God Has To Win Control Over All The Areas Of My Life Series

Introduction

Last week, we began a new series about the four big areas of our life that God must win. The first one we talked about was God must win our choices. At the end of the day, there ought to be more checks in God’s column on things that I chose to do God’s way rather than yielding to the world, the flesh and the devil and allowing them to steal that check for their column.

Today, we will tackle the second thing that God must win. God must win the control over all areas of my life. How many of us would say that in some area of our life, we have not been able to relinquish control to God? Even though I am a Christian, I am securely in control over that area and I just cannot let it go. Let’s see a show of hands.

For a parent, it may be their children. You have not given control of your children over to God. For the ones of us that pays the bills, we may not have given our finances over to God. We make the choice how we are going to use our money not God. For the business owner, he or she has not given the operation of the business over to God. Instead of allowing God to run your business, you are eaten up with worry how you are going to do this month.

So, if you have not given control of a certain area of your life over to God, then this message is for you. You ought to take notes; so that you can begin today learning how to give those areas over to God. The command from God is quite simple, and it is found Proverb 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. How much is all your heart? It is 100% of your heart. How much is lean not on your own understanding? It is more than I give God because I usually want to try to figure it out on my own. So, how much control is God shooting for in my life? The answer is simple 100%. God wants to have control in all areas of my life.

I know that we do not give God that 100% control. So, I set out to find a Scriptural example of a man or a woman who did not give that control over to God to see what we can learn from that example. I did not have to look very far because I found it in the first book of the Bile, the Book of Genesis. So, if you have your Bibles turn with me to Genesis 16:1-5.

Scripture

The New King James Version Chapter 16

1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go into my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went into Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me.”

Background Information

Abram and Sarai were childless and more than anything else they wanted a child. God had promised Abram the most amazing promise in Genesis 12:2 that “I will make you a great nation.” To be a great nation, you must have a child or children who will carry on your name. But nothing happened; Sarai was barren and month by month kept marching by and the couple still had no child.

So, Sarai did what you and I would do when God’s timing is not our timing, she took control of the situation. She figured a way to a child to have a child through her Egyptian slave by the name of Hagar. Abram agreed to do what Sari said, and they had a relationship and conceived a child by the name of Ishmael. And this story is a perfect story of taking control from God and placing it on ourselves. So, we will use this story to learn the lessons we need to learn about letting God having control.

Point #1

GOD HAD CONTROL OF THE SITUATION, BUT SARAI COULD NOT WAIT ANY LONGER AND DECIDED TO TAKE CONTROL FROM GOD’S HANDS AND PUT IT IN HER OWN HANDS. THE LESSON TO LEARN FROM SARAI IS THAT WHEN WE TAKE CONTROL OUT OF GOD’S HANDS, WE CAN EXPECT A MESS.