Years ago I saw a sign in a store that said, “In God we trust-all others pay cash.”  Somehow that stuck in my mind and I’ve never forgot it.  In other words, if God needed credit, they would gladly grant it to Him, but others? Forget it.  It’s nice to know that if God came up short, someone would be willing to float Him a loan, because He is trustworthy.  Yet, though the world is in recession, the Kingdom of heaven is not going broke.  God’s government does not need a bailout, nor will it ever. 
    I started to say that everything God touches, prospers, but that is not always true.  There was an account written in Mark 11:11-23;
Mar 11:11  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
Mar 11:12  And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Mar 11:15  And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Mar 11:16  And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mar 11:18  And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
Mar 11:19  And when even was come, he went out of the city.
Mar 11:20  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Mar 11:21  And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
   The Lord brought it to my attention that He not only has power to bless, but to curse, to plant, and to uproot, to build up, and to tear down.  And you can trust in the fact that if God said it, that’s just the way it’s going to be, whether anyone likes it or not, including the devil.
    We pay lip service to God by saying we trust Him, but do we really trust God?  It’s easy to say we trust Him, but when the rubber meets the road, it may be another story altogether.  When God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, He meant what He said, and for every blessing for obedience, there were consequences for disobedience.  When Jesus went to the fig tree looking for fruit that should have been there, He found none, that tree paid the price for not doing what it was created to do.  Oh, it looked pretty, it had nice green leaves, but there was no fruit to be found thereon.  God created the fig tree to feed hungry people, and when it was disobedient to its calling, there was punishment waiting.  Jesus cursed the fig tree and it dried up from the roots, and that was the end of that.  Maybe that tree thought it could get away with doing its own thing but God showed it differently.  If that’s a word for you today, take it, it’s free.
    Have you ever wondered how God feels about it when we call Him a liar?  Oh, we don’t come out and call God a liar to His face, but when we read the Bible, and don’t settle it in our heart that what God has said is settled forever without argument, we are doing so.  Is there a penalty for not trusting God?  There most assuredly is.  For example, one of my favorite scriptures, Psalms 103:2-3 says, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.  If you don’t believe the Lord Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of all your sins, you cannot be forgiven.  If you don’t believe He healed all your disease, you can’t receive His healing.  You see, there are many blessings available, but if you don’t trust God, you can’t have them.  I don’t care how many days a week you go to church, or how much money you give, if you don’t believe God, sooner or later there will be a price for you to pay, and it will be much higher than you want to pay.
    There’s something to be said for trusting God.  As I said earlier, the world is in recession, but you can live above your circumstances.  You can be blessed and have peace in your life, when there is trouble on every side.  Indeed, God knows who are His own, and He takes good care of them.  In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, the Lord told the Israelites that IF they would hearken to the voice of the Lord to obey Him, all these blessings would come upon them and OVERTAKE THEM!  In other words, they couldn’t run fast enough to outrun the blessing of the Lord.  What about those who don’t trust and obey God?  There are fifty three verses explaining the curses that will overtake them.  God warns us, the road ahead is full of hazards, but He knows the way, so you’ll just have to trust Him.  You see, God tells us we have choices, and we will reap the fruit of those choices.  He said it, and He meant it.  Whether you think so or not, the truth is you can trust God.  You can trust Him to bless you if you trust and obey Him, and you can also trust you’ll be sorry if you don’t, sooner or later.  And most likely it will be sooner.
    Is it God’s will to curse people who don’t obey Him?  No, He’s just telling you the way things are, that sin lies at the door to bring you ruin, waste, and destruction, and He would save you the trouble.  In fact, the Lord Jesus already paid the price in full, that you may be saved, healed, and blessed, but in order for that to happen, you must stop trusting in your own wisdom and ability.  Instead, you must trust every area of your life to God, even those areas in which you’re sure that you’re doing a good job.  The truth is, no matter how good a job you are doing, God has a better way, and you’re going to like it.  I saw a bumper sticker that said “God is my co-pilot”.  To that I have to say, move over, you’re in the wrong seat.  He needs to be in the driver’s seat, not you.
    How about you?  Is the motto of your life “In God we trust”, or are you still trying to go it on your own?  Put your trust in Him right now, knowing He is well able to direct you path and to take that which you have committed to Him unto that day when you meet Him face to face.  Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  If your dream is to walk away from all your stress and never have a worry in the world from now on, today is your day.  Jesus paid the price for your peace.  Do it now, don’t put it off any longer because IN GOD WE TRUST is not a catchy phrase.  It’s a way of life.