THEME: RULES OF LIVING HAPPILY
TOPIC: TRUST IN GOD
TEACHER: BRO. IME EDET SAM
INTRODUCTION
A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes. A genuinely happy person is one who has made others happy. Many times in life we strive to find somebody we can put our trust in. Sometimes it may be our friends, or maybe someone we look up to in the community. Now, there is nothing wrong with trusting these people; we should rather not put our full trust in them. They are only human and they can let you down. God created you, and knows everything about you. You can therefore put all of your trust in God and know that He will not let you down.
ESSENTIALS FOR TRUSTING GOD
The essentials for trusting God can be seen from what each letter represents in the word T-R-U-S-T; thus:
T – Take Him at His Word (Psalms 33:4). In order to trust God, it is imperative that we believe God will not lie or break His promises. Sometimes our trust factor is challenged because of prior experiences of disappointment. People make promises but don’t follow through. So, in our disappointment, our willingness to trust again becomes fractured. The scripture reminds us that God is not like people – He will not lie. He always keeps his word. “God is not like people, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever he promises, he does; He speaks, and it is done” (Numbers 23:19 GNT). As such, He can always be trusted. “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man (woman) who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)!
R – Rest in His Presence (Isaiah 41:10). In trusting God, we must acknowledge and rest in the knowledge that He is in control, rather than striving in our own strength. Trusting God takes the responsibility for the outcome off my shoulders and places it on God’s. That brings comfort because our vision in any situation is limited to what we know about the past and the present in which God has a great advantage. He not only knows our past and present, but He also knows the past, present, and future of everyone. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens. We can rest in His presence, knowing He longs to care for His children.
U – Understand that the Outcome doesn’t Depend on You (Jeremiah 17: 7-8). In trusting God, we must relinquish personal control while, in essence, telling God, “I believe your way is best – whatever that may be.” Our understanding of others, all situations, and ourselves is limited. Therefore, we cannot rely on our understanding, but we can be confident in God who knows all things – including the outcome of our situation.
S – Accept That God Is Sovereign (Jeremiah 32:17). God is in control of all things and rules over all things. In accepting God’s sovereignty, we must agree that He is the supreme source of all power and authority. Whereas we struggle with many things, nothing is too difficult for Him. God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in our lives and throughout the world.
T – Testimony of Others and Previous Experiences (John 2:23). In times when our own ability to trust wanes, we can be encouraged by others’ testimonies about what God has done in their lives.
WAYS TO TRUST IN GOD AND BE HAPPY
Rebuke Doubt: Doubt is the biggest deterrent to faith. When doubtful thoughts shows up, immediately give them an eviction notice. Replace them with hope and faith-filled words that have transformational power for any situation (Isaiah 40:31, James 1:6).
Find Your Story and that of others: Sometimes it helps to find stories in the Bible that we can identify with. Seeing the hand of God consistently move on behalf of believers throughout time is a great reminder of God’s faithfulness. (Genesis 28:15).
Affirm What God Says: Speak life into tough circumstances and moments. Make a habit of filling-up on God’s promises, so that when hard times come the Word is already safely planted within to draw upon (1 John 5:14-15).
Cast Down Negative Thoughts: The enemy launches fiery darts, in the form of negative thoughts, endlessly throughout the day. His goal is to get a person to take ownership of the thought. As Christians, we’re not to accept anything as truth that doesn’t line up with the Word of God. Instead, take treacherous thoughts captive and stay on the path of truth.
Be Generous: Give out time, resources, gifts and love. It’s easy to feel like when disaster hits we don’t have anything to share with others. Let your light shine anyway. No matter how hard things get, there’s always an opportunity to give. Not only does this show a deep trust in God, it also prevents a victim mentality from taking root.
CONCLUSION: As believers in Christ Jesus, for us to live happily, we need to trust in the Lord. Trusting in God is the ground on which man finds freedom from the bondage of sin. The man whose trust is in God has the feeling of happiness because he has the assurance of safety, divine providence, salvation and he delights in God and desires to do His duty towards Him.
REMAIN BLESSED!