TRUSTING IN THE LORD GOD - I AM THAT I AM

    (NKJV) Proverbs 3:5:

 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall  direct your paths."

What is Trust?

Yesterday during the gathering of the saints (Church service), one of the sisters shared on trusting God for a very short time, after which we prayed. In the evening as I was reading an article on I AM that I AM, I had a very deep revelation on why we should and what is means to trust God and this is what I want to share with you this morning. But before we go into that, let us consider the meaning of the word trust. The Oxford English Dictionary gave five meanings to the word trust as a noun and another five meaning as a verb. My favourites among these definitions of trust is the first and the second meaning of the word as a noun:

Trust is the continuous rely on God even when all seem wrong

1.    "firm believe that someone or something is reliable, true or able to do something"
2.     "acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or   investigation"

From the above definitions of trust, we can explain trusting someone to be: 'believing firmly,without evidence or investigation, that someone is reliable, or able to do something.' So, according to Proverb 3:5, we are suppose to firmly believe, without evidence or investigation, that God is reliable, or able to do everything ( the definition used something here, but the scripture used in all your ways - the two means relatively everything ). Why must we depend so much on God, even if we do why should we do that without investigating to be sure that He won't disappoint us? Why is the Bible telling us not to lean on our own understanding yet the same Bible tells us in our getting we should get understanding (Proverbs 4:7b)? I pray that whiles you read this article, the Holy Spirit himself will help you understand, fill you and grant you grace to do waht is best for you - TRUSTING GOD.

The Wisdom and Knowledge of Man - Understanding

Man, since he ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, was exposed to the Knowledge of good and evil. Over the years, the theories of good and evil, true and untrue and many others have been discovered by the knowledge instinct of man. Man's search of knowledge, wisdom and understanding is one of the main vexations of his soul yet he cannot cease his quest, this is because man's search for knowledge is a perpetual quest in the sense that, relatively, knowledge cannot be completely acquired. Because wisdom is best acquired through experience evaluated experience or history and, we cannot trust the wisdom of man since man's experience and knowledge experience is limited - man cannot, relatively, have a complete access to knowledge (The reason this statement is relative will be explained later).

Let us consider some of the findings of man in his search for knowledge from one of the most ancient field of study - Philosophy.

Socrates

Socrates: He is believed to be the teacher of Plato who lived 470/469 BC – 399 BC. The knowledge of Socrates is not in written form since Socrates himself did not document any of his philosophies. WE, however, can access some of the ideas of Socrates from the works of his students; apparently, that is the only place the knowledge of Socrates exist. Socrates believed that: No one desires evil, No one errs or does wrong willingly or knowingly, Virtue—all virtue—is knowledge, Virtue is sufficient for happiness. Socrates also believed in the existence of divinity (May be not in Jehovah, but he believes there is more than we see). Socrates believed the best way for people to live was to focus on the pursuit of virtue rather than the pursuit, for instance, of material wealth.  "the unexamined life is not worth living [and] ethical virtue is the only thing that matters." - Socrates. "People are often concern about their families, loved ones and properties instead of the welfare of their souls." - Socrates. Upon all this physical and intelligible knowledge Socrates said:  "what I do not know I do not think I know" (Socratic paradox).

 From all Socrates said, we can be sure he is aware of something more important than what we see, some that must come first in the life of every human. He believed this was Virtue and the welfare of the soul. Virtue, Divinity, all virtue, Soul and Welfare are some of equations we need solve in the findings of Socrates. But Socrates himself admits the limitation of his Knowledge, "what I do not know I do not think I know",but he also said all virtue is knowledge meaning possessing all virtue makes you completely knowledgeable, so that Socrates finds himself wanting in the possession of all virtue and therefore admits his limitation in knowledge He, however believes "all virtue is knowledge".

Plato

Plato:  

Plato, one of the students of Socrates,rather get us closer to the realisation of what we cannot seen by his theory of Forms. The Theory states: "there are two world in existence - the world we can see (the physical) and the world we cannot see (the intelligible) where the former is not real and the latter is the only reality. Plato based his theory on Socrates' virtues, he used beauty as an example of Virtue to buttress his idea. According to Plato, if object 'A' can be beautiful and object 'B' can be beautiful as well, then object 'A' and 'B' share something in common, a common property or Virtue which is beauty; this beauty that these two objects share cannot be seen but is true reality whiles the beautiful objects that we can see are not true realities or are untrue since they will one day cease to be beautiful whiles beauty itself  remains beauty as time fades away. What plato meant was that, say in his time things were beautiful which have pass away as times change but we also have beautiful things in our time, meaning beauty itself exits then and now and will forever be. This principle applies to all Socrates' Virtues which Plato called Forms.

 If Socrates said all virtue is knowledge, then it means that what is to be known (Knowledge) is an embodiment of all Virtue or Form. Plato, however, define knowledge to be what is true or really exists - we can only know something if that thing truly exists. what does not exist (in both physical and intelligible worlds) cannot be known. So if Socrates knows that all virtue is knowledge then there must be an entity which is the embodiment of all Virtue or Form. A question then arises, what or what is this entity that is the embodiment of all Virtue or Form? Let us here what Aristotle has to say.

Aristotle

Aristotle: 

Aristotle, in his Poetics, argued that poetry is imitation. But unlike Plato who said poets imitates what is not real,  Aristotle said the poets imitates what was, what is and what will be (the ideal). Aristotle and Plato are said to agree on one major thing - Poetry is imitation but disagrees on the object of poetic imitation. But one thing this philosophers have not payed much attention to is that Aristotle also has the idea of perpetuity as Plato. He believed poets imitate what was, what is and what  is to come, that is, past, present and future - this object of imitation is eternal.

Socrates said all Virtue is Knowledge; Plato, who referred to the true Virtue as Form, said the all virtues that can be seen are not real, the only real virtue is the one which cannot be seen because it is perpetual, this he called the Form; and Aristotle continue to say that the perpetual object of imitation was, is, and will be. What did they actually want to know? What or who was, is and will be? If the only true Virtues are the ones we do not see, who possesses them? I don't know what you are thinking right now, but I know some one who was, is and will be He is called the I AM THAT I AM.  

 I AM THAT I AM

Exodus 3:13-14 – 

 “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and  he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

All through the Old Testament, we see God revealing Himself to His people by the use of various names. In these names, we find that their many meanings are connected with the particular needs of the people. Actually, one could say they were more in the line of titles than names. Here are some examples to help you. God revealed Himself to Israel with titles such as El or Elohim which mean, “the lofty One.”To Abra-ham, Isaac, and Jacob, He revealed Himself as El-shaddai which means “God the almighty,”or, “God the powerful”; and Jehovah Jehovah which mean the “existent One." In Psalm 23 alone, we are given eight titles for
Jehovah. They are as follows:

•  Verse 1: The title Lord is Jehovah Ro’i which means, “the Lord is my shepherd.”
•  Verse 1: The title Lord is also Jehovah Jireh which means, “The Lord will provide.”This title is found in the phrase, “I shall not want” (Gen. 22:14).
•  Verse 2: The pronoun He actually says Jehovah Shalom which means, “The Lord our peace” (Judg. 6:24).
•  Verse 3:The first He in this verse is Jehovah Rapha which means, “The Lord our healer”   (Ex. 15:26).
•  Verse 3: The second He in Verse 3 is Jehovah Tsidkenu which means, “The Lord our righteousness”(Jer. 23:6).
•  Verse 4: The pronouns You and Your in this verse present the Lord as Jehovah - Shammah which means, “the Lord is there”(Ezek. 48:35).
•  Verse 5: The pronoun You in the first part of Verse 5 is Jehovah Nissi which means, “The Lord my banner”(Ex. 17:15).
•  Verse 5: The last pronoun, You, in Verse 5 is Jehovah Mekaddischem which means, “the Lord our sanctifier” (Ex. 31:13) as stated, these names were really more in                    the line of titles with some perception of their meaning through the descriptions they portrayed.
  
  

WHAT IS HIS NAME?

He is the way, the truth and the life

Some may blanch at Moses’ request of God as to what to tell these enslaved Israelites when they would ask, “what is His name?” However, notice the Lord did not condemn Moses, for now He would reveal to him a name never before used to identify Israel’s God, Israel’s protector, Israel’s deliverer — a name that would sum up all that He is, all He can do, and all He would do.
I AM THAT I AM Israel, enslaved and helpless, needed a greater revelation of God; therefore, the Lord tells Moses that glorious name: “I Am That I Am.” It is said that the quotation, “I Am That I Am,” is the best translation that can be given of the Hebrew words. Some have translated it, “I will be that I will be”; and others, “I am because I am”; however, “I am that I am,” says it better. The idea expressed by the name I Am That I Am is that of a real, perfect, unconditioned, independent existence.Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost translated the name I Am That I Am as, “I was, I am, and I shall always continue to be.”In this name, I Am That I Am, we have a depth which no finite mind can fathom. It means that God is self-existent, besides whom there is none else. He is without beginning and without ending — from everlasting to everlasting — He is God. None but He can say, “I Am That I Am” — always the same, eternally changeless. Charles J. Rolls in his book, The World’s Greatest Name, wrote: “The name, I Am That I Am, conveys to us a glimpse of the infinity’s center in deity. The name suggests ‘I Am,’ the continual One continually; ‘I Am,’ the constant One constantly; ‘I Am,’ the perfect One perpetually; ‘I Am,’ the steadfast One steadfastly; ‘I Am,’ the presiding One permanently; ‘I Am,’ the essential One eternally; ‘I Am,’ the excellent One everlastingly. ‘I Am That I Am’ is a miracle of language.” George Williams said of this name: “‘I Am’ was given to Israel as a blank check, so that she could write after these two words whatever her need demanded. For example, she needed a deliverer, and at once she had the answer, ‘I Am the Deliverer’; she needed a comforter, and once again came the response, ‘I Am the Comforter’; when provision was needed, her faithful God says, ‘I Am the Provider.’”

JESUS CHRIST: THE I AM THAT I AM

The One who spoke this name to Moses was none other than Jesus Christ Himself, for the Jehovah of the Old Covenant is the Christ — the Anointed One — of the New Testament. This is proven without a shadow of a doubt in the Gospel of John as the Lord Himself spoke and said:
       

Trusting Jesus the I AM THAT I AM

 “I AM the Bread of Life”(John 6:35, 48).
 
 “I AM the Light of the World”
(John 8:12, 9:5).
 
 “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).      
“I AM the Door” (John 10:9). 

“I AM the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11).
 
 “I AM the Resurrection and the Life” 
   (John 11:25).

  “I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life” 
   (John 14:6).
 
 “I AM the True Vine” (John 15:1).
 
And in Revelation 1:8, the Lord said, “I Am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” And in Revelation 22:13, the Lord said, “I Am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”In closing, let all saints everywhere understand that the I AM THAT I AM of Israel is our I AM. Whatever you need, Jesus Christ is saying, “I AM.” To the sick, the I AM is your healer. To those in financial need, the I AM is your blessing. To those caught up in the storms of life, the I AM will speak and say, “Peace, be still.”To the hungry, the I AM is our bread; to the thirsty, the I AM is the pure water of life; and whosoever  drinks of the water of I AM will never thirst again.The I AM is the sinner’s Saviour and the Christian’s blessed hope. The I AM is the King of kings and the Lord of lords; the I AM has everything we need. The I AM has said, “This is My name forever.”

        To His name there is no norm,
        To His fame there is no finality,
        To His claim there is no confine,
        To His love there is no limit,
        To His honor there is no horizon,
        To His beauty there is no boundary,
        To His truth there is no terminus,
        To His mercy there is no measure.
        He is the “I Am That I Am.”
 
So you see brothers and sisters, there are so many reasons why we should completely trust God. I have heard people say it is irresponsible to trust God too much, but the truthful question is if you trust God 99%, what are you trusting with the rest 1%? Don't be deceived, as I said, there are so many reasons to trust God completely, but the only reason you should trust Him is because  He is the I AM THAT I AM. Every other thing shall pass away but the I AM lives from eternity to eternity, HALLELUJAH, HE IS ALL YOU NEED.

God bless you for reading this, I pray that He will grant you more grace and understanding to trust him more. Do not keep the blessings share it and receive more. Tell others about the  Ekklesia Christian Community. BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE. 

ECCOM! We are Family; We are One.