Don't Hedge X2

To Hedge - a calculatedly noncommittal or evasive statement. As you can see there are a lot of people who are believers who "Hedge" quite often. They look at their faith as the normal religious experience per the American way of looking at religion. They scoff at spiritual matters and often even doubt whether there is a Spirit. Tozer wrote God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works. He is transcendent above all His works even while He is immanent within them. Believing in God is believing in "all " of God and all that involves is a total commitment to Him and His Word. To fall off that cliff may seem scary and even too much to admit, but that kind of faith is necessary for the growth in our walk with God. So many people are in "half commital mode" and that is a dangerous place to be. You can get a visual picture of what it looks like to straddle a fence and the end result is neither for God nor against God, but gray and in the middle. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

It is vital to our walk with God to be totally committed to His Word and to our relationship with Him. Without the total faith necessary we fall short in our growth and our relationship suffers because we are double-minded and scripture says that kind of person is unstable in every way. James 1:8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. An unstable person of faith is a weak person who is easily defeated by our enemy and the enemy can come in to further confuse them and draw them into a dangerous territory of half commitment, which is no commitment at all. Half-hearted believers have no power in their lives because they are trying to live a very spiritually-based life on humanistic reasoning. The solution is to totally jump off that cliff, knowing that the one who made the cliff will catch you and lift you up to new heights in your faith. Isaiah 40:31

31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

The world we live in is tough enough without trying to live a half-hearted faith in something or someone you doubt at every turn. It is time to go "all in" and trust God with your life and not "hedge" on your commitment. Perhaps you fear what God will ask you to do and believe He will put you in situations to grow your faith. You are right. God will probably do just that, but when He puts you in those life situations there is a purpose in it and you can trust He is looking out for you and right there with you through it. Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth to encourage them about God's presence and strength in the midst of those trials and temptations presented to us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Paul is basically saying that in those trials God is here!

God doesn't "hedge" on his promises either and He can totally be trusted to come through when we need Him most. He is unlike anything or anyone else in the area of trust. God is totally reliable and true. To repeat the Tozer quote I wrote above God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works. He is transcendent above all His works even while He is immanent within them. Our God is faithful. He is faithful in His forgiveness as written in 1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. God is faithful in His protection. Psalm 121: 7 The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. God is faithful in His presence. Psalm 139:7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! God is faithful in His power. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Don't Hedge. Be totally committed and know God is totally committed to you, a child of God. Hebrews 13:5 For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

The Pilgrimage Continues

David Warren