INTRODUCTION:
Ready to Fall—Ready to Catch: Have some of the kids fall backwards being caught by their parents. Trust develops naturally in an environment of love.
This morning we are “Learning to Trust God;” this is the 4th message in the series from Proverbs: Wisdom for Right Living. We’ll be looking at the 6th key to having wisdom for our daily lives, but before we do let’s quickly review the first five.
Key #1: Start with God; Fear the Lord. (Proverbs 1:7)
Here is the foundation to wisdom: you must begin with your personal relationship with God with the fear of the Lord. Remember, the fear of the Lord is active; our lives will be changed from the inside out.
Key #2: Learn wisdom from those who fear the Lord. (Proverbs 1:8-19)
Don’t go it alone. Surround yourself with those who fear the Lord.
Key #3: Answer wisdom’s call; wisdom is found in our daily choices. (Proverbs 1:20-21)
Jesus gives us wisdom in our daily routine; He reveals the mind of God for our lives. Wisdom is not earned it is practiced daily.
Key #4: Remember the Law of the Harvest; consequences follow your actions. (Proverbs 1:22-33)
Blessings for those who fear the Lord:
1. You will receive God’s Spirit.
2. You will be kept safe and receive God’s peace.
Key #5: Let authentic love lead you everyday; make love your guide and your motive. (Proverbs 3:3-4)
Love should be used only in the context of relationships; we should express our love for God and other people—not things.
Don’t limit who you love. Love should be given to anyone with the capacity to return love—that’s everyone.
• Proverbs 3:5-8 [5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. [8] This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (NIV)
Key #6: Depend fully upon God alone; in everything rely upon God with absolute confidence and hope. (Proverbs 3:5-8)
Remember what I said at the beginning with our kids? Trust develops naturally in an environment of love. Let me put it another way: TRUST IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR.
Susie is one of the most trustworthy people I know; I trust her with my life. Imagine she is in a long line at the bank. The individual behind her is holding $1,000 cash with a completed deposit ticket. This person is obviously anxious and in a hurry, so Susie politely offers to help; “if you are just depositing your money I could take care of it for you.” What do you think the odds are for a complete stranger to hand over $1,000 and then go on with their day without giving a second thought to their money? Yet is Susie any less trustworthy if the individual refuses to give her his/her money to deposit? No, the person just has not learned to trust Susie. (You say, “What are the odds of something like that happening?” I handed my deposit to a woman at the bank while I was waiting in line on Friday for her to take care of for me.)
Trust doesn’t come naturally to any of us; trust has to be learned. In the same way we learn to trust our parents or other people in our lives we must also learn to trust God.
The nation of Israel had to learn to trust God. These are the people who called out to God for deliverance from the land of Egypt; “Oh God save us!” God responded to the cry of the people and sent them a deliverer named Moses (maybe you’ve heard of him?). After 10 plagues upon the Egyptians the nation of Israel is finally given their freedom. Just a few days after leaving Egypt these people find themselves trapped. With their backs up against the Red Sea they see Pharaoh and an army of chariots coming to take them back into captivity. Does anyone remember what happened next? Yes, God opened a way for the people through the Sea and then swept Pharaoh’s army of chariots under the waves as the Sea came crashing down upon them.
• Exodus 14:31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. (NIV)
The people learned to trust God. After everything they had been through they finally came to the point where they had confidence in God. Unfortunately this same group of people later forgot the lesson they had learned. When they came to the promised land they did not trust God to give them the land. Instead they believed the “giants in the land would squash them like bugs.”
How often are we just like the nation of Israel? We put our trust in God today, only to later think God has abandoned us to figure things out for ourselves. Am I the only one or do you have times when it’s hard to trust God? When life gets tough and circumstances seem out of control, when the waves of life are crashing in upon us and the light of day gives way to darkness do we still trust God?
We must learn to trust God EVERYDAY. In the big stuff and the small stuff our confidence needs to be in God and not ourselves. God is trustworthy!
Look with me again at Proverbs 3:5-8; this time from the message Bible and notice how trusting God is apart of everything we do.
• Proverbs 3:5-8 [5] Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. [6] Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. [7] Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! [8] Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! (MsgB)
We either trust God with our whole heart or we are holding back a piece of our heart. In the end it doesn’t matter if it’s a big piece or a little piece, if we don’t trust God with all of our heart then we can’t expect to have wisdom for right living. If we aren’t listening for God in everything we do; if we fail to acknowledge God in all our ways, then we are liable to get off the path God has planed for our lives.
Did you notice the connection between trusting God and the fear of the Lord? Remember key number 1: we must start with our relationship with God through the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; it is the foundation for wisdom for right living.
Look again at verse 7. “Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” The NIV puts it this way, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
If you struggle to trust the Lord in your everyday life, then let me ask you a question. DO YOU FEAR THE LORD? Remember the fear of the Lord is active; it’s a wonder awe and reverence for God transforming our lives from the inside out. In other words, THE FEAR OF THE LORD WILL CAUSE OUR HEARTS TO FULLY TRUST GOD.
How many of you would like to learn how to develop your hearts to depend completely upon the Lord with out any reservation? Is there anyone who would like to learn how to really trust God, to rely upon the Lord with absolute confidence and hope?
Let me give you 5 ACTION STEPS to develop a heart of trust. These are 5 practical things you can do each day to trust the Lord with your whole heart. We don’t want to give God just lip service; all of us would say we trust God. Here are some things you can begin to do to help you rely fully upon God without reservation in everything you do.
(Advance)
1. Confess your sin of independence and self-reliance.
None of us like to be called a sinner, or be told what we are doing is sin. Let me ask you a simple question: would you like me to just tickle your ears, or do you want me to tell you the way it really is? In other words, would you like me to sugar coat sin to make you feel better about yourself or would you prefer I tell you the truth so you an be set free from your sin once and for all?
When we say we trust God, but then withhold a part of our life from God it is sin. If we only trust God with pieces and parts of our lives instead of relying upon God with our whole heart then we have sinned against God.
I know we would much rather just hear that it’s human to try to figure things out for ourselves instead of trusting God to lead us down the right path. Pastor, don’t say I’ve sinned; let’s just say I messed up, or I blew it on that one—anything but sin! (To be honest I would rather have it called anything but sin too—all to often I find myself only trusting God with part of my heart making choices without letting God in on the decision.)
• Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. (NIV)
The bible says if we are wise in our own eyes; if we say we trust in God, but live our lives without acknowledging God in everything we do, then it’s evil—it’s sin!
• Romans 14:23 everything that does not come from faith is sin. (NIV)
• 1 John 5:17 All wrongdoing is sin. (NIV)
Confess your sin to God—daily; He won’t hold it over your head and beat you up with what a terrible person you are. God will forgive you and empower you by His Sprit to live your life free from the power of sin. God will set you free from the sin of self reliance so you can trust Him with your whole heart.
(Advance)
2. Communicate daily with God in prayer.
• Proverbs 15:8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. (NIV)
• Proverbs 15:8 God can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers. (MsgB)
Let me put it this way—God’s not interested in having us just go through the motions; God wants us to open our hearts up to Him without holding back. Let God know your thoughts; share your emotions with Him. Be completely honest with God—you’re not going to surprise Him anyway. God just wants you to be real with Him.
Think about this: How can you really trust someone you don’t communicate with? If you aren’t willing to listen to God or talk with Him, then do you really trust Him?
Let me suggest a couple of simple ways you can talk with the Lord to develop a heart of complete trust.
First start each day with a prayer like this: Lord it’s a new day and I give this day to you. I know the routine plan for the day, but only you know all this day holds for me. Help me Lord to honor you with all I do and say. Keep me on your path and hold my hand to keep me from falling. Thank you, Lord for going with me into this new day. Parents teach your children to trust God by praying a prayer like this with them at the start of each day.
Second, pause to thank God for each meal you eat. Is God with you throughout your day? Is He with you when you sit down to eat? Has he provided you with the food you are about to eat, and has he strengthened you to this point in your day? Thank Him! A thankful heart is a heart is willing to trust.
Third, end each day with prayer. Thank God for being with you and ask Him to watch over you as you sleep.
If you develop these three habits of prayer, you will find it easier to come to God when you face difficult situations. When you acknowledge God throughout your day, you will discover it’s easier to trust God when life throws you a curve ball.
(Advance)
3. Cease worrying—an anxious heart is not a trusting heart.
• Psalm 56:11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (NIV)
WORRY IS A SURE SIGN YOU ARE NOT TRUSTING GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART. Worry is the antithesis of relying upon God with absolute confidence and hope.
• John 14:1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (NIV)
What is Jesus saying? This is NOT an “akuna-mattata” – “don’t worry; be happy” mentality. Jesus is not saying to live in denial of the problems or difficulties you face through life’s journey.
Jesus says, “Don’t worry or be anxious; instead trust me to help you with the difficult situations of life.” Don’t get bent out of shape; don’t fret about your problems. THIS IS A TIME TO TRUST GOD!
When you find yourself beginning to worry or be fearful it’s time to PRAY. (Do you see now why daily prayer is so important?) Tell God about your problem or difficulty; don’t hold onto it—give it to God. And if you find it to hard to pray, call someone to pray for you. Don’t just settle for asking someone to pray, but find someone who will pray with you NOW.
Can I just be honest with you? I’ve learned from experience that when someone asks for prayer, I’m not very likely to pray about it later on unless I have taken the time to pray with the person when they ask for prayer. When your thoughts are anxious fearful and full of worry you need someone to pray for you now not later.
Worry and trust just don’t mix well together. But I want you to hear this, EITHER WORRY OR TRUST WILL SOON DOMINATE YOUR THINKING—THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU; WILL YOU GIVE YOUR HEART TO WORRY OR TRUST?
Another word for worry is doubt. I heard someone say doubt destroys belief, because when you doubt your belief isn’t pure. I want you to know that’s not true!
Let me ask you a question: if I doubt, does that mean I can never believe again? Likewise if I worry can I no longer trust? No! Regardless of how big our doubt or worry may be it can and will be overcome when we choose to believe—when we choose to trust. FEED YOUR FAITH! Stop feeding your worries; stop thinking negatively and choose to believe God. Let trust overcome your worry and fear!
• Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV)
(Advance)
4. Come to God with your tithes and offerings. Celebrate God’s provision!
When you trust God with your whole heart, you don’t trust money or wealth.
• Proverbs 3:9 Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. (MsgB)
One sure indicator of how much you trust God is to look at your checkbook. If you are tightfisted and have little or nothing to give to God or others then you don’t really trust God. Your money may say in God we trust, but your heart trusts in gold not God.
• Job 31:24-25, 28 "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ’You are my security,’ [25] if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained . . . [28] then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. (NIV)
I’ll have more to say next week about wisdom for right living as it relates to our finances, but for now let’s just stay with the basics. If you are going to trust God with your whole heart, your will give your tithes and offerings.
(Advance)
5. Collect wisdom from others. Receive the godly counsel of those who fear the Lord.
Don’t try to go through life alone; take others with you on the journey. If you are unwilling to accept the advice and counsel of the people God has given you in your life, then guess what. . . YOU WON’T ACCEPT INSTRUCTION FROM GOD EITHER.
God will give you wisdom in many ways, but one way you will receive godly counsel is through those who fear the Lord. If you trust God, then collect wisdom from others whom you know trust God as well.
• Proverbs 16:20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. (NIV)
• Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. (NIV)
• Wisdom speaks in Proverbs 8:14 Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out. (MsgB)
Key #6: Depend fully upon God alone; in everything rely upon God with absolute confidence and hope. (Proverbs 3:5-8)
