What does it mean by believing in the Lord? Although we cannot see spiritual things, we understand the experience when we trust in the Lord. The Bible talks a lot about “trusting in,” “taking refuge in” and “believing in.” They all remind us to trust in the Lord. Actually, trust also includes believing in the Lord. Some people say faith in God is trusting in Him with “blind faith”. This is wrong! It says clearly in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Our faith is based on truth—the word of Christ. Believing in things without truth is not faith. God’s promises in the Bible cover our life and eternity. He does not lie. We can commit our whole life to Him. People in this world often deceive themselves. Their bubbles of vanity will eventually burst. Isaiah described these people: “We have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.” (Isaiah 28:15) But we are different from them.
Isaiah 28:16 says, “Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ ”
It’s so precious, the cornerstone makes me think of the church.
Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Our mind is stayed on Him: this means the same as to lean on Him, take refuge in Him, tp believe in Him, and to trust in Him. And this is related to peace.
Our mind needs to stay on the Lord. When faced with the enemy, we don’t need to wrestle with him. We simply need to rely on the Lord. You can say in your heart, “Lord, I trust in You!” and at the same time, behold the Lord in glory.
How do we trust in the Lord? Our spiritual eyes ought to see the Lord at the right hand of Abba. For example, when leaving our homes, we can say, “Lord, I love You!” When you say it with your mouth, behold Him with your spiritual eyes at the same time. I hope you can put all these things together: Your spiritual eyes see the Lord at the right hand of Abba. You can also perceive that the Lord shines through New Jerusalem. And you can say, “Lord, I love You!” See the Lord with spiritual eyes while speaking to Him. You are NOT talking to the air, Instead, you should know you are talking to the Lord. You have a very clear focus. This is similar to how Stephen saw the Lord at the right hand of God. Your heart has also gone to New Jerusalem, to the Lord in the new city.
The Lord knows when you trust in Him. You will experience the difference immediately. Its effect is the same as when you say, “Lord, save me!” This is just a different expression to ask the Lord to save you from what you are facing, to help your heart to return to normal condition. It is the same as trusting in the Lord. Don’t try to fix your own problems before going to the Lord. A patient would not try to cure himself before going to the doctor. If so, the emergency room would be closed. For example, if you were bleeding heavily, you would not attempt to fix yourself before going to the doctor. The Lord is the doctor for our spirit. He is also our King and Saviour. No matter what kind of problems we have in our spirit, He is able to cure us instantly. This is truly precious. When you first believed in the Lord, didn’t you feel the change immediately? Salvation is not a slow process, nor is it performed in installments. We experienced the change immediately when we believed. There was tremendous enjoyment waiting for us; it’s just that we were not aware of it all. Actually, we could enjoy the New Covenant and all spiritual blessings all at once. Messages help you learn what you can enjoy. Otherwise, it would be like having a refrigerator filled with food that you could not enjoy because you were not aware that the food was there . The Lord already gave us all the blessings when we believed. He even gave Himself to us and continues to live in us, even though we may not have had this understanding at the time we believed. Now we understand more, but we need to enjoy it by faith, and to trust in Him. When we are heart to heart with the Lord, we will be able to enjoy Him and His provision, just as the branch is able to enjoy the nourishment from the vine when they are connected.
Just now we read about the cornerstone mentioned in Isaiah.
“As it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ ” (Roman 9:33)
It is not complicated at all. As a matter of fact, we are incapable of managing our own complex problems. Regardless of how complicated they may seem, they are very simple to the Lord! He says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” We need to trust with our heart, not merely agreeing through our own reasoning.
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 10:9-11)
Both Bible passages we just read say, “Whoever believes in Him will NOT be put to shame.” “Believing in Him” is more than just agreeing with the facts; it means trusting in Him with our hearts.
We have free will to choose. True faith is choosing to rely on Him and accepting His help with our free will. It is NOT just knowing the fact that He can help but then refusing His help. That would be like how the devil knows that God is real, but he is against God. Because of his pride, he thinks he is something.
What I am sharing with you today is very important. In addition to saying, “Lord, save me,” we can express our trust in Him more. Both have different benefits. Trusting in the Lord has a broader implication. A lot of Bible verses explain it, however, not many people fully understand.
“For it stands in Scripture (Isaiah): “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe,”” (1 Peter 2:6-7) When you believe in the Lord, you’ll know this is very precious and blessed.
You experienced the difference on the day you believed, and you need to continue to believe in Him. The main problem of many believers is that they do not continually believe in the Lord after the day of their conversion. If you keep on trusting in Him and relying on Him, you will not sin again for the rest of your life. This is the secret for not sinning! Not only can we overcome sins, we will also bear fruit. The Bible tells us very clearly, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” (John 15:5) This is the core issue. Satan attacks us first in our mind. He distracts and lures us away from the Lord. Also, he tempts us and makes us not trust in the Lord. He deceives you into thinking that you would be able to find satisfaction without God. His aim is to lure you away from God, so that you are unable to enjoy God’s precious love plan for you, and all those things that can truly satisfy your spirit and make you glorious. Falling for Satan’s tricks only results in spiritual emptiness. It’s sugar-coated poison.
When the Bible talks about believing in the Lord, it is often followed by the words “will not…” Sin puts you to shame. So, if there is no shame, there’s no sin. Therefore, the phrase “will not be put to shame” also implies that you do not have sins. This is what I meant when I said “Once we rely on the Lord, we are in a sinless state.” It is good to learn from Peter’s saying: “Lord, save me!” But there is an advantage in saying “Lord, I trust in You!” Actually, both expressions show that you trust in the Lord to save you from the undesirable situation you are in, and that He will give you strength to obey Him. However, trusting in the Lord has a broader implication. Take the scenario where you have not failed, but you feel disturbed. In this situation you can say, “Lord, I trust in You!” But if you fail, you can say, “Lord, save me,” or you can also say, “Lord, I trust in You.” The Lord also knows that you need Him to save you. In short, there is an advantage in saying, “Lord, I trust in You!” I hope you can put all these truths together.