Trust In God

Proverbs 3:5-6

by Adrian Warnock

Introduction

A changing, uncertain world. Cast off tradition and Christian ways of doing things now what do we base decisions on?

Illustrate from politics. Tony champions even a britain where the elite is finnished. Family values, but a foreign minister can be trusted to keep his promises to his country when he cant to his wife.

Confusion in workplace- different options our fathers never had. Which is right for me?

Confusion in leisure- too much choice.

For Christians- how can I know God’s will what if I make a mistake. if my life is in such a mess at the moment can I really be in God’s will Shall I give up and go somewhere else where it will all be alright Some of my friends have apparently heard God and now moved on- how can I know I havent missed him speaking to me

As a church- should we buy a building- if so which one How far along the cell route should we go How should we prepare for revival How will we see more leaders raised up?

The bible says without vision the people perish or alternatively cast off all restraint. SO it is critical for us as Christians to be convinced that we are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing in the right way, with the right people under the right leadership and for the right motives.

Only that certaintly will keep us going when things seem hard or people question why we are doing something.

So the key question of our life and of this talk is ’How can I know that I am doing the right and best thing’ or altenatively ’how can I know God’s will’? The too are of course identical- a fact which many miss.

The aim of this message is nothing less than that you will go out of this room understanding the steps needed to receive God’s guidance and be enabled to practice them with complete confidence of being in the centre of God’s will and the very best place that you could be.

In these verses, are a promise. God says if we fulfill certain conditions, he will direct us. Direct v straigten or make pleasant- examples in the bible of each. Refer to Job 37:3 ’sends it forth’.

God is more ready to guide you than you are to be guided. Jn 7: 17 If anyone desires to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself. Ps 25:12 What man is he who fears the LORD? He shall teach him in the way that he shall choose.

The starting point is not our abilty to hear God. Many Christians go wrong at this point. We only know in part, and our hearts are deceptive so if it was to depend soley or even mainly on our ability to hear God we would be in trouble.

A famous American preacher tells us that very regularly men will come to him and say something like this ’God has told me that I have made a mistake and married the wrong woman for me. To get back into his will I must divorce my wife and marry this other lady in the church’. To us that seems obviously wrong, but it rests nonetheless as a strong warning against relying too much on ’hearing God’ only for our guidance. In fact, hearing God and learning how to do that, as important as that is is the wrong place to start.

So: How can we hear God?

There are only three conditions outlined here, and if we meet these, we can have an absolute confidence that God wont let us make a mistake. We may start off down the wrong path, but if we follow these conditions, we will be brought back on track- to use the NIV word he will straighten our path.

1 Trust in God with all your heart

heart does not equal emotions, but the centre of our being- the decion making, and constant part of us that doesnt change. we may not feel like trusting God but must preach at oursleves that we are to trust him and have every reason to.

Trust him in the bible

v1-4 outlines this. We must come to the conclusion that his word is truth.

Jn17:17- Jesus said it- can we believe it. Here we have absolute guidance which never fails. Do not go to God to speak to you if the answer is found in the word. Immediately you fall down at the first hurdle and give the devil a field day and permission to speak to you.

The heresy of the concept of the rhema word of God, where a word has to come to you specifically in revelation for it to be binding on you is wrong. Do not wait for God to speak to you about baptism- if you want to follow him, obey what he already has said.