? Have you experience the aftermath of the delicate thread of trust ripped to shreds? Have you ever uttered the words, “but I trusted you!” to someone?

Who are you thinking about? Who is your focus? The betrayer? A friend? A family member? You? No matter what the situation is, or who was involved, we need to redirect our focus. We need to stop looking at man and start looking at God.

Beloved daughters, if you don’t trust your husband, it’s not them you have an issue with, it’s God. You don’t trust God. We look at the person in front of us, perhaps because we can physically see them and it feels good to place blame on something we can see but what you need to realize is that your blame is misdirected.

Have you ever said, “I have trust issues” or “I just don’t trust people very much because I’ve been hurt so bad before.” Or how about, “Everyone I’ve ever trusted has always betrayed me.” Have you spoken these words? Have you become an angry person because of all the hurt and betrayal you’ve experienced in your life? Have you built a wall around yourself? Has your heart become hard and cold? Have you vowed that you’ll never let anyone get close enough to hurt you again? Have you sworn that you’ll never even trust another person, especially a guy!? If this is you I’m describing then I’m going to break the news to you today that all of your issues and inability to trust are issues with God and your inability to trust Him completely.

How can I say that!? How can this possibly be true?! Because, this used to be me. Actually, quite honestly I’m still fighting not to be this person, it’s a choice. I have to constantly remind myself that it’s God who I’m trusting and no one else. I need to trust God and believe He has everything under His control. That means even if someone betrays me, my hurt, my disappointment, and my anger needs to be addressed with my Heavenly Father who allowed it and not with the person who “did it.” If it happened then He willed it to happen and it was for His reasons. I need to be content with that. Is it easy? Absolutely not in anyway shape or form. However, it’s for His purpose and I know for a fact He wants only what’s best for me, He loves me like no one else does and I don’t have to understand “why” I just need to accept it and keep trusting Him! His ways are not my ways; His thoughts are not my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has everything under control. He has my life in the palm of His hand.

His love for us is beyond our comprehension. How could we not trust someone who loves us THAT much? Perhaps it’s because we have a hard time believing it. We have a hard time believing anyone could love us that much. Perhaps it’s because we equate love with nothing bad ever happening and when bad things happen that means we’re not loved. That’s simply not true.

If you find yourself not completely trusting your husband even though he hasn’t given you any reason not to trust him, STOP! Trust God instead. Trust your Heavenly Father that He will guard you, protect you and strengthen you. Trust that you’re with the man God intended for you to be with. Your issues are with God, not your husband.

Has your husband betrayed you? Stay focused on the Lord. Take it up with Him. Nothing happens out of His control, or out of His will. Take your focus off of the man and put it on God. He can take it; He can take your anger, your hurt, and your devastation. Cast all your cares onto Him because He cares for you, even when He allows things like that happen. There is hope beloved. There are many lessons to be learned, He’s growing you, persevere. He will supply all your needs and comfort you through the trials and tribulations He allows.

As I’m writing this I find myself convicted by the very words I’m typing. It’s extremely difficult to do the very thing I’m encouraging you to do. It’s seems almost impossible to endure through the pain cause by betrayal. It’s so hard to be accepting of circumstances we never want to happen. There is hope, daughters of the Most High, there is hope. Stop looking at man and start looking to your Heavenly Father. Stop thinking you can look at both of them. Just like it’s impossible to serve two masters, you will end up hating one and loving the other (Matthew 6:24). It’s impossible to trust man and trust God; you will end up trusting one and not the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other or worse, even both. Instinctively we tend to trust man because we can physically see man. This in turn means we are in sin by putting man before the Lord and making them our idol. Most of us are not even aware that this is even happening.

Stop and evaluate yourself, search your heart. Have you found yourself saying, “I completely trust my husband” or “I know my husband would never do something like that, I trust him.” Your husband is human; he is a man trying to ‘live right’ in a fallen world. Just because he’s a Godly man doesn’t make him superman. Do you have unrealistic expectations when it comes to your relationship? Look to God; trust the One who knows everything, who has known everything before the foundation of this very earth was formed.

Let go of trying to control or handle situations that arise in your relationship. Stop trying to be the one who changes things. You’re responsible for you, your actions and your thoughts. You and you alone will answer to God. This also means that your husband will answer to God, him and him alone. The Lord is your vindicator. He is your strength, your shield. Trust Him and everything else will fall into place. Nothing surprises Him. Ladies pray for your man. Stop “punishing” them for problems and issues you have that really don’t have anything to do with them. Take your baggage, your concerns, your fears, your worries, your hurt, your anger, your disappointment, your criticism, your distrust and insecurities to the Lord. Work it out with Him and be the kind, loving, caring, humble, obedient wife God expects you to be. Make God your everything because everything is His. All is gift, your life and your relationships. If you have problems trusting people, the real problem is you have a problem trusting God and the issue is with Him not the people.

I pray He reveals this to your heart as He has revealed it mine. I pray the Holy Spirit stirs an awakening in you and enables you to see and understand the importance of who we’re truly trusting. Let’s pray and encourage one another to keep our eyes fixed and focused on Him and only Him.

The Proposal

Sunday, July 20th, 2008 was one of the happiest days of my life! Trevor completely surprised me and proposed in front of our entire church! Here’s the quick story leading up to that moment.

We were having a ministry fair at our church, (for those that don’t know what a ministry fair is, it’s when the church has tables and stations set up after service with people and information available to let church members know what different types of ministries we have available and they can see if there is an area they would like to get involved in.)

So on Sunday, July 20th, was our ministry fair. The week prior, Trevor said he was going to have to find someone to do an “interview” on stage for THIRST (our young adults ministry). This seemed normal to me because a lot of times before Jeff Whitaker has interviewed different people depending on what they wanted to inform the church members about. So Trevor kept telling me he needed to find someone to go on stage and talk about THIRST. I tried to think of everyone he could ask, all the while praying he wouldn’t ask me! Everyone “he asked” had a reason or excuse as to why they couldn’t do it (no duh! It was a setup but I didn’t know that at the time), so it came down to him finally asking me! I was freaking out, I said, “there is no way I can go on stage and talk in front of all those people!”, “No way!” , “Not me!” I told him he should just do it, Lol. He said because he was the leader of THIRST it had to be someone else. After much persuasion, I reluctantly said I would do it but I was scared out of my mind. I kept telling Trevor that I was more of a behind the scenes type of person, I don’t do stages and big crowds of people. He assured me I could do it and that I’d be fine.

All week long the only thing I could think about was doing this interview! What was Jeff going to ask me?! What was I going to say?! Would words even come out when I opened my mouth to speak!? Then the day finally came…I was so nervous I could barely walk, I was shaking so bad my girlfriend, Melanie, said she could she the bottom of my shirt trembling… So there I am, on stage, trying to only focus on Jeff and his questions, stumbling over my words, wondering how many people I’m actually standing in front of because the lights are so bright I can’t really see and wondering why the heck Guy Richards is taking my picture!?! Wait! Huh?!

After Jeff asked his questions he introduced a video clip from Trevor “to tell us a little bit more about THIRST”, haha! I couldn’t even believe what was happening!

The video clip explains it all! Everyone starts yelling and clapping! Next thing I know Trevor comes out from back stage, gets down on one knee and proposes!!!

It turns out everyone was in on Trevor’s grand plan! Everyone but me! It was absolutely amazing and it was all caught on video so I can watch it forever!

and you can watch it too! Enjoy!

The Proposal ~ July 20, 2008 from Kristin Dennis on Vimeo.

Daughters of God

Be careful what you wish for, be cautious about what you desire, be slow to decide what it is you want. The more you want something the harder you need to pray and ask God if it’s worth having or if He wants you having it at all.

More than not we desire to have something or someone so badly and then once we get it we realize not only was it not worth having but we wasted all that time wanting it.

When the desire to have something or someone becomes so strong that it’s all you can think about, pray for wisdom and the help to sift through your emotions and tap into your reason, be quiet and still, wait to hear the voice of God.

Learning to let go of the desire to have something or someone, after praying and hearing from God that you’re not to have it, will spare you much pain and ultimately bring you closer to Him, and that should be your heart’s one true desire over all.

Who Are You Living For?

True fulfillment and the possibility of boundless enjoyment come when we do life God’s way. When we do it our way, we only enslave ourselves. Whatever you do, whether it be at work or in marriage, through your language or your ambitions, in your thoughts or your intents, do all and think all to the glory of God and by the rules he has put in place –rules that serve not to retrain us but to be the means for us to soar with the purpose for which he has designed all choices. {excerpt taken from the book, The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias} 

I highly recommend this book. I just wanted to share a small piece of it here because its’ a great reminder that we should be living intentionally for Christ everyday. It’s not easy living a life Set Apart, Romans 12:2, and no one ever promised it would be.

Lord God I pray I remember each day that your grace is enough, 2  Corinthians 12:9.