The message of Romans 10:11 is one that runs throughout the pages of the Bible. It basically says that those who "believe" in Christ will never be ashamed or disappointed. As I pondered the too-good-to-be-true theme of this promise, the Lord began to open my eyes to what it really means to have the kind of belief in Him that enables us to experience for ourselves its extraordinary blessings.

First, we must "adhere to" Christ on a consistent basis. In other words, we must cling to Him and follow Him closely on a moment-by-moment basis. David declared, "My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You." (Psalm 63:8 AMP) In every situation we face, we have to decide if we are going to follow the leading of God’s Spirit who dwells in us, or go off on our own. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and it’s His heartfelt desire that we cling to Him and follow Him closely at all times. But He won’t force us to. He will gently nudge us in a certain direction, and then expect us to comply. The second part of this verse says, "Your right hand upholds me." As we cling to the Lord and follow His lead, He will reward our obedience by sustaining, supporting, and protecting us, so that we can rise above the things that would defeat us or hold us down.

Next, Romans 10:11 says that we must "rely on" God. When I think of the Lord directing us to rely on Him, I think about Isaiah 50:10 (NIV), which says: "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." I like the way the Message Bible translation says, "Trust in God. Lean on your God!" The idea is for us to depend on the Lord, and His wisdom and strength, in every situation we face. We don’t have to fear when we don’t know what to do about a problem or a dilemma we are facing. We don’t have to rely on our own limited resources. If we’ll lean heavily upon God, and seek His perspective and power, the solution will become clear to us, and we will be able to apply it for our deliverance and victory.

Lastly, we must "trust in" God. Often, we think we are trusting the Lord in a situation, when the truth is that we are far from it. How do we know if we have really adopted a posture of trust in a situation? We will be filled with an indescribable, unshakeable sense of peace. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) says: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Fretting about our problems is a sure indication that our minds are not fixed on God, but on our troubles. It shows that we haven’t really entrusted our concerns to Him, and that we are allowing our fears and doubts to get the best of us. The best thing we can do is to surrender our situation to the Lord, and ask Him to help us to do whatever it is we need to do, in order to have His peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7 KJV)

If you have committed your life to Christ in earnest, then God has a plan for you in every situation you face that will help you to avoid lasting shame and disappointment. My prayer for you today is that you will lay hold of these truths, and begin putting them into practice, so that you may experience the extraordinary blessings of God’s promise to you!

Prayer: Lord, please don’t let me miss out on the blessed benefits of Your Word in Romans 10:11. Teach me how to cling to You, and to "follow hard" after You in every way. Show me what it means to rely and depend on You and Your heavenly resources. Grant me a trusting heart that will enable me to experience Your prevailing peace. Thank You for the victory that will be mine as I put Your supernatural strategy into practice!

- J. M. Farro