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As an old farmer was driving down the freeway, his cell phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife’s voice urgently warning him,” Bill, I just heard on the news that there’s a car going the wrong way on Highway 59. Please be careful!”
“Darling” Bill replied, “It’s not just one car. It’s hundreds of them!”
I love to read the Proverbs and today I wanted to share some of their wisdom with you.
Let’s begin by reading Proverbs 1:7
We must begin our relationship with the fear of God. And we must learn wisdom from those who fear God. Let’s continue with Proverbs 1:8-19.
Wisdom is found in our daily choices. (Proverbs 1:20-21)
Let us read verses 22-33.
If we fear the Lord we receive God’s blessings.
Let’s read Proverbs 3:3-4) We should not limit our love. We should love everyone.
Let’s read Proverbs 3:5-8 [5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. [8] This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (NIV)
We want to depend fully upon God alone; in everything rely upon God with absolute confidence and hope.
Trust develops naturally in an environment of love. TRUST IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR.
Let me illustrate. Let’s say that you have a trusted person in your life – in this example I will say it is Barbara here. Imagine she is in a long line at the bank. The person behind her is holding $1,000 cash with a completed deposit ticket. This person is obviously anxious and in a hurry, so Barbara politely offers to help; “if you are just depositing your money I could take care of it for you.” What do you think the odds are for a complete stranger to hand over $1,000 and then go on with their day without giving a second thought to their money?
Is Barbara any less trustworthy if the person refuses to give her his money to deposit? No, the person just has not learned to trust Barbara. Trust doesn’t come naturally to any of us; trust has to be learned. In the same way we learn to trust our parents or other people in our lives we must also learn to trust God.
The nation of Israel had to learn to trust God. These are the people who called out to God for deliverance from the land of Egypt; “Oh God save us!” God responded to the cry of the people and sent them a deliverer named Moses. After 10 plagues upon the Egyptians the nation of Israel is finally given their freedom. Just a few days after leaving Egypt these people find themselves trapped. With their backs up against the Red Sea they see Pharaoh and an army of chariots coming to take them back into captivity. God then opened a way for the people through the Sea and then swept Pharaoh’s army of chariots under the waves as the Sea came crashing down upon them.
Exodus 14:31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. (NIV)
The people learned to trust God. After everything they had been through they finally came to the point where they had confidence in God. Unfortunately this same group of people later forgot the lesson they had learned. When they came to the promised land they did not trust God to give them the land. Instead they believed the “giants in the land would squash them.”
How often are we just like the nation of Israel? We put our trust in God today, only to later think God has abandoned us to figure things out for ourselves. Am I the only one or do you have times when it’s hard to trust God? When life gets tough and circumstances seem out of control, when the waves of life are crashing in upon us and the light of day gives way to darkness do we still trust God?
We must learn to trust God EVERYDAY. In the big stuff and the small stuff our confidence needs to be in God and not ourselves. God is trustworthy!
Remember what Proverbs 3:5-8; this time from the message Bible and notice how trusting God is apart of everything we do.
• Proverbs 3:5-8 [5] Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. [6] Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. [7] Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! [8] Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!
We either trust God with our whole heart or we are holding back a piece of our heart. If we aren’t listening for God in everything we do; if we fail to acknowledge God in all our ways, then we are liable to get off the path God has planed for our lives.
Did you notice the connection between trusting God and the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; it is the foundation for wisdom for right living.
Look again at verse 7. The NIV says “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
If you struggle to trust the Lord in your everyday life, then let me ask you a question. DO YOU FEAR THE LORD? Remember the fear of the Lord is active; it’s a wonder awe and reverence for God transforming our lives from the inside out. In other words, THE FEAR OF THE LORD WILL CAUSE OUR HEARTS TO FULLY TRUST GOD.
How many of you would like to learn how to develop your hearts to depend completely upon the Lord with out any reservation? Is there anyone who would like to learn how to really trust God, to rely upon the Lord with absolute confidence and hope?
How do we do this?
First – let us confess our sins and admit we need help.
None of us like to be called a sinner, or be told what we are doing is sin. When we say we trust God, but then withhold a part of our life from God it is sin. If we only trust God with pieces and parts of our lives instead of relying upon God with our whole heart then we have sinned against God.
I know we would much rather just hear that it’s human to try to figure things out for ourselves instead of trusting God to lead us down the right path.
• Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. (NIV)
The bible says if we are wise in our own eyes; if we say we trust in God, but live our lives without acknowledging God in everything we do, then it’s evil—it’s sin!
• Romans 14:23 everything that does not come from faith is sin. (NIV)
• 1 John 5:17 All wrongdoing is sin. (NIV)
Confess your sin to God everyday. He won’t hold it over your head and beat you up with what a terrible person you are. God will forgive you and empower you by His Sprit to live your life free from the power of sin. God will set you free from the sin of self reliance so you can trust Him with your whole heart.
Second – Pray everyday
Proverbs 15:8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. (NIV)
We shouldn’t just go through the motions. God wants us to open our hearts up to Him without holding back. Let God know your thoughts; share your emotions with Him. Be completely honest with God—you’re not going to surprise Him anyway. God just wants you to be real with Him.
How can you really trust someone you don’t communicate with? If you aren’t willing to listen to God or talk with Him, then do you really trust Him?
Let us thank God everyday for all we have.
Third = Don’t worry. An anxious heart is not a trusting heart.
Psalm 56:11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (NIV)
WORRY IS A SURE SIGN YOU ARE NOT TRUSTING GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART.
John 14:1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (NIV)
Jesus says, “Don’t worry or be anxious; instead trust me to help you with the difficult situations of life.” THIS IS A TIME TO TRUST GOD!
When you find yourself beginning to worry it’s time to PRAY. (Tell God about your problem or difficulty; don’t hold onto it—give it to God. And if you find it to hard to pray, call someone to pray for you. Don’t just settle for asking someone to pray, but find someone who will pray with you NOW.
Worry and trust just don’t mix well together. Another word for worry is doubt. Regardless of how big our doubt or worry may be it can and will be overcome when we choose to believe—when we choose to trust. FEED YOUR FAITH! Stop feeding your worries; stop thinking negatively and choose to believe God. Let trust overcome your worry and fear!
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV)
When you trust God with your whole heart, you don’t trust money or wealth.
Proverbs 3:9 Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.
Job 31:24-25, 28 "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ’You are my security,’ [25] if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained . . . [28] then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. (NIV)
Collect wisdom from others. Receive the godly counsel of those who fear the Lord.
If you are unwilling to accept the advice and counsel of the people God has given you in your life, then guess what. . . YOU WON’T ACCEPT INSTRUCTION FROM GOD EITHER.
God will give you wisdom in many ways, but one way you will receive godly counsel is through those who fear the Lord. If you trust God, then collect wisdom from others whom you know trust God as well.
Proverbs 16:20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. (NIV)
Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. (NIV)
Finally - Depend fully upon God alone; in everything rely upon God with absolute confidence and hope. (Proverbs 3:5-8).