TRUST
“TRUST”
Preached by: Carolyn Sissom
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Prov. 3: 5-8: Trust the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones.”
We take this opportunity to honor our graduates who are members and children or grandchildren of members:
Julio Hernandez graduate from Nursery School
(Son of Erin Barner and grand son of Les and Nel Barner)
Cherrie Titiana Lemonds graduate from High School
(Daughter of J. T. Lemonds)
Courtney Amanda Whittington graduate from University of Houston
(Daughter of Yvonne Whittington)
Rachel Alexandra McBath graduate from Kincaid High School
(Grand daughter of Gene and Bet Amante)
Pr. 127:3: “Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” “Children are rewards. Children are taught to honor their parents, but also parents should honor their children. We at Little White Church honor our children with appreciation, respect, approval, praise, acceptance, encouragement, direction and affirmation.
When parents speak the promises of God over their children, these kids eventually grow into what is being spoken. “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (11 Cor. 4:18). The promises of God are found in the realm of the unseen truths outlined in His unchanging Word. Speak the promises of God over children and they will become what we speak.” (Paraphrased from Honor’s Reward by John Bevere)
“Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:4)
Jesus throughout the scriptures carefully linked His Father’s ancient requirements for greatness with humility, justice, mercy and faith toward God.
Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah says humility is a requirement for greatness. Jesus substituted faith in Matthew 23: Humility and faith are directly related to one another.
Matthew 23: 23-24: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint, anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith; these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. You blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
The highest level of faith is trust. Trust requires great humility because it requires that we believe God’s promises when we have no human understanding of how God will accomplish His promise.
Jesus teaches us how to trust Him in all things. Just as a child learns to trust and obey parents and community from those who love him/her, humble trust is demonstrated by obedience to God’s Word before having a revelation of it. In the middle of trials and temptations, trust will obey God without needing all the answers.
Many times we do not know the Why, When or Where, but if we trust God, we just accept the situation as it is. We don’t have to have all the questions answered to believe the Lord’s heart. We simply trust Him. If he chooses to explain the why, then that is up to Him.
God is trustworthy. He has out best interest in mind. He has proven it through His loving acts of mercy and sacrifice throughout history! No one can really obey the commands of God unless they cross the great hurdle of trust. I believe that much of what happens to us that we do not understand occurs because God wants to bring us home safely. “Order my steps in your Word, O Lord, and let no sin have dominion over me.” (Ps. 119:133)
God has designed us to believe His Word, to honor it, to speak it and to live it. When we pray and believe His Word, He has promised to perform it. We have the responsibility to know and understand what God’s Word says about our lives. What happens when we can’t hear what Jesus is saying specifically about our situation or our problem? What happens when all the Scriptures we have prayed over and truly believed aren’t producing immediate results? That’s when we trust. We never stop believing God’s Word and what He promised. We recognize that He is faithful to His promise, but in the meantime what is being developed in us is a greater good---faith and patience. It’s wonderful to see immediate answers to prayers and instant miracles when we believe. But perhaps it takes a greater faith to put your faith in the Lord and trust Him when you don’t understand His ways. It should give us great peace to know that we don’t have to be in control. The Lord is in control.
Our God is jealous for our attention and affection. I believe He gradually removes things in our lives that keep us from totally loving and trusting Him. Jeremiah 18:4 “And the vessel; that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
Our biggest struggles are when God makes another vessel and He uses the hammer of His Word or the fire of His Spirit. The molding process can hurt! Our natural mind says, “What is wrong that I am not receiving the blessing of God?” The carnal Christian will blame others or try to work a little harder to earn God’s favor. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”((Rev. 3:19a) God is love and knows what love really is. It’s not merely a feeling. Jesus’ love toward us provokes us to change to become more like Him. His love chastens us in order to make the insignificant into the important, the irrelevant into true reality, the true nobodies and the nothings into great big some bodies and some things. When we truly become the vessel that Jesus has chosen us to be, it won’t really matter what we have or if we are of great reputation. It is pride that strives for recognition. Humility seeks to be the best we can and give that best to the Lord.
Many of Christ’s followers never advance to the greatness of their calling because they look for the immediate blessing of faith rather than trusting God when He is silent. God is as faithful in His silence as He is when He is talking. Those silent times teach us the depth of faith, which is trust.”
Tonight I am going to again be preaching on the Saints Movement. As a Pastor, I have been challenged over and over by the Saints who are pursuing their callings. I have remained faithful to the commission to “equip the Saints for the work of the ministry.” Short of giving away the ministry and pulpit entrusted to me, I am doing all I know to do to encourage the Saints to fulfill their gifts and callings and to be an open door to encourage many. The only boundary I have set is “Get your own –you can’t have mine. I will show you how to do it and love you through it.” (Smile)
God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11)
God has perfect and gracious intentions for us. No matter what he asks or commands us to do, when we trust Him it is not difficult to obey because we know that “Father knows best.”
Like little children, God builds basic trust in us as He patiently deals with our imperfections. He even models everything He wants to see established in us! He teaches us gentleness and tolerance by patiently working with our inconsistencies. Jesus gave His own life for us out of pure love and gave us the supreme example of giving. He also teaches us grace by mercifully making allowances for our strong wills until we can trust His Word of simplicity.
In the initial stages of building trust, a little child will ask many questions. God patiently explains many things to us, and He even condescends to graciously reason with us---creatures whose intellect isn’t remotely on par with His, and whose questions are nearly always tainted with self-interest, excuses, agendas or impure motives.
Isaiah 1: 18-19: “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool, if you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”
God’s desire is to reveal Himself to us so clearly that we know His character and are sure His intentions for us are good, in order that we will instantly and joyfully trust and obey Him exactly as Jesus did.
As we learn about trust, our heavenly Father reveals His forbearance toward us by allowing us a certain amount of liberty to err in order to show us how to minister grace to others. Some people find it harder to trust than others because their natural wills and fleshly tendencies are stronger and more obvious. God gains their trust by meeting them at their level. He will allow us to stumble to keep us humble.
“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away”. (I Peter 5:2-4)
Teachers, Parents and Ministers who are wise enough to balance the need to guide and instruct with tolerance and understanding are able to minimize fear and condemnation in those they lead. On the other hand, those who put a heavy emphasis on concepts of “authority”, “headship” and “rule” could be more concerned with corporate management and administration than with personal leadership. They may emphasize headship and authority at the cost of personal growth and loving relationships. This can produce fear, anger, lack of respect and misunderstanding in those they lead.
Fear and torment thrive when people must live under the threat of heavy punishment or reprimands. God, however, wants us not to fear but to trust Him. Greater trust in a relationship produces love and greater submission.
This humble trust might even mean accepting the blame for things you have not done. It surely means being the example of love and forgiveness to the wagging tongues caught up in judgment and accusation around you. Paul’s instruction to Timothy, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim. 2: 24-25)
What an attitude of humble trust, our churches, ministries, families, and organizations will be blessed with the sensitivity and warmth that make them places of hope for people, places they will want to be part of. People naturally respond to an atmosphere and an attitude of servant hood. It is Jesus’ unconditional love in action, lived out in human flesh. When an attitude of this servant hood-type love and care for others, we will never fail to overcome and achieve Kingdom greatness. Servant love will always be victorious because it never seeks its own. It is not touchy or resentful. We are truly great servants of God, humbly trusting Him, when we can serve others without being offended. This is the sign of real maturity and Christian character. This is a stumbling block for many Christians. We are not ready to lead unless we are willing to be servants. Jesus fulfilled the Servant Songs of Isaiah.
How do we build trusting relationships?
Due to time, this will be a short over-view of a much deeper subject, but I hope to cause you to search these things out on your own.
- Trust grows when we stay faithful to our promises to others.
- Trust thrives in the presence of joy.
- Trust grows as we share intimate times together.
Jesus wants us to wait on Him, to hear His voice, and to know Him better. This depth of relationship requires trust. Though we cannot see Him, yet we believe Him.
Trust in our relationships with others often grows best through nonverbal communication. God’s word tells us that “deep calls unto deep,” reflecting the nature of the spirit man alive in each of us. If you have a deep relationship with someone, you can spend more time with him or her in utter silence because you are at peace in each other’s love.
- Trust grows as we learn to understand God’s way of thinking. God does nothing through force or compulsion. We are not puppets on a string because God gave us the right of choice. We are loved, accepted, and even encouraged to become great in God’s eyes---even if we blow it royally and repeatedly! God is committed to our personal growth. He wants us to understand Him! He believes in us.
We achieve the highest level of trust in our interpersonal relationships when we genuinely want the other person to become everything he or she can be.
Three characteristics of Trust:
- The first characteristic of trust is obedience.
When there is genuine love and respect that exists in a relationship, obedient submission is much easier. We desire to serve those we love. When we obey at the times when it is risky, true trust is demonstrated.
When Gad came to David in the cave of Adullam, David was comfortable and safe there. But, “the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah” (1Sam. 22:5a). Adullam was a stronghold, which is a place where water was in abundance and food, was stored. It was also a secure military base. When we are in our own secure place of abundance, provision, and protection, then it is hard to move on to another place.
If you ask Jesus to make you into a great leader or minister, be prepared to do some things you may not understand in obedience to the Word of God.
Comfortable Christian living and trusting in the ways of man do not produce the God-kind of faith. When things get a bit uncomfortable as a Christian, just know that Jesus is working some greatness in your life. He’s teaching you to trust Him above your own abilities, strengths, and provisions. He wants us to know that He is all you really need. He is enough! Jesus will lead you into victory.
The second characteristic of trust is joy. This means that no matter what circumstances look like, if you’re trust Jesus, you have an inner joy because you know He is your provider, protector, peacemaker, and the possessor of your life.
When everything in life seems like its falling and failing, the one who trusts in Jesus can laugh. Joy and peace are evidences that the Kingdom of God is ruling in our lives. Christian joy doesn’t have its roots in success or failure, abundance or lack, good times or bad. Joy springs up in our hearts because it knows the salvation and deliverance that comes from Jesus.
The third characteristic of trust is fruitfulness. This is characterized by our commitments to our families, local church and to God. Some Christians are floatful instead of faithful. That means rather than staying in one place with the same people and bearing fruit, they float from place to place living off the fruits of others. God calls this type of wandering spirit a curse. These are also “wanton”. Such people look at life some what like a lottery. If they could just find the perfect church, the perfect mate, the perfect job, or the perfect friends, they will be fruitful.
Life is not a lottery. Life is a garden in which whatever we plant and tend bears fruit. “Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” The only real way to bear lasting fruit is to plant yourself and let Jesus allow you to bloom where you are planted. It matters now what kind of soil you are planted in. If you trust Him for your growth and for giving you His wisdom and power, you can bear fruit in any soil.
Fruitfulness has its foundation in trust. That’s the reason God emphasizes to parents the need to train up their children in the way that they should go---when they are old they will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6)
“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploit” (Daniel 11:32)
Knowing the Lord is the only way to really trust Him. Do you want to progress toward knowing the greatness of God? Put everything aside for awhile and get alone with the Greatest One.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. Text from Requirements for Greatness by Lori Wilke and quote from Honor’s Reward by John Bevere
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