Trusting God, No Matter What
Author: Pastor Sandy Banks – 4/5/2012, 4/12/2012, 4/19/2012, 4/26/2012, 5/10/2012, 5/16/2012, 5/23/2012, 5/30/2012, 6/7/2012, 6/14/2012, 6/21/2012, 6/28/2012
Summary:
Do you know what it means to trust God? Having trust in God requires a commitment to maintain complete confidence in Him and His Word despite circumstances, emotions, or your current situation. When a problem steals your peace, it is apparent you are not trusting God. As Believers, we must learn what it means to really trust and rely on God the Father. To trust God means to be dependent on Him and no one else. Trusting God leads to a life filled with blessings. However, we must learn to totally lean on and rely on Him. Trusting God must be more than a religious saying or cliché; we have to live a life that demonstrates our trust in Him.
A. Trust in the Lord with all thy heart. (Proverbs 3:5-7, KJV, AMP, TLB, NLT, GNT, )
1. To trust in God means that we are dependent on Him [rely] and no one or nothing else.
2. Insight – to have discernment; to have perception; the ability to see into the depths of a situation.
3. As we mature in the things of God, the more our knowledge and understanding increases, the more we realize just how much we really need God.
4. There are times when we do not completely rely on God’s wisdom and understanding, which results in us relying on our own wisdom and understanding of the scripture based upon our own personal interpretation, which ultimately will limit our growth and confidence in God.
5. Could it possibly be that some of the trouble that we’ve experienced in our life, all the times we’ve missed the mark, all the things that God intended for us to accomplish that we didn’t accomplish them because at some point we trusted in ourselves and stop trusting in what God and His Word had to say.
6. When we see things from God’s perspective we realize that trusting Him is the path to nonstop victory in our lives.
7. Belief in God is not the same thing as trust.
a. Many people have a belief in God, but they do not lean on, rely on and put their confidence [trust] in Him.
b. When you trust God, you've made a commitment to lean on Him despite what your situation or circumstances look like.
c. Whoever [or whatever] you rely on in difficult times gives definition [clarity] to who [or what] you really trust the most.
d. Frustration is an indicator that you are not trusting God.
1) One day I was talking with the Lord and telling Him how frustrated I was about some things. He responded by saying to me to “never tell Him that I’m frustrated ever again. He went on to explain to me that if I’m frustrated [remember, I’m talking about me and what He said to me! I am not making an assumption that this is what He is saying to everyone else, Just what He said to me!] about something that means that I was trying to do it in my own strength and ability”.
e. Many of the great miracles in the Bible came as a result of people trusting in and relying on God.
1) Jairus regarding healing for his daughter. (Mark 5:22-43)
2) The woman with the issue of blood. (5:22-43)
f. When you get to a place in your life where you know everything is going to be alright in spite of your current or future circumstances, you are trusting God.
g. When you trust God, you will have peace. (Hebrews 4:1-3, KJV, AMP)
8. Pride is the greatest enemy to your trust in God.
a. When you are prideful, you rely on your own strength, your own intelligence and your own abilities and your plans-until your plans fail.
b. Wisdom is not your intellect; it is the Word of God.
c. When you trust God fully, you rely on Him and no one else, not even yourself.
B. Commit [to put in charge] our way to the Lord. (Psalm 37:3-5, AMP)
1. When I truly trust God, I will never go lacking.
2. When I delight myself in the Lord, He gives me the desire of my heart.
C. The Lord is My Strength and [Impenetrable] Shield. (Psalm 28:6-8, AMP)
1. Faith is an expression of the confidence you have in God and His Word.
2. Trust is an expression of the commitment you have to God and His Word.
3. The surest thing in life is God and His Word.
4. You may not know exactly how God is going to help you or solve your problem; just know that He will do it His way.
5. You have to be committed to trusting God to the point where you will say, "Even if my prayers aren't answered the way I would like them to be, I will continue to trust God."
D. My heart is fixed. (Psalm 112:7, KJV, AMP)
1. Let not your hearts be troubled. (John 14:1, AMP)
a. “Let not” means that God has given us the ability to do this.
2. Trust is like an anchor; it stabilizes you and will not allow you to be tossed to and fro by the circumstances of life.
3. Jesus told us not to worry. The only way not to worry is to trust God. (Matthew 6:31, AMP)
E. When you trust in the Lord you are empowered to prosper. (Jeremiah 17:7)
1. When you decide to put your trust in God, you will receive a supernatural empowerment to succeed.
a. To be blessed is to be empowered to succeed in every arena of life.
b. No one can empower you like God.
c. God can handle your problems far better than any person.
d. You can get much more accomplished in life when you trust God.
2. How do you make sure your confidence is in God?
a. Don't take credit for anything. Every good gift comes from God.
b. When you trust God, He accomplishes great things in your life. Therefore, you will have a testimony.
c. Your testimony will strengthen your confidence in Him. Then, when you are faced with a similar situation, you can remember God's great provision. (1 Samuel 17:32-37, KJV, AMP, TLB)
F. Blessed is the man that trusts in God. (Psalm 34:8)
1. God will be your refuge in a time of trouble. (Psalm 34:1-22, AMP)
a. You can be tormented by negative emotions (fear, grief, depression) or you can take refuge in Him.
b. Position yourself in the secret place by meditating on the Word and praying. (Psalm 91, KJV, AMP)
c. You can find your worth and value in the Presence of the Lord. You will not be condemned or held guilty. (Psalm 34:22, AMP)
G. Cursed (empowered to fail) is the man who trusts in man (Jeremiah 17:5).
1. Trusting [leaning on and relying on as your source of supply] in man brings a curse.
a. Cursed is the person who trusts man. (Jeremiah 17:5, AMP)
1) A curse is an empowerment to fail.
2) It is one thing to fail but to be empowered to fail is a totally different ball game.
b. Ask yourself, have I been trusting God or trusting man?
2. Who or what is it that you trust more than God? It will cause you to fail.
H. You’ve Got to Learn to Trust God When You Don’t Understand. (John 20:29, AMP)
1. When trouble or challenges show up in your life, are you falling in to the emotional trap of questioning God?
a. God, what in the world are You doing?
b. God, why did that happen?
c. God, why didn’t that happen?
d. God, when will what I want happen?
e. God, why is this happening to me?
f. Why God! Why?
1) The Children of Israel were continually asking why God why?
a) Why did You bring us out of Egypt so we could die in the wilderness? (Numbers 21:5, AMP)
b) Why is there no water?
c) Why do we have just this manna?
d) Why can’t we have any meat?
2) Because of their constant murmuring and complaining and asking God why; a trip that should have taken them 11 days, took them 40 years. (Deuteronomy 1:2, AMP)
a) Could this be what is delaying your harvest?
2. You already have the answer to every challenge that you will ever face in life – The Word of God. It [The Word of God] is the source of comfort and strength during the test and trials of life.
3. Don’t give in to your problems:
a. God’s Word has prepared you for all the trials and temptations you will face.
b. As you grow in your walk with the Lord, your trust in Him will develop as well.
c. Don’t condemn yourself if you initially find it hard to trust God.
d. God understands the struggles that we face but He has also given you His Word, which is the only resource you need to be victorious over any circumstance you face.
e. Use every opportunity to build your faith in God’s love for you and His ability to bring you out.
f. Instead of breaking down, blaming God and asking, “Why?” be confident in Him and His Love for you and know that He is working out every detail of your life.
4. At some point in our Christian walk we are going to have to learn to trust God, even if we don’t completely understand what is happening to us or what is going on in our life.
5. We’ve got to get to a place that when things do not look fair or equitable that we trust God to work things out on our behalf.
I. When we guide our affairs with integrity and keep our hearts fixed on the Lord, our blessings are guaranteed (Psalm 112:1-7).
1. When we trust in God, we cannot be moved by situations and circumstances. (Psalm 125:1-3)
J. The rich young ruler trusted more in His riches than in God. (Mark 10:17-24)
1. This man turned down the opportunity to become one of Jesus’ disciples because he did not want to lose his possessions.
a. When we trust God, we will not fear. (Matthew 6:31, Psalm 112:7-10)
b. Our hearts will be established in His promises.
2. Many people trust their money or possessions more than God.
a. Those who trust in money will fall. (Proverbs 11:28)
b. The love of money is the root of all evil. (1Timothy 6:10, 17)
1) The love of money is having a wrong relationship with it.
3. Riches are uncertain. Our trust should only be in God.
4. Are there things in your life you trust more than God?
5. We must not trust in uncertain riches, but place our complete trust in God who gives us all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17, Job 31:24)
a. Can God trust you with money?
b. Can He trust you to properly manage the resources He has given you? (Luke 16:11)
K. The Lord will answer you in the day of trouble. (Psalm 20:1, AMP)
1. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the golden image [another god] that King Nebuchadnezzar had made. (Daniel 3:17-18)
2. They trusted God would save them and proclaimed that even if He did not save them, they would not bow down to the king’s false god.
a. This is a great example of true, godly commitment and trust. Trust is an expression of commitment.
Scripture References:
· Jeremiah 17:7
· Psalm 34:8
· Proverbs 11:28
· Jeremiah 17:5
· Psalm 125:1-3
· Mark 10:17-24
· Matthew 6:31
· Psalm 112:7-10
· 1Timothy 6:17
· Job 31:24
· Proverbs 3:5
· Psalm 20:1-9, AMP
· Luke 16:11
· Daniel 3:17-18
*Key:
KJV – King James Version
AMP – Amplified Bible
MSG – Message Bible
TLB – The Living Bible
NLT – New Living Translation
GNT – Good News Translation
BBE – The Bible in Basic English
Proverbs 3:5-7
Amplified Bible (AMP)
5Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
6In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
7Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.
Proverbs 3:5-7
The Living Bible (TLB)
Trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom.
Proverbs 3:5-7
The Message (MSG)
5-7 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!
Proverbs 3:5-7
Good News Translation (GNT)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.6 Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.7 Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong.
Proverbs 3:5-7
The Bible in Basic English (BBE)
Put all your hope in God, not looking to your own reason for support. In all your ways give ear to Him and He will make straight your footsteps. Put no high value on your wisdom; let the fear of the Lord be before you and keep yourself from evil.
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