Building Trust in God Through Intentional Practices

Devotional

Day 1: Building Trust Through Time with God

Spending time with God is essential for building trust in Him. Just as relationships with people grow stronger through shared experiences and time spent together, our relationship with God deepens when we intentionally dedicate time to Him. Evaluate how you spend your time daily and make intentional efforts to spend time with God. This could be as simple as dedicating the first and last 10 minutes of your day to prayer and scripture reading. By prioritizing time with God, you create a foundation of trust that can withstand life's challenges. [19:04]

Psalm 63:1-2 (ESV): "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory."

Reflection: How can you rearrange your daily schedule to ensure you spend dedicated time with God each day? What specific times of the day can you set aside for prayer and scripture reading?

Day 2: Remembering God's Faithfulness

Reflecting on God's past faithfulness strengthens our trust in His present goodness. Create memorials of God's mercies in your life by writing down answered prayers, blessings, and moments of divine intervention. This practice helps us remember and trust in God's ongoing faithfulness. When we face new challenges, recalling how God has been faithful in the past can give us confidence that He will continue to be faithful in the future. [24:33]

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Reflection: Take a moment to write down three specific instances where you have experienced God's faithfulness in your life. How can these memories encourage you in your current circumstances?

Day 3: Seeking God Above All Else

Actively seeking God means prioritizing Him above all else. Jesus asked His disciples, "What are you seeking?" This question challenges us to examine our own pursuits. True joy and fulfillment come from seeking Jesus, not from chasing worldly success or comfort. By making God the primary focus of our lives, we align our desires with His will and experience the peace and joy that only He can provide. [28:44]

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV): "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Reflection: What are the top three priorities in your life right now? How can you adjust your focus to seek God more earnestly in your daily activities and decisions?

Day 4: The Importance of Community

We are not meant to follow Jesus alone. Community provides support, encouragement, and accountability. Surround yourself with people who love Jesus and can walk with you in your spiritual journey. Their faith can bolster yours in times of doubt or difficulty. Being part of a community helps us grow spiritually and provides a network of support that can help us navigate life's challenges. [31:37]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: Who are the people in your life that encourage you in your faith? How can you be more intentional about building and maintaining these relationships?

Day 5: Surrendering Control to God

True trust in God requires full surrender. This means giving up control and trusting in God's promises of security and protection. Worship and trust go hand in hand; choosing to worship God, even when it's difficult, strengthens our trust in Him. Surrendering to God involves letting go of our own plans and desires and embracing His will for our lives, knowing that He has our best interests at heart. [36:08]

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we explored the importance of understanding why we do what we do, especially in our spiritual practices. Just as we might follow certain habits without questioning them, we must ensure that our church practices are rooted in Scripture. Jesus emphasized that God's house should be a house of prayer, and Paul instructed Timothy to preach the Word of God. Our worship, including singing and music, is also biblically mandated.

We delved into the song "Trust in God" by Elevation Worship, which draws from Psalm 34 and Psalm 125. These scriptures remind us that seeking the Lord leads to deliverance from fear and provides a secure foundation. Fear is a universal experience, but our response to it reveals where we place our trust. Trusting in ourselves leads to more fear and anxiety, while trusting in God leads to freedom.

To cultivate trust in God, we must spend our time wisely, see God's faithfulness, seek the Lord, and surrender our lives to Him. Spending time with God builds trust, just as time spent in any relationship does. Remembering God's past faithfulness deepens our trust in His present goodness. Seeking the Lord means pursuing Him above all else, and doing so in community strengthens our faith. Finally, true trust requires full surrender, relinquishing control and embracing God's promises of security and protection.

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Key Takeaways

1. DJ07YdGkxw&t=1144s'>[19:04]
2. See God's Faithfulness: Reflecting on God's past faithfulness strengthens our trust in His present goodness. Create memorials of God's mercies in your life by writing down answered prayers, blessings, and moments of divine intervention. This practice helps us remember and trust in God's ongoing faithfulness.

3. Seek the Lord: Actively seeking God means prioritizing Him above all else. Jesus asked His disciples, "What are you seeking?" This question challenges us to examine our own pursuits. True joy and fulfillment come from seeking Jesus, not from chasing worldly success or comfort.

4. Seek Community: We are not meant to follow Jesus alone. Community provides support, encouragement, and accountability. Surround yourself with people who love Jesus and can walk with you in your spiritual journey. Their faith can bolster yours in times of doubt or difficulty.

5. Surrender Your Life: True trust in God requires full surrender. This means giving up control and trusting in God's promises of security and protection. Worship and trust go hand in hand; choosing to worship God, even when it's difficult, strengthens our trust in Him.

### [19:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:14] - The Dryer Lint Debate
[09:23] - Scriptural Foundations of Church Practices
[11:06] - Exploring the Song "Trust in God"
[12:46] - The Universality of Fear
[14:16] - Trusting in God vs. Trusting in Ourselves
[18:29] - How to Trust in God: Four Ways
[19:04] - Spend Time Correctly
[23:40] - See God's Faithfulness
[28:44] - Seek the Lord
[31:37] - Seek Community
[35:29] - Surrender Your Life
[38:03] - Choosing to Worship and Trust

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Psalm 34:4-5, what happens when we seek the Lord? How does this relate to the theme of trust in the sermon? [12:17]
In Psalm 125:1-2, what metaphor is used to describe those who trust in the Lord? How does this imagery help us understand God's protection? [12:17]
What specific instructions does Paul give Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 regarding the Word of God? How does this align with the sermon’s emphasis on scriptural foundations for church practices? [09:23]
The sermon mentioned that our response to fear reveals where we place our trust. What are some examples given in the sermon of trusting in ourselves versus trusting in God? [14:41]

Interpretation Questions

How does spending time with God help build trust in Him, according to the sermon? Reflect on the practical steps mentioned for spending time correctly. [19:04]
Why is it important to remember God's past faithfulness, and how can this practice deepen our trust in His present goodness? [24:33]
What does it mean to seek the Lord, and how does this differ from seeking worldly success or comfort? How does the sermon suggest we prioritize seeking God? [28:44]
How does the concept of community play a role in strengthening our trust in God? What are the benefits of seeking God in community as highlighted in the sermon? [31:37]

Application Questions

Spending Time Correctly: Reflect on your daily routine. What changes can you make to ensure you are spending time with God each day? Consider the suggestion of dedicating the first and last 10 minutes of your day to prayer and scripture reading. [19:04]
Seeing God's Faithfulness: Have you ever created memorials of God's mercies in your life? What are some specific ways you can start documenting God's faithfulness, such as writing down answered prayers or blessings? [24:33]
Seeking the Lord: What are you currently seeking in your life? How can you shift your focus to seek Jesus above all else? Reflect on the question Jesus asked His disciples, "What are you seeking?" [28:44]
Seeking Community: Do you have a community of believers who support and encourage you in your spiritual journey? If not, what steps can you take to find or build such a community? Consider joining a small group or serving team. [31:37]
Surrendering Your Life: What areas of your life are you holding onto instead of surrendering to God? How can you practice full surrender and trust in God's promises of security and protection? [36:08]
Trusting in God vs. Trusting in Ourselves: Identify a specific area where you tend to trust in yourself rather than God. What practical steps can you take to shift your trust from yourself to God in that area? [14:41]
Choosing to Worship and Trust: How can you incorporate worship into your daily routine as an act of trust in God? Reflect on the connection between worship and trust mentioned in the sermon. [38:03]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Trusting in ourselves is easy, but it leads to fear. Trusting in God is difficult, but it leads to freedom. All of those things, trusting in my money, my opinion, my ability, my plans, my perceived goodness. I can do all of those things and it's actually going to lead to just more fear in my life. Or I can trust in God and that's going to lead to freedom." [17:00] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "The irony of life is that when we seek happiness to get happiness, or when we seek success or money or security, we actually won't get those things. We miss the mark. But when we actually seek Jesus, then true joy, eternal and internal joy is ours." [29:47] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "When learning how to trust in God, we first have to seek out God. We have to go to him. We have to pursue him. Not for what we could possibly get from him, but we seek him because we realize he is everything. He is life. He is joy. He is freedom. And he is looking at us, waiting for us to seek after him." [30:29] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Life is meant to be done together. And when we are following Jesus, seeking after him, we need to do so with others. We need community around us who love Jesus first and then love us second. In that order, people that are pursuing their own walk with Christ." [34:24] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Trusting in God will require you to surrender every part of yourself. The entire being. It's gonna make you vulnerable. It relinquishes a certain level of control. Control in your life. But trusting in God also brings with it a promise... They are secure. They will not be defeated. They will endure forever. The Lord surrounds his people." [36:08] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "If we don't know why we do what we do, then we're simply just going through the motions that we have seen. We're just being modeled by somebody else. If we don't know why we're doing it, the way we do church, the things we do here, they are not just man-made ideas for a program to have church. They're built from the scriptures. They have to be the scriptures as the standard for what church should be and what God has instructed us to do." [09:23] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "What I've learned to be true is that our response to what we fear shows a lot of where we put our trust in our life. Our response to what we fear shows a lot of where we put our trust in our life." [14:16] (13 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The conscious act of remembering God's past faithfulness, it deepens our trust in his present goodness. When the act of remembering that God's past faithfulness was there, when we can do that, it actually deepens our trust in his present goodness." [24:33] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Trust is hard-earned, easily lost, and difficult to reestablish. Isn't that the truth? Think about every relationship in your life that has broken trust. Trust is hard-earned, easily lost, and it's difficult to reestablish. Trust can only happen through time. Time spent together in connection with another. It is the same way with God. Time spent with God, it teaches us to trust more in God. The more time we spend with Him, the more over time we learn to trust in Him." [19:33] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Choosing to trust and choosing to worship go hand in hand. Choosing to trust and choosing to worship. We worship that which we trust. Worship strengthens our trust. And both of those are choices that we make regardless of how we are feeling." [37:36] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Transcript

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