Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: trust god
God’s Up To Something Upstream! - Steven Furtick Sunday Sermon March-05-2023. Trust God with what’s ahead. In “God’s Up To Something Upstream!,” Pastor Steven reminds us that wherever we have a problem, God already has a plan.
Envy Is a Sign That You Don’t Trust God - Rick Warren Daily Devotional (February-20-2023). “Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 (TLB)
One of the signs that envy is in your heart and needs to be eliminated is that you constantly use this phrase: “It’s not fair.”
You know what that phrase sounds like: “It’s not fair that he gets to do that and I don’t!” “It’s not fair that it’s easy for her and not for me.” “It’s not fair that their kids got the award and mine didn’t.” “It’s not fair that they can afford that vacation and I can’t.”
Envy is actually a battle with God. You’re in a fight with God every time you envy. When you envy, you’re saying, “God, you blew it. You didn’t do it right. You didn’t have the brains enough to make me the way I ought to be. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have made me me; you would have made me somebody else.”
And God says, “Huh? If I didn’t make you you, you wouldn’t exist!”
The problem is this: When you envy, you don’t trust God. You don’t believe that he has your best interest at heart. You don’t believe that he knows more than you do about what’s best for you.
You don’t have some things in life because God knows a reason that you shouldn’t have them. There are some talents God did not give you. There are some opportunities God does not give you. And there are some experiences in life you don’t get.
You can either shake your fist in anger—or trust God. God is smarter than you, and he knows better. Read that again: He knows better!
God has given each of us a race to run. You can’t run anybody else’s race, and no one else can run yours. You can either run the race God has given you, or you can make up your own race. Most people choose to make up their own race in life and then wonder why they hit dead ends.
Instead, God wants you to run the race that he has for you. He custom-designed a plan for your life. When you focus on God’s race, you won’t need to worry about the race everybody else is running. You won’t be bothered by the crowds that are cheering or jeering in the stands. You’re living for an audience of one: God.
The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1, “Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” (TLB). The more you understand your own call from God, the less you’ll be worried about what God has called other people to do.
Any time spent envying other people is wasted time. Just be who God made you to be!
Talk It Over
- How do you respond to a child who says, “That’s not fair”? What can you learn from your own response to that child?
- Do you trust that God knows what you need better than you know? Why or why not?
- What has God called you to do and be? What are you doing right now to run the race that he’s planned for you?
Rick Warren (December-26-2022) Daily Devotional: How to Trust God’s Goodness When Life Gets Tough.
The Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.” - Psalm 100:5 (TLB)
If you grew up in a Christian home, you may have learned this childhood prayer: “God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen.” While simplistic, that prayer covers one key characteristic of God: his goodness.
Is it really true that God is good all the time? Absolutely! But many people don’t live like they believe it. It can be hard to believe in God’s goodness for many reasons, including when you’re in pain. When you’re in conflict, you forget about it. When you’re depressed, you think his goodness is for everyone except you. And when you’re worried or stressed out, you can’t seem to find—much less think about—God’s goodness, even when it’s right in front of you.
So how can you trust in God’s goodness when you don’t feel it? God’s Word, the Bible, reminds you of his goodness over and over. Psalm 100:5 says, “The Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation” (TLB).
Focusing on God’s goodness is so important to your life. It gives you perspective on your darkest days when you need it the most. When you forget God’s goodness, you lose perspective and can only see the difficulty you’re facing.
God wants to give you a life of confidence, even on your most difficult days. He wants to give you assurance of his love and care. He wants to give you a life of influence and opportunities so that you can make a difference in the world. And he wants to give you an inheritance and a home in heaven with him forever. Who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t need that?
So how can you experience God’s goodness? You can learn about God’s goodness as you read the Bible or hear a message about it—but you actually experience God’s goodness when you worship him. Nothing helps you focus like worship!
The Bible says in Psalm 34:9, “Worship GOD if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness” (The Message). The way you experience God’s goodness is through worship—when you praise God and thank him for who he is and what he has promised you.
When you believe and understand the goodness of God, it will revolutionize your life and your perspective on your circumstances. You won’t be the same!
Talk It Over
- How does remembering God’s goodness to you in the past help you in your present pain?
- Why does believing in God’s goodness give you confidence as you walk through life?
- What verses from God’s Word remind you of his goodness?
Will you follow Jesus today?
God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).
Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, pray this simple prayer: "Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen."
Rick Warren (July-15-2022) Daily Devotional: Trust God with Your Tithe
“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.” Deuteronomy 14:23 (TLB)
If you want God to bless something, you have to put him first in that area. So if you want God to bless your finances, you have to put him first in your money. This is the principle of tithing: You give the first 10 percent of your income back to God.
Here are four verses that explain the promise, purpose, place, and day for tithing.
First, Proverbs 3:9-10 gives the promise about tithing: “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines” (TLB). God says that if you honor him with the first part of your income, he will bless you financially.
Kay and I decided almost 50 years ago that if we were going to be in debt to anybody, we were not going to be in debt to God. God gets paid first, right off the top. If I make 10 bucks, the first dollar goes back to him. If I make a hundred bucks, the first 10 bucks go back to him. It all comes from God in the first place, and I want his blessing on the rest of it.
Why does God tell us to tithe? Deuteronomy 14:23 says, “The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (TLB). God doesn’t need your money, but he wants what it represents: your heart. He wants you to trust him.
Where should you tithe? Do you tithe to your local food pantry? Or do you tithe to your brother who’s been out of work for three years? No, that’s charity. Tithing isn’t charity; it’s an act of worship. It goes to God.
Malachi 3:10 says, “‘Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn . . . Test me in this,’ says the Lord All-Powerful. ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need’” (NCV). The storehouse is the temple, or the place where you worship God.
When are you supposed to tithe? You do it on the day you worship. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn” (TLB). When you give to God on the first day of the week, during the first part of your day, and from the first part of your money, you’re declaring, “You’re really number one in my life.”
Notice that the verse says to “put aside.” Tithing should not be an impulsive thing. You’ve got to plan for it so that you are honoring God’s plan and purpose for tithing.
Then you can watch how God blesses and uses you and honors his promise in your life.
Talk It Over
- In practical terms, what does it mean to you to give God the first part of your income?
- Why do you think God wants you to tithe to your church and not to another cause?
- How do you need to plan today so that you can be faithful in tithing?
Kept In The Dark - Steven Furtick, Sunday Sermon (December-05-2021). How do you keep going when you don’t know how it’s going to turn out? In “Kept In The Dark,” Pastor challenges us to trust God — even when we can’t see how He’s working.
Watch Motivation - Watch How Everything Falls Into Place When You Trust God To Work Things Out. When God is first everything else falls into place!
Rick Warren (September-01-2021) Watch Sermon: How to Trust God When You Don’t Like the Changes in Your Life. There are seasons when change is so rapid and relentless that you just get tired of it. In this message, Pastor Rick shares five truths from the Bible on how to trust God when you're going through changes that you don't like. Learn how God can use unavoidable change for good as a test of faith to make you more like him.
Charles Stanley (February-24-2023) Daily Devotional: Trust God in Troubling Times.
Psalm 46 - 1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
If you listen to the news, no doubt you’ve heard scary stories of political upheaval, global threats, and natural or man-made catastrophes. Although people around you may be fearful and stressed, there is no reason a child of God should feel this way. For Christians, the Lord is a refuge and very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
While today’s passage describes a variety of disasters, the writer’s intention was certainly not to cause fear. Rather, these words are a reminder of our Father’s supremacy over everything that happens, His protection of His people, and the ultimate victory that results in His kingdom’s rule on earth. In light of this, we are told to let go of worry and efforts to protect ourselves—and instead trust Him. Our comfort and security are found not in frantically running around, trying to make sure we are safe, but in knowing God. Whatever trouble we experience, He is sufficient to help us through it.
The key to courageously facing the future is confidence in the Lord. He’s your shelter, strength, and help in trouble. To increase your trust in Him, read through the psalms, looking for words and phrases that affirm His protection, steadfastness, and care.
Joyce Meyer (December-15-2021) Daily Devotion: Trust God’s Perfect Timing
It’s a human tendency to want good things to happen, but too often we want them now, not later. When the good things we want aren’t happening in what we think to be a timely manner, we’re tempted to ask, “When, God, when?”
Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God and shrink our focus on the “when” question. If your mind feels constantly worn out from reasoning, you’re not fully trusting Him. I spent a large part of my life feeling impatient, frustrated, and disappointed because there were things I didn’t know and didn’t have yet. God had to teach me to leave things in His hands. After many years of prayer and practice in this area, I finally learned to trust the One Who knows all things, and began to accept that some questions may never be answered. We prove our trust in God when we refuse to worry.
Trusting God often requires not knowing how He’s going to accomplish what needs to be done, and not knowing when He will do it. We often say, “God is never late,” but generally He isn’t early, either. He uses times of waiting to stretch our faith in Him, and to bring about change and growth in our lives. We learn to trust Him more by going through many experiences that require trust. By seeing God’s faithfulness over and over, we gradually let go of trusting ourselves and place our trust in Him.
Looking at it this way, it’s easier to see how timing plays an important part in learning to trust God. If He did everything we asked for immediately, we would never grow and develop into the people He wants us to be. If you’re waiting on something right now and you feel frustrated, I want to encourage you to ask God to help you grow in trust, and learn to be okay not knowing all the details…He’s working them out.
Prayer Starter: Father, I want to trust You more; please help me let go of any wrong expectations I might have of when certain things will happen. Thank You for caring about me, and for working it all out in Your perfect timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Gloria Copeland (October-23-2019) Sermon: Manage Wealth by Trusting God. Trust will protect your finances! Watch Believer’s Voice of Victory as Gloria Copeland and George Pearsons teach you how to treat both money and people as you manage wealth by trusting God. Learn why trusting God will keep you out of pride and out of danger!
