Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Trust and Obey Pt.5

There are a lot of great things going in Africa, but a lot of opposition at every hand. The Buhuru church was just shut down by the government, as far as our school that we started there. Tony's battling malaria. The Lord gave him enough strength to get into Umoja and encourage the men there. He was headed home and almost killed on the road on the way back to Eldoret. There's still the warfare going on in Taragwiti that is interesting.

Tony was getting ready to go to Buhuru to battle on our behalf there for the school with all of our documents. Ron left all of his stuff in the car. All of his money and all of our documents were stolen out of the car. Good time in the Lord, amen? Isn't it good to know you've got the devil mad? So, we're just trusting in God and standing against the enemy. The Bible says resist him and he will (what?) flee, praise God! So, just continue to pray. This is time to dig in, pray, and boast in the goodness of God, the power of God. Greater is He that is in us than he that's in the world, praise God! A lot of exciting things are going on there. We're believing God for the victory! Our faith is the victory, praise God! Continue to pray! I'm trying to think if there was anything else. Good reports; things in Umoja are stabilizing, getting strong, so Tony had some good reports there. The church in Kwa Njenga has grown tremendously. Daniel's doing a tremendous job!

Kwangware-the churches that were under James there that really couldn't subordinate themselves-came back to Pastor James. The man that had been under him for years and years repented, and said he wants to be under the care of the ministry over there. That brings us back into the Kwangware area and a congregation, a building that's already there. So we're considering whether to-they wanted to come back and we're going to be prayerful about taking them. You know you can't come unless you're drawn, amen? That's not their decision, but they are available. So, a lot of interesting things are taking place. It makes your life sound boring, doesn't it? Here we are battling rain and the trials of traffic. All of the real tough decisions about which of the one hundred and forty channels to watch on TV; life's tough everywhere, praise God! We just encourage you to pray and intercede for the brethren in Africa. Great things going on!

Good news about the building here, it's sooner than when we first believed. This has been a long process. There are a number of reasons. We've just been waiting on the Lord. We'll be sharing more in detail later, but in the process of our waiting, steel has gone up twenty-five percent, petroleum products, whatever-there's been a great increase. We'll need to raise some more money as we're getting ready to go after this thing. Our architectural plans are done. We're having an artist's rendering, three dimensional, that'll show you the elevation and what it's going to look like. We added one thing. I didn't like the looks of the way it was going to be. We added a very large foyer on this end. It's going to be all glass, about three stories high, that we'll enter. It will really add something nice from this particular angle. That sent us back to the drawing board a little bit, but it'll make it very functional. We want you to see what all that will look like. So, begin to pray. The reason we're building this thing is because everybody's going to reach one this year, amen? We've got to have someplace to put them. By the time the building is done it'll be full. We'll see what Father has from there.

How many of you were able to share the Lord with somebody in the last week or so? Let me see your hands. Praise God; we're just believing God. Be prayerful in intercession that the doors of utterance will be given to us. Then you'll just stand amazed at the opportunity. I mean, out of nowhere you'll get the chance to share the Lord with somebody. A lot of great and exciting things are taking place. But, as we begin to intercede, as souls are won, there will be a lot of different warfare that we're engaged in. So don't think it's going to be a walk in the park. We're at war and our weapons are mighty through God, praise God! That's what we want to talk about a little more this evening, that ability to trust in God, to rest in His promises.

I was telling Chuck today-we were out celebrating Lisa's birthday (Oh, to be twenty-nine again!), having a good time sharing the things of the Lord. I was sharing with Chuck and Jeff as we were out fellowshipping; Steve had to stay here and work. We were out having some lunch and sharing what's really been on my heart. This hour that we're coming into-we've got to step back and prepare ourselves for the battle that's at hand. We need to consciously allow God to begin to work in our hearts, again, that ability to trust in Him in every area.

We've been at ease for many years in our lives, not only in this community, but in our country. We're battling the philosophy of life, of abundance, ease, and leisure. To be able to come back and discipline ourselves again into many of these areas isn't always an easy thing, but it's necessary. There are drills we can do to prepare ourselves. Like in anything else, whether it's in combat, or whether it's in athletics, or whatever, you can use drills to perfect your abilities without having to be in a true war or the actual event. Part of what we've tried to do is to keep ourselves sharp through serving in the community. Through our intercession, through our prayer times, through many of the other areas of caring for one another, community commitment; all of those things to try to keep this flesh under. It's worked, and we thank God for it. But, what I really what to emphasize is our ability to refresh ourselves in the life of the supernatural, the walk of faith. Because without faith it's impossible to please Him, and those that come to God must believe that He is, and that He's a rewarder of those that are diligently seeking Him. We know that's what the wisdom of God tells us. We said that one of the greatest things robbing our faith today is the abundance, the prosperity that we've looked at.

Let's turn to 1 Timothy, Chapter 6, verse 17. We'll start here about the need of returning to a trust in God. To trust God means to entrust Him with all that we have, with our lives. We entrust that into His hands. We have confidence that His ways are higher than ours, better than ours. We talked about it a few weeks ago. The ability to trust God is trusting His judgments that we're right where He wants us right now; that the steps of the good man are ordered by God. Are you complaining about where you are? Are you discontent? Or, can you see that God has you in a place, even if it's trials; it doesn't look like you're prospering in the natural; your business; it looks like there are things that are returning in your life that were besetting sins and they're showing their head again. Your carnality is rising in an area that's been too common. You see it, and you're horrified by it, "But, what do I do?" God has put you in this place. Scripture says that we're to rest and in everything to (what?) give thanks. Just say, "Father I don't know what's going on here. But, I thank You that You're making me aware. [Here's the key.] I am now aware that You're working in my life. I thank You for what You're working in me right now, because all of these things are going to work together for good. So, it's not ‘good,' but it's working together for good." That's faith. "God's going to show me myself through these circumstances. God's going to show me His purposes. God's going to show me His course if I can rest in Him." That's true faith.

The objective over the next couple of sessions is this: to get our eyes off of faith being "calling fire out of heaven." When we talk about faith, what we start thinking about is miracles: walking on water, spectacular events, sun standing still, fire out of heaven, raising the dead. How about faith just to get up and thank God for what He's doing in your life, amen, to rest? How about faith and trust to not become fearful, angry, anxious by a given circumstance, but to be able to stand up in the middle of it and say, "Praise God, the steps of the good man are ordered by the Lord," amen? How about when you fall, instead of coming into self-pity and just wanting to lay there and feel sorry for yourself, speaking what the Word says, "The good man may fall but he rises up seven times," amen? That's faith! Every day going through the drudgery of life, counting God good, His ways right, praise God, and seeing the invisible, the hope that's been set before us. Are you trusting God with your life? Are you trusting that the gifts that are operating in your life are sufficient? Are you able to rest in what you've committed to God, being confident of this one thing: what you've committed to Him He keeps against that day of justice and judgment?

Paul, speaking to Timothy in Chapter 6, verse 17, says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, [that's us] that they be not high-minded..." Now, we've talked about this before, but I'll just take a moment to reiterate. Many of us have been to Africa or to third world countries; where most of the people really live that are alive today. Every one of us-as we've talked about-in this room is rich; not as you compare yourselves by yourselves, with others in our country, necessarily, but as it pertains to humanity, not only current but those that have lived. We're the rich, and it says "be not high-minded." He talks about what wealth and abundance can do to us. We talked about the idleness of Sodom. It was their prosperity and their idleness, their pride that really was the sin. It wasn't the homosexuality; that was the by-product of idleness, too much time on their hands. Having experienced so many things in life, the perversion of their minds that they have to try something different; not wanting to retain God they were given over. We see where we are as a society. He says, about remaining humble, "Don't be high-minded."

We've encouraged you, as you go to these other nations, not to be condescending. These people, many of them living in poverty, don't necessarily have formal educations, but that doesn't make them stupid. We that are prosperous are not to be high-minded. What is high-mindedness? High-mindedness is thinking that we have done something to gain this wealth, that we deserve it. We've talked about that on many occasions. We'll let it suffice for this evening.

The part that I want you to see is the next phrase where he says ... "nor trust in uncertain riches..." Now, let's contrast the passage we were talking about last time. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). The conclusion we saw there, as the Lord was speaking, is the real issue. Ask this question: "Are you rich toward God?" That's the real question that needs to be answered. You see, it doesn't have anything to do with how much stuff we possess in the natural. We're a wealthy people. We have far more in abundance, more than most men that are on the earth. It has the capacity to destroy us, the Lord says. Because of this abundance, we've got to be careful that we don't say to our hearts, "Take your ease." We saw that we still have to live by faith. We can't say, "I'm going to kick back now and retire." "You fool; tonight your soul is going to be required of you." We don't have any assurance of tomorrow. What's God's judgment of you today? If your heart is being judged tonight, are you rich toward God? Is everything you have truly given into the hands of the Lord, entrusted to Him? If you're trusting God, everything is entrusted to Him. You see yourselves, then, not as possessors, but as stewards.

Paul's speaking here and says "... [don't] trust in uncertain riches, [look at the next phrase] but in the living God..." There's the contrast. There's nothing wrong with having stuff. The question is, "Are you trusting in the stuff, or the living God, the source?" Who do you really see as the source? Every one of us would say, "God's the source. God's blessed me with all this stuff." Really? Then how capable are you of freely putting it back into His hands? "Well, I don't know." Just stop and think for a moment. Let's look at the practical, daily things. Here's where we're talking about trusting God. "Oh, yes, everything I have is the Lord's! If He asks me for it I could give it to Him right now. I would liquidate; give Him everything, like Matthew. If Jesus walked up to me and said, ‘Come, follow Me,' I'd just leave everything and go." Really? Then why are you so uptight about that bill that's coming? Why are you so uptight about the fact that you haven't reached the goal yet in your savings account, if you have one? (You know, that dollar ninety-five? We know most people don't have savings today.) "I haven't achieved that goal. I'm really concerned with that. I'm concerned with whether I have enough for retirement. I'm concerned about my IRA's. I'm concerned about the fact that I'm getting older and I may not be able to have enough for retirement." How does that equate to the statement, "I'll give everything to God"? That means, as an old guy, you have nothing to lean back on but God. Do you see where I'm coming from? We think we can give everything to God and we can't trust Him with our daily care! We're looking to all the natural things; whether we'd like to believe it or not, many of us are leaning on the broken reed of Egypt. Many of us are trusting in men and their methods. We'd like to think we're not trusting in our retirement accounts, our provision for the later years, and our insurance.

How many of you could handle right now, without anxiety, the loss of all your health insurance? You say, "I could, I don't have any." Now, not having it isn't the issue. Having it or not having it isn't the issue. What are you trusting in? Some of you, when I just made that statement, sweat started falling off your foreheads. "We can't-you can't live without health insurance! What if somebody got sick?" Let's come up with something novel. Let me think. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise them up." Amen? How many of you believe that? How many of you believe in having health insurance? I do, I have it. But, the fact that I have health insurance doesn't affect the fact that I believe, practice, and trust in the doctrine of divine healing. When faced with some type of a natural conflict my mind doesn't go to the health insurance or to the doctors. My mind goes to God. The first thing I do is pray and believe God. Then, if you have to, you use the health insurance. If the doctors are able to, they fix you. If they can't fix you, you die. Now, everyone says, "Oh yeah, you die". Hey, you're going to die! "It's appointed unto men once to die." Amen? It's inevitable. Why does that control so much of our life? Life's a precious thing. I'm not talking about being reckless. I'm talking about trusting God. I'm talking about being able to, on a daily walk, not be anxious for anything but in everything cast our cares upon Him knowing that He cares for us.

I'm wanting us to begin to identify where we are, really, in our hearts. How uptight are you about life? Are we trusting in the living God Who gives us richly all things to enjoy? Amen? So now, those of you that are fearful of stuff, "I've got stuff, and the stuff's evil." It's not evil. There's nothing wrong with money. There's nothing wrong with stuff, it's trusting in it. God is richly wanting to bless us and give us all things to enjoy. It was the original plan. He said, "This is all yours; enjoy it, praise God. You can eat of everything but of the Tree in the midst of the Garden. Enjoy yourselves." What a great time! You can go out for a picnic without worrying about insects bothering you; amen? The ants wouldn't carry your food off; they'd carry it to you. How's that for "before the curse," having a picnic and the ants come marching in with your desert? Special delivery! Everything before the curse is exactly opposite of where it is now. Mosquitoes don't come and suck your blood out; they'd probably just bring you some, you know? (I still haven't figured out gnats.) Now, things are going to be different when we get to heaven. People say, "When I get to heaven I want to ask the Lord..." I'm wondering about gnats. You know, it just seems we could do without them. But, I guess the birds like them, and the bats. (What's up with bats?)

Anyway, what we're looking at is the ability to rest in God's working in our lives and trust in the living God. He's wanting to richly bless us, and yet, we're so afraid and wanting to hold on and try to get ours. Are you content with godliness? Are you content with the possessions that you have? Are you content with the neighborhood that you're living in? Are you content? Godliness with contentment is great gain. Now, God gives us richly all things to enjoy. God gives us richly all things to enjoy! Can I ask you a question? Are you enjoying life? Life should be an enjoyment. It should be fun. It should be just looking at what God's given us and going, "I can't believe I'm so blessed! Look at what God's given me, half a baloney sandwich! I am blessed!"

So, we begin to face reality. How do we approach every day? We've shared in the past the two ways that you can wake up. We talked about the different perspectives. We've talked about the guy that's been out drinking all night; you wake up, and your head's this big. That's the guy that wakes up in the morning and has just the total opposite response of a man that loves life, enjoys life, and has the joy of the Lord. The guy that wakes up and says, "Good morning, Lord, Praise God!" is excited to be alive. Then, the other guy wakes up and says, "Good lord, morning?" Those are the two ways we approach life. Where's the joy in the trusting? Where's the joy in where He's placed us, how He's gifted us?

Paul said over in 2 Corinthians-let me show you the spirit and the attitude that we're to have. It's the death of the natural man. As we were talking today at lunch, I shared that the problem is that most of us don't really deal with our total depravity, that there's nothing good in us. See, some of us don't realize it, but we're pleased with ourselves and how we do. "We're better than most people most of the time, honest." A lot of us are honest with everybody but ourselves. "I'm pretty diligent and work hard. I walk old ladies across the street." Your righteousness is as filthy rags. When we begin to identify who we really are, and the need to be crucified with Christ, Paul says in this passage in 2 Corinthians, "...we had this sentence of death in ourselves." The curse, "...in me, (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing," the propensity toward sin toward independence toward self-reliance (Romans 7:18). You see, we're holding this up against trusting God; the trust of man, the trust of our abilities, the ambition that's in every one of us, the pride that's in every one of us, and contrasting that against biblical humility and understanding that everything we have is a gift from God. We're a people that are thankful and trusting in the mercy of God in every area of our lives. Paul says, "This sentence of death was in us so that we should not trust in ourselves but in God, which raises the dead." He's putting it into the judgment at the final resurrection. We're going to constantly be at war. We're never going to reach that perfection, but we're trusting that God, in the end, is going to work this thing out. "It's not what I'm accomplishing now; it's what I'm believing God to do ultimately in my life." Do you realize that "He's keeping that which we've committed to Him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12)? Life isn't futile then. I'm not bummed. There's a resurrection coming! There's a glorification coming!

The sanctification process, many times, is very discouraging, it's painful. Sanctification means you keep realizing how much you need to change, how much you need to be cleaned up. That's why a lot of people don't like teaching on sanctification. They don't understand the ultimate conclusion of it, which is glorification. "I'm never going to become totally sanctified. But, if I allow the process of sanctification to continue, with thanksgiving in my life, it'll bring me to the ultimate: glorification, that resurrection that's coming." What are we hoping in right now? What are we looking to?

You know, Jesus made the observation in Mark 10:24, "...how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God." It's not talking about possessing riches; again, it's talking about trusting in them. I think we're trusting in this stuff more than we realize. That's the point we're trying to make. Our theology's right. We can all answer the question, "Oh yes, praise God, I'm free!" Are you? Are you free, or are you ten percent bound by law? "I'm tithing, but dear God, don't expect eleven percent!" Are you a cheerful giver? (Don't worry; we're not taking offerings tonight.) The attitude-I'm talking about trusting God. Are you in a place where you can give if God tells you to give, or are you one of those people up to here in debt and you couldn't give if you wanted to? Then you're not trusting in God, you're trusting in credit cards! Are you free to give? What do you have to give to God when He asks you? Is everything caught up in the cares of this world? "I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm not robbing from God. God's got my ten percent." No, you've got God's ninety percent and you're a steward over it. The real issue is whether we are trusting God; trusting God, the daily walk of faith. Trusting God is entrusting to God all that He's blessed us with and being in a place that we can bless those that have need; trusting God so we can give to the ministry, to give to those among us that are in need. Is every dime being consumed on you and your pursuits and your pleasure and your future? That's where we come down and really have to say "Hey, am I trusting God?"

We seem to think that faith is having the ability to believe God to meet all of our lusts and have some left over. Are we resting in His provision? Are we at a place where it's all His? "I'm content with where He's placed me?" He's richly given us things to enjoy, and we enjoy life. We're enjoying these things. But, where are you in this ability to make God big and to have the liberty to walk away? "Come, follow Me." "Yes, but we live in America. There's no way you could just walk away. It's impossible! You couldn't just-if God spoke to me tonight there's no way that I could just get up, go out the door and go." Oh, so you mean you're saying, "Let me go bury my father first, and then I'll come. Let me go take care of my affairs. Let me make sure everything's in order. Then I can come and do what you're asking me to do." The response to that was what? "What have I done to you? You let the dead bury their dead. What have I done?" As we approach these things and we discern our own hearts, how free are we from social bondage, from cultural mores? How free are we, really, to do the will of God, to trust God, that when He speaks, I have nothing but obedience to offer? Abraham went out not knowing where he was going. That was trusting in God.

There are so many different passages throughout the Psalms. As I was looking today at a lot of the passages and studying, I printed some of them out. I thought these had good perspective, practical applications, and some things that would give us a real, practical look into our hearts. We talk about this aspect of trusting, entrusting, having the assurance that God's manifesting the best for us, the eternal perspective. The Scripture says in Proverbs 29:25 that "...[he that puts] his trust in the Lord shall be safe". You know many of us are-that's a huge motivating factor especially in our society today. People are so fearful. We want to be safe, and that's a natural inclination, self-preservation. Psalms 56:3 says this, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee."

How many of you deal with fear? Let me see your hands. How many of you are afraid? Some of us are afraid more than others. Some of us are afraid all the time. Are you nervous? Are you worried, nervous, and stressed? That's just a constant, trickling stream of fear. "Be anxious, [fearful] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, that passes all understanding, keeps your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Now, the psalmist makes an interesting statement here. There's nothing wrong with being afraid. I know that at the times when I'm fearful-you recognize this anxiety, you recognize the fear. Whatever it might be, these evil imaginations, Satan making all of the accusations of what he's going to do; all those declarations that were made to Job, the threat that's made on Chacha's life, all of those things that cause anxiety in people, loved ones. The person being threatened may not even be the one afraid, but it's the others that are around. "What's going to happen?" But, listen to what the psalmist says. He doesn't say we're not going to have to contend with fear. He says, "What time I am afraid, [what?] I will trust in thee." We're talking about the reality of coming to grips with, "I'm afraid, but what do I do"? I choose not to respond, to be anxious, but I will go to prayer. I will begin to practice supplication; supplication is specific, detailed prayer; speaking specifically about the circumstances and what God says about them. Taking Scripture and applying it to my circumstances. "What time I am afraid I will trust in You. I will pray with all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in the spirit." There are practical ways to handle life. See, trusting God is evidenced by how we respond to life's pressures. What's my first inclination? What am I spending my time and energy doing? Do I throw up a quick prayer; "Lord, help me!" then spend the rest of day going to banks trying to find a loan? "Lord, I'm sick, heal me," then spend the rest of the day trying to find the best doctor in the country? Are we trusting in God? Or are we settled on the foundation of His promises?

In Psalm 119, verse 42 the Scripture says-when the enemy comes like a flood, when Satan comes as the accuser of the brethren, when life's circumstances, all of those lying vanities, come and speak toward you, the psalmist says, "So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: [the devil, man, life's circumstances; listen to what he says] for I trust in thy word." Amen? Here's how I reproach those things. Here's what I say. I speak to these circumstances, "Here's what God says. Here's what the Word of God says about this situation."

Now, we do it with the big things, don't we? How about the mundane? The point we're making is we need to start trusting God for the small things. Don't put the small things on your credit card! Believe God, amen? What happens if we live lives of putting the small things on the credit card is we deceive ourselves into thinking that when the big things come, "Oh, I can handle that. Yes, He can have everything. I'll believe Him for the miracle. He'll open the windows of heaven." True faith is proven in the small things so that He can entrust us with the greater things. Most of us are living in a false image of ourselves. We have a false image of ourselves in our natural lives because of what credit has provided for us, because of what the false affluence of this nation as provided. Many of us have the false image of ourselves in our spiritual lives, in our faith, in our ability to trust God and what we would really do in times of warfare, when the heat's on, when the tough decisions come. "I really know I could take my child to the gates and stone him for the rebellion." You can't even discipline him! You can't even say, "No." It doesn't take long. All you've got to do is go hang out around the planter, you'll see. There are a lot of kids that are not being told "No!" as much as they should be. Here, in our fellowship, where we can quote the Word. We're talking about the consistency of trusting God, of doing it God's way, and that ability to see ourselves for what we really are.

See, I look in the mirror and see one thing; Lauren looks at me and sees something else. She was talking to somebody the other day and said, "Did the team win the softball game"? They said, "No, it got rained out." She said, "Who's playing on it? I assume Pastor is." They said, "Yes." The next comment was something about, "How old is he anyway, like seventy?" (May seventh I'll be fifty-nine. I'm expecting a present.) The young person she was talking to said, "No, he's going to be fifty-nine." Then it was like, "Whatever! All I know is the dude's old! Let's not quibble over fifteen or twenty years!" I see myself-if I'm not looking in the mirror, I'm still twenty in here. Everything else lies to me periodically. Spiritually, we see ourselves that way.

You know, when I was twenty I could run. I was fast. I doubt very seriously-there might be somebody in here that could've matched the forty yard times that I ran back then but I doubt-you'd have to do pretty well. You'd have to be somebody pretty elite. I could jump back then. The problem is every once in awhile I still see myself that way. But, you know, reality is that isn't where it's at anymore.

I don't want to be found doing that in the spiritual realm. I don't want to see myself back where I used to be when my faith was able to move mountains and think that's who I am, and not have that capacity when the time comes. Aren't you glad that in the spiritual realm we don't get older, we get newer? Amen? We don't get older; we get younger, renewed day by day, praise God! Our spirit man gets younger and stronger, but we have this false image. "It's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man," the psalmist said in 118:8. Is our confidence in the banks, in the doctors, in the employer? Then there's the tendency to practice asceticism, run to monastery somewhere. That's not what biblical faith is. It's the ability to live in this world and not be "of" it. To "use and not abuse" it is where real faith is. To enjoy all things, but to come to the reality of what we're really trusting in.

The classic Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge [God], and he [will] direct [your] paths." Which way do you lean? "Lean not to your own understanding." Not just your ability-it's not just talking about trusting in your ability. How many of us are leaning to the ability of the kingdom of darkness, worldly wisdom, and the worldly methods? All that's in the world: lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life; it's in opposition. It's at enmity with God. There's no good thing that's going to come out of that. It's God that gives us richly all things to enjoy. So, we're trusting in Him. We're leaning and trusting in the Lord with all of our hearts. What's God's way of handling this? "Well, diplomacy would say this and do this." Yes, but what did God say to do? Trusting Him is being able to speak the truth in love. Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay; the simplistic life of living in the light. Are you able to trust God today enough to live in the light and say, "Here's what I am. Here's where I am"? Are you able to let people love you, care for you, instruct you, encourage you, reprove you, and rebuke you? Then they let you into their lives because you have a lot to offer where you could love them, instruct them, and reprove them, as each member cares one for another? That's trusting God.

We talked about the problem in St. Kitts. There wasn't a trust for one another. They didn't trust each other. Well, you can't trust each other if you're not trusting God; amen? I wouldn't trust any of you if I wasn't going to put my trust in God. The prophets speak very clearly about that. They said, "Listen, whatever you do, don't trust your father or your mother. Don't trust the one that lies in your arms at night, but trust God. There's only one that's totally trustworthy." How many of you have more confidence and trust in people that are sitting in this room than in God? What a reproach! Anything in anybody here that we would trust in is because of the Spirit of God in them; amen? We see them dying daily. We see the sentence of death in themselves to where they're not trusting-there's no boasting in themselves. What we see in them is the same pursuit of the cross. So, we trust in that because we believe that they're not going to be in this for themselves. They're seeking with the servant's heart to edify and to prosper others and not themselves. This is where our trust ultimately has to be anyway.

These are things that need to be cultivated in our young people. This is why, with the teenagers, we're trying to work on this so diligently. In Psalms 71:5, the Scripture speaks and says, "[You, Lord, are] my hope, O [my] Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth." Can I ask you a question? Are your children being taught to trust you? Are your children trusting in your wisdom and your methods in what you've laid up for them in their inheritance? Are your children trusting in the community that we've built here and the strength of it, or are they trusting in God? If everything else goes away, God is able. You stand, like Job of old, and say, "Lord, though You slay me, I will trust You. I can't figure all this out. I don't know why this is going on, but I trust You." Once we can come to that place of embracing the goodness of God, or as the psalmist said in the fifty-second Psalm, verse 8, "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever."

You see, my trust isn't in what I know about God, or in what I've done for God. It isn't what I believe God is obligated to do for me because of my faith and all the promises that I know and can speak, but my trust is in the fact that He's a merciful God, amen? His mercy endures forever. That's what I trust in. God's merciful, God's good! He wants to bless us and richly give us all things to enjoy. That takes the pressure off. It lets us go out tomorrow and say, "Praise God, whatever Father's got for me. He's going to do me good. He's going to cause me to prosper according to His eternal purposes. He's going to open doors of utterance. I'm going to be able to share the gospel with somebody. I'm going to be able to love the unlovely. I'm going to be able to stay out here and not be fearful today, praise God. I'm not going to be anxious. I'm not going to be puffed up and have to prove myself. I'm going to be able to humble myself. I'm going to be able to let God exalt me." That's what it means to trust God. It's not doing the great miracles and doing the spectacular, it's believing every day that God is doing good things in our life as we're being conformed into the image of Jesus.

Father, we do thank You for Your Word tonight and for all of the good things that You're doing in our lives. We trust that the steps of the good man are ordered, so we're right where You want us today. You're doing good things in our lives, and for that, Father, we're thankful. Your way is best. So, I'm going to be diligent about the instruction I give my children, at the oversight I provide for my house, at the pursuit that I have of humbling myself and submitting to those that are in authority over me. Children, obey your parents. Wives, submit to your husbands. That's trust in God. For a young person, there is no greater demonstration of trusting God than obeying your parents. You could go out there and walk on water and people would say, "Oh, what faith!" Faith is being able to obey your parents. It takes more faith to stay on the shore, because that's what Dad said to do, when you know you could walk on water. You don't get out of the boat until Dad says, "Come." You see, there's the faith of getting out of the boat and walking on water, and there's the faith that's staying in the back of the boat and sleeping. There are two ways to handle storms that are evidenced, but there's really only one way: just trusting God. He'll give you the right instructions, daily. We don't lean unto our own strength. "I've toiled all night." "Cast the net over." True trust in God is, after you've toiled and done everything, saying, "Nevertheless, at Your Word. I don't understand it. I don't see it. I've done everything. I don't see any way that this can work, but at Your Word." You're hoping against hope, leaning not to your own understanding but in all of your ways, nevertheless, at Your Word. "There's no way that it makes any sense to get up from this table, leave this position of power and prominence and all of this money, but at Your Word. Don't you understand I have obligations? I have to go back and bury my father and put everything in order and make sure that the family's taken care of." "What have I done to you? You've just been given a choice. You can cast it all on Me, or you can do it the way everybody else does." When it comes to your daily lives, how much do you consciously trust God?

How much are you aware of His voice, of His provision? As we go about our daily lives, we're only here for one reason; that's to be salt and light. Are you praying, "Lord, open doors of utterance. Give me the opportunity to show my trust in You, to speak of Your faithfulness to all generations"? How much of our effort, mental and physical, is being spent in being salt and light, as opposed to obtaining the things that the world's after? That's trusting God; to be different, to be eternal, to be spiritual. He's given us richly all things to enjoy. How do we enjoy them? By being rich toward God. Taking everything that He's given into our hands and using it for His purposes, having it available for His glory; that's enjoying life. Possessing all and owning nothing-what a great way to live! Make it real to us, Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. As Gary takes a moment to play for us, we'll just rest in Father's presence; realize He's at work in us, to will and to do His good pleasure. Hallelujah! He's working in us. There's a war coming and we're not ready yet. We've been vexed more than we know. Like Samson of old, we believe that we can just shake ourselves, rise up-and our hair's been cut. We've given away the secret of the Nazarite vow. God wants to restore our strength and rekindle the gift that's in us. As we stir it up and focus our eyes again on the unseen, look beyond the treasures that everyone else is pursuing, look for souls and look for opportunities to boast in the mercies of our God; how good He is to me! "Have I told you lately how good God is to me? Have I shared with you the goodness of the Lord Who took my sin upon Himself, clothed me with His righteousness? He gave me a ring and sandals for my feet and has called me a son of God. I'm an heir and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. I'm rich! I'm rich toward God. I don't need what you need to be happy. I'm rich toward God; only His presence satisfies me. I can live without anything but the presence of-take not thy Holy Spirit from me." Everything else could go. You could lose it all: family, children, spouse, reputation, just don't take Your Spirit. You're good, Lord! The Judge does right. Though You slay me, I trust You. I don't understand it, I don't like it, but I trust You; only one thing I can't do without. We trust in Your name; Almighty, eternal in Your goodness and Your grace.

Let's sing it together as we close. (Singing) "I will praise You all my life."

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! In all our ways we acknowledge You. As our guide, our provider, our Father, You know what we have need of. We're being so seduced to trust in everything else, but our trust is in You, Lord. Hallelujah!

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you, and say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Amen. Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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