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Lay Down Your Crutches
by
Nancye Barbour Ricketts
(from the November 1997 issue of our Trust in The Lord Newsletter)
It’s sad to say but for various reasons many people live their entire lives without really getting into
the perfect will of God for them. Some people are afraid of what God’s will involves: what might
happen or what they might have to do.

In Matthew 26:36-39, we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He made the hard decision to
obey the will of His Father and go to the Cross and die for the sins of the world. If Jesus had not
died on the Cross and arose again on the third day, no one would be Christians. The Church would
not exist. Thank God that Jesus chose to obey the Will of God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a favorite scripture in our family and we have it as the theme of this newsletter. It
tells you and me to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine understanding. In
all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

This is the heart of the issue. We have to trust the Lord. When we are afraid to follow God’s Will, it
is really because we don’t trust Him.

Some people have a concept of God as a stern taskmaster, who just waits for people to follow His
will so He can bring a lot of bad things into their lives. This is not the Father God I see in the Bible.
Matthew 7:11 tells us: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” My Father
God wants to give me good gifts.

It is true that following God’s will for our lives can involve some uncomfortable, even dangerous,
situations, but He is faithful. We can trust Him with our lives, knowing He will take care of us. Living
in God's will is a lot safer than living out of His will.

Another reason some people give for not following God’s will is that they don’t think they have what
it takes to do what God is calling them to do. “I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens
me,” Philippians 4:13 tells us. That does not say “I can do some things.” It says “All things!!” That
includes whatever God wants you to do.

Recently I heard a great woman of God say, “You say that you don’t have any self confidence. Well, I
don’t either. But I have a lot of God confidence!”
How confident are you in God? He wants to do the work through you. Will you let Him?

Let’s lay down all our crutches and march ahead in God’s Army. We’re called by God to reach a lost
and teach in the pulpit. We’re all called by God to work for Him.

Is living in the will of God a burden? No, in fact, it feels like a heavy burden has been lifted off of my
shoulders. Trying to do it all ourselves is terribly hard. Living in God’s will is the only way to really live!


PRAYER
God, I admit to you that I have followed my own will and I ask your forgiveness. I come to You now and I lay
my life and my will on the altar. Jesus is Lord, He carried my sins to the Cross, died and arose from the
dead so I can be saved. Lord, you know the best plan for my life. Thank You, that I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. Amen.
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.   Romans 12:1-2