Living In Trust (How Do I Grow In Trusting God)

Introduction

Today I want to share some thoughts on some things I’ve touched on before, but it’s one of those subjects that I need to keep being reminded of

How many of you have someone you would trust with your life?

`How many of you would say you have:

1 person

5 people

20 people

50 people

100 people

I want to show you, how many people you have trusted with your life, just this morning.

If you drove to church, you trusted your mechanic with your life, because if those breaks don’t work, you’re in trouble.

If you drank water this morning, you trusted the water treatment experts, that they got rid of any deadly bacteria and disease.

If you took prescription medication this morning, you trusted that the doctor and phamasist, both got dosage right, so you don’t overdose.

If you are sitting under one of these big lights, you are trusting the structural engineer that mounted them, that they are going to stay put and not fall on your head.

A couple of them are missing mounting screws.

Whether we realize it or not, we are always entrusting our lives in others hands.

We kind of have to, because think of how much fear we would live in if we never trusted anyone with anything!

Here is the kicker though....we intuitively trust in these processes even though they don’t have a perfect track record.

Mechanics make mistakes

Doctors make mistakes

Engineers make mistakes.

So why is it so hard to trust God sometimes....expecially when our theology tells us.

All-Powerful

No situation or circumstance is out of his control

There is no freak accident, or emergency that caught him by surprise

All-Knowing

Everything that is going to happen in your life

Your future

Knows you....Knows your heart

Even better than you do

Your thoughts, insecurities, your biggest fears, greatest joys, aware of familiar with you deepest pain and hurts

Not only is he all powerful, and all knowing, but He is good.

Says his thoughts toward you are good

Promises to be ever present with you (will never leave you or forsake you)

Desires to guide you and help you in the decisions you make

Gives you something to live for, and a purpose.

Wants a personal relationship with you

Loves you so much that He died for your salvation and forgiveness.

Main Text

Despite what we know about God, or say we know about God, it can still be hard to trust Him sometimes.

I still get anxious about situations outside of my control when I should trust He is in control.

I still feel condemned at times when I should be able to trust in His forgiveness and that He values me.

I still feel worried about my future, when I should trust that He holds my future in His hands.

I’m afraid that God’s timetable for my healing, deliverance, or freedom is way to slow, when I should trust that God’s timing is sovereign.

My personal area of Trust - Trusting God with my loved ones

Kid - Fear my dad was going to die

Young Adult - Recognizing praying for saftey doesn’t necessarily gaurantee it.

Now - Nothing is gauranteed.

How can we get from a place of “saying” we trust God, to a place of “living” in trust.

Has anyone ever told you “You just need to trust God”

It’s true, but unhelpful at times.

We can’t just will ourselves into trust, but we can position ourselves to grow in trust.

That positioning is what we are going to discuss this morning.

Why? Because there is release of peace in our lives when our trust in God allows our life anthem to “It is well with my soul.”

Scripture gives us many things to help position us to Live in Trust of God…I want to point out 4 of them.

Get To Know Him - Psalm 9:10

Psalm 9:10 (ESV)

And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

To know God is to trust God.

Notice I didn’t say, “To know about God is to trust God.”

Know - to be familiar with something through experience (it speaks to relationship)

Our level of trust is determined by our level of relationship

Woman who quoted Psalm 23

The boy knew Psalm 23, the woman knew the shepherd in Psalms 23

Valley of the shadow of death

Table in presence of her enemies

If God is who He says He is, and I start to get to know him for who he is, then I’m naturally going to start trusting him

That means my striving point is not, “God help me to trust you more!” My striving point is just getting to know him.

The Church Body

Prayer

Reading Word of God

Maybe your sitting there thinking, “but I’ve been doing those things and I’m not seeing any changes!”

Relationship building takes time.

Acknowledge Him - Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

This is really similar to the first point but I want to bring it out in a slightly different way

Acknowledge means to ‘know’, but also contains the idea of being ‘aware of’.

Two things to note:

Our relationship with Christ is much deeper than our planned moments spent with Him

Our relationship building doesn’t get put on pause when we leave the prayer closet, or when we leave church service, or get done reading our Bible

We are to be acknowledging God in all of our ways!

We are aware of the presence of God in all of our intereactions and experiences

Our relationship with Christ is much deeper than our crisis moments.

“trust in the lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In your times of crisis, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths”

You ever notice that crisis has a way of bringing back that constant awareness…especially of our need of him

It’s not that my need for God fluctuates, but those moments make me aware of a need I’ve had all along

Part of living in trust, is just constantly being aware of Him in your life, (praying without ceasing) not just in planned moments, or in crisis, but throughout the day.

An awareness of God reminds me of His sovereignty in my life.

Recognize Your Limitations - Proverbs 3:5-6

“Don’t lean on your own understanding”

If you think like I do, you know the battle of always trying to reason things out, and to make sense of things.

There is nothing wrong with reason and logic…but here is the danger in it

Sometimes we trust God, but only in the things that we can make sense of (our own understanding)

If I can come up with a logical reason as to why God allowed this to happen, then I can trust God

If I can envision the good that will come from it, then I can trust God.

If I can understand why God is leading me in this direction then I can trust Him.

But as soon as the sentence ends with a question mark rather than a period, we are unsettled and unsure.

The problem is Life is filled with more questions than answers

Maybe God isn’t looking to be explained away in your circumstances…maybe He’s not waiting for us to figure things out...maybe He just wants to be invited in. To your pain, discouragement, depression, heartache, invited in to the question mark etc...

Part of Recognizing your limitations is realizing that your limitations are not God’s limitations

I’m not seeing good come out of this situation, things don’t seem to be getting better, things don’t make sense, I don’t know why this has to happen.

But I recognize my limitations are not God’s limitations.

I can’t and don’t have to figure everything out, I’m just going to invite God in to the process.

Give Him Control - Psalm 20:7 David writes this:

Psalm 20:7 (ESV)

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Chariots and horses were the elite weapon for war during Davids reign as king

They were a dominating force in warfare

David is not saying that chariots and horses were bad…they were good things, David used chariots and horses himself, however, He is saying:

Our ultimate trust is not to be placed in “Good” it’s to be placed in “God”

But it’s easier to trust in Chariots and Horses because we can control them.

If I know I can control something…there is a sense of ease

Driving a vehicle

We tend to put our trust in things we can control.

Trust in Education/Career

Trust in the things and possessions we have

Trust in a Relationship

Ignoring convictions so you will fit in your friend crowd

Dating an unbeliever - Because you’ve been in church for 10 years and haven’t found that special someone.

Maybe you are staying put in a relationship that isn’t healthy, because you can’t have your heart broken one more time.

The reality is, we may feel in control in our lives, but we never really are.

Trusting God by giving him control means:

I don’t need to sacrifice my convictions when it is convenient or safe for me

I don’t need to blur the line of my integrity to fight for certain outcomes

I don’t need manipulate circumstances to maintain my peace.

I can be prepared up until a point, but my trust is in the Lord.

Summary

We know Him

We acknowledge Him

We recognize our limitations

We give Him control

Conclusion (Stand with Me)

This is my prayer for myself and for us…and this is the kind of trust that I want to live in.

It can be summed up perfectly by the words of shadrach, meshach, and Abednego.

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

But even if not.....

What if that was the approach to life?

Even if I don’t get the answers to all my questions

Even if all the “why’s” of life don’t make sense to me

Even if I don’t see the plan of God in this

Even if I don’t see the good in this

Even if it means personal sacrifice

I am not going to give in to the voices of:

Fear

Discouragement

Failure

Oppression

Anxiety

Battle in my mind

What are the things that are threatening your trust in God right now?

We have practical areas where we can position ourselves to grow in our trust of God, but if you want God to touch your Faith right now.

We are going to open the altars…and this is what I want you to come with on your heart…BUT EVEN IF

I’ve made life plans that have fallen apart

My future seems uncertain

Still dealing with pain and hurt

Salvation

If you’re in this room, and you have never placed my trust in Jesus Christ.

Your greatest purpose starts with being born again, as Jesus put it.

A - Admit you are a sinner, there is an issue in me that I can’t fix on my own. I’m completely dependent on the grace of God.

Admitting does’t require you to be perfect, it requires you be honest.

B - Believe that God provided that Grace when Jesus died on the cross he paid my sin debt.

C - Confess him as Lord that is in charge of your life from this point on. You let him lead your life

Salvation Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus I believe you're the son of God. I believe that on the cross you took my sin, my shame, and my guilt, and you died for it. You faced hell for me so I wouldn't have to go. You rose from the dead to give me a place in heaven, a purpose on earth, and a relationship with your father. Today Lord Jesus I turn from my sin to be born again. God is my father, Jesus is my savior, the Holy Spirit is my helper, and heaven is my home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.