The million dollar question these days is, “who can we trust?”
CDC is complicit with money and political influence rather than following the science and hurt our children
The FBI, specifically and DOJ generally have been busted with a general lack of integrity and acting in a partisan way rather than working for all of the people for justice and truth
The media is constantly twisting stories to fit their narrative on both sides Look at what is being said about Elon Musk today verse last year
Our President is not well and most do not believe he is in the driver’s seat.
Nina Jankowicz Disinformation governance Board – George Orwell’s 1984 ministry of truth Joseph Goebbels would be proud
The whole COVID situation was a disaster
So who can you trust? Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
I know it is hard to trust the Lord sometimes but Ladies and Gentlemen where else can we go and we must stand up and be counted as people who trust the Lord…Jesus told us so
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Jesus says, if you don’t know God even if you do great signs and wonders, all kinds of things that look powerful…. you will be sent away from Him, trust isn’t birthed in the gifts and skills people have but in knowing Him!
To trust Him you must know Him…
You need a relationship with him, (or anyone for that matter), to trust Him…. that is not just praying when you need something or for the food at dinner.
Praying – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says that we should “pray without ceasing.” This doesn’t mean that we should always have our hands folded, head bowed, and eyes shut. It implies a relationship of continual contact and fellowship between you and God.
Spending time – Abraham made a covenant with God, Genesis 15:18, showing the kind of relationship we need to have. They talked to each other, and Abraham wasn’t doing all the talking – or asking – either. He got to know God by the time he spent with him.
Spending time with someone seems to be the number one way to know them. Think about the people in your life that you thought of one way, until you really got to know them. and how your relationship changed once you did.
Listening – Ephesians 3:1-3 Paul makes the statements that you can get to know God by listening to Him….
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. (NASB)
By listening to the Lord (directly or through preaching and teaching) we come to understand God’s grace and the mystery of His heart
Reading – Paul also goes on to say that this preaching will help in understanding what you read. Reading his word helps in getting to know God. Ephesians 3:4
By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, (NASB)
Our trust of Him is proven by our faithfulness to him…Matthew 25:21
“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
We wonder why there is no stability in any of our institution, there is no faithfulness to a higher cause or purpose, let alone God
Please notice the importance of being faithful to God. Jesus didn’t stress….good and honest, or smart, or anointed, or punctual. He stressed “faithful.” Faithfulness means doing it even though we don’t know why, or understand why.
We have all heard sermons on the will of God, and we have learned that God desires the best for his children, yet how we get the “best” is what brings the confusion. What is God’s best for us at first might not seem like what we would think is the best
This seems to be one of our biggest challenges: being faithful to do God’s will even though we don’t understand why, and in spite of our own logic. We must come to the place of believing God knows us, created us perfectly, and designed us for a purpose that may only be revealed in time.
Think about Abraham taking Isaac to the mountain, Caleb facing the giants choosing to say they can take the land, Joshua marching around Jericho, Mary, and Mary looking at the crucifixion of Jesus…none of it made sense, but they fought, despite their feeling to be faithful to and trust the Lord.
Proverbs 3:5b
“…do not depend (lean) on your own understanding.”
Many times, that can become a real struggle especially living in a world that demands proof even if it is false proof as we found out with many of the statements, I started out with in this teaching…God has never failed us and never will
We wonder how do we know if it is God or not?
Generally, we learn by doing
Does it line up with God’s word? God will never direct us to do something that is against His word
It takes faith – Faith is spelled RISK …the positive if we are doing something that we believe is God if we get ahead of Him or even totally miss it, if we keep our hearts humble and soft he will teach us trust through…
Psalm 37:23,24
The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Isaiah 30:21
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.
OK so why don’t people trust God? People put God in the same category as the news, government and everyone else that let them down…once again God won’t
Three quick issues
Fear – what if God doesn’t come through what if he let’s me down, what if I’m not good enough
God has a plan Daniel 3 and John 11 are great examples of God’s plan not failing even though it looked like he might…Daniel is about S, M, and A and they stand and say God has the ability to save us but even if he doesn’t we will trust Him…Jesus waited to raise Lazarus from the dead so that God could get the glory….God has great plans for you, He knows you are growing and battling all kinds of things and despite your failures and fears he will always be there for your good.
Negative experiences – we have all had them when we asked or expected the Lord to do something or go one way and he went another. We feel disappointed in God…much of that comes from our relationship with parents and others in our lives and we place it on God
Simple lack of faith – Thomas said unless he stuck his fingers in the nail prints and his hand in His side he would believe…Jesus’ response was to show him John 20:24-29 Jesus stated that “blessed be those who believe without seeing.”
But here is a simple list of why we should choose to trust Him
1) He is all powerful
– Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord. Is there anything too hard for me?”
– Is there anything too big for God? No. In Job 38:1-41 God makes his case to Job that there is no one more powerful. He can do anything, and he is on your side! Now when he says to “cast your burdens on the Lord,” you know that he can handle whatever you got.
– Ephesians 3:20b “…exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us”
– When hit with a difficult trial, Daniel was in good standing with God and was protected against lions, the law, and a demanding king. Daniel 6:23. Not only did God save him, he turned a nation and a king to God while punishing those who stood against Daniel.
2) He cares. He cares about the big things and the little things
God cares about the large issues and large things. Psalms 46:2-5 God promises to protect Jerusalem, a whole city.
God cares enough to give even the little things for each person. In 1 Kings 17:3-9 God had ravens bring food to Elijah and provided him water from a brook.. This shows God’s looking after us individualized.
Mostly he really cares about you…after all you are the one he loves the most!
Matthew 10:29-31 Are you not worth more than the sparrows which he takes care of? He cares and loves. you.
God loves you! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
3) His promises.
Psalms 34:15-22 The Lord sees the circumstances you are in and cares, promising to take care of you.
Psalms 91 He promises to keep you well, safe, etc. No insurance policy can keep something from happening, only respond to it.
God has made you these promises and so many more. Either you believe that He will do what he said he would, or you don’t believe him. If you do choose to believe here is another great promise
Jeremiah 17:7,8
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
You might say that there are promises that God hasn’t kept in your life.
In 1 Samuel 3:10-12 God mentions that “He will soon do what he promised.” This tells us that He knows there are promises that he hasn’t done yet. He knows, and he will keep them in His time.
He has promised to help you in your time of need.
1 Peter 5:6,7
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
Joshua 1 God promises you success
Isaiah 26:3 God promises you peace
Psalms 26:1 God promises you stability
Choose to trust him today…with everything, come to the altar today and lay down your worry and concern and choose to put everything perhaps even your life again, into His hands