Untitled Sermon

Proverbs 3:5-6 and Jeremiah 29:11

5. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding

6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

11.For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

New Living Translation

For I know the plans I have for you, says he LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Each day, we may face challenges that can and will test our trust in God. One may face fear and anxiety, which, if we let them take over, will rob us of our faith. When we look at the world today and what is taking place, things seem to be uncertain. We have allowed our thoughts to fill our minds with worry, taking up room in our hearts, so we have forgotten who God is. We need to remember that God is still in control.

If I can have a title for this message, it is

“Who Do You Trust”

         Subtitle: “I know the plans I have for You”

These two verses discuss trust in God. Proverbs is the book of wisdom. King Solomon, the son of David, was a very wise man, and Solomon spoke many proverbs. One definition of a biblical proverb is “a short saying that expresses a general truth for practical, godly living.”  Verse 5-6 let us know that we should be dependent and committed to God. Jeremiah was known as “the weeping prophet.” Jeremiah had a heart for God's people. Jeremiah's ministry lasted forty-five years. Jeremiah's message stresses the tender love of God and his divine willingness to receive his people. To trust anything or anybody other than the Lord will lead you into disaster. Pro: 11:28” He that trusteth in his riches shall fall, but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.”  Trust comes from our hearts and not our heads. It is not something that you reason. It comes from you believing in God. When we read Ro. 4:3,” For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Abraham believed in the Lord; that is, he affirmed that God is dependable. If there is ever a time that we must trust in the Lord, it is now. We must be all the way in with our trust. You can’t partially trust HIM. You must be all the way in when it comes to trusting God.  Either your God is trustworthy, or He is not. But the God I serve is All Might and Trusting. Lean on means to you trust something to support you. He is telling us in the verse that we should not lean on or depend on anything that is earthly.  We must make a choice: we are either going to follow our understanding, or we are going to trust God. Now, we must know that our own understanding is not trustworthy.  Ep 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

Our understanding as humans is very limited, But God’s understanding is much higher and Greater.

 The Commentary Matthew Henry says it this way.” We must be diffident of our own judgment and confident of God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, and therefore must follow Providence and not force it.”   Now, we come to acknowledge God in our daily lives in everything that we do.  If we acknowledge God, He will lead our path. We, as believers, should acknowledge God in all our ways. What this means is that we should have a conversation with God about everything in our lives. From what should I say to someone about an issue to how we treat our family. Everything that we do, we should bring it to God first. But as humans, we think that we have the answer to everything. No matter what it is, we think we know best. What is best for us and our family, and when it comes to our jobs, we think we know what to do. I am here to tell you that you are not in charge of anything. Our minds and spirits will allow us to think that we are in charge. But as soon as it goes bad, then we want to seek God for the answer. When you acknowledge first, He will order your steps. It may be painful because we didn’t make the decision, but I can guarantee that God has your best interest for you.  1 Chr. 28:9 “AS for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understandings all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”

Our relationship with God grows as we study and talk to Him this will allow our trust to grow more and more. The more you give your life and time to Him, and the closer your relationship grows, you will see how much he loves you. Love grows trust, and trust increases our love for him. One trusting God can’t be separated from intimacy with Him.  Now we are trusting Him more, leaning all on Him alone, and we know Him intimately. This is what happens when you spend time with God.  Now, he can give you what he has for you all the time. We have arrived at His Plan.