I’m Not There Yet I Robert Madu I Social Dallas

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God’s Character Over Our Circumstances

Trust is always connected to the consistency of a person’s character. You are invited to move beyond trusting God just because things are going well and instead seek to know His heart. When you chase after His Word and His ways, your confidence becomes anchored in who He is rather than what is happening around you. You do not need to know every "why" behind your situation when you know the God who is walking through it with you. This deep, personal knowledge of His nature is what secures your trust during the storm. [08:34]

Hebrews 10:35-37
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you. Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. For in just a little while, the coming one will come and not delay.

Reflection: When you consider the pace and pressure of your daily life, what spiritual practice could you adopt to create more space to recognize God's presence?

Day 2: Finding Peace Within God’s Hedge of Protection

There is a divine hedge of protection around your life that serves a dual purpose. While it keeps predators from getting in, it also serves to keep your heart from wandering away into places that would cause you harm. Even in seasons of pain, you can find reasons to thank God for the things He has blocked from entering your household. You can rest in the reality that the enemy cannot cross the boundaries God has established for your life. Recognizing this protection allows you to stay focused on His presence rather than the threats outside the hedge. [27:50]

Job 1:10
Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you have felt restricted or "fenced in" lately? How might that boundary actually be God’s way of protecting you from something you cannot see?

Day 3: Trading a Formula Faith for True Devotion

It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that right actions plus right behavior should always equal the specific consequences you desire. This "formula faith" treats your relationship with God like a transaction rather than a walk of faith. When the "math" of your life doesn't seem to add up, it is an opportunity to see if you love God for who He is or just for the outcomes He provides. True trust is found when you stop looking for a formula and start looking for the Person of Jesus. God may allow the formula to break, but He does so to show you that His presence is better than any predictable result. [37:46]

Job 13:15
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus because the "outcome" isn't what you expected?

Day 4: The Power of Worshiping and Grieving Simultaneously

You do not have to wait until your pain is gone to offer a sincere sacrifice of praise to the Lord. Real faith allows you to be honest about your emotions, expressing your grief while still falling to the ground in worship. Worship is not an escape from reality, but a way to hold both your sorrow and God’s sovereignty at the same time. You can be real with how you feel without losing sight of the One who holds your story in His hands. In the middle of your darkest chapters, your worship becomes a powerful declaration that God is still good even when life is hard. [42:17]

Job 1:20-21
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

Reflection: Think of a situation that currently feels heavy or painful. How might God be inviting you to express both your honest grief and your worship to Him today?

Day 5: Anchoring Your Hope in the Finished Work

Instead of looking at your current circumstances to determine if God is for you, look at the finished work of the cross. The gospel reminds you that your hope does not start with your own behavior, but with what Jesus has already accomplished on your behalf. When you anchor your trust in the cross, you are no longer swayed by whether you received the specific outcome you wanted in the moment. He is the prize, and His love was proven once and for all when He took your place. Even if you feel like you aren't "there yet" in your journey of trust, you can start today by surrendering your life to the One who gave everything for you. [47:33]

Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Reflection: Where have you recently sensed God inviting you to trust Him more deeply, and what practical step of faith could you take this week to move away from "transactional" trust?

Sermon Summary

The service centers on a single, decisive theme: confident trust in God that goes beyond outcomes. Opening with the affirmation that the gathering is a house of prayer, presence, and people, the speaker anchors the year in a memorized verse and then unpacks Job 13:15 — “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” Honesty about spiritual growth threads the talk: not everyone is “there yet,” and faithful trust is learned, not assumed. The nature of trust is explored: trust is attached to the consistent character of God, not to a predictable formula of right actions producing guaranteed blessings.

Using Job’s story, the address traces a dramatic reversal — prosperity, an accusation from Satan, then catastrophic loss — to show that suffering does not automatically indict a person’s righteousness. Satan’s challenge — that Job serves God for reward and would curse God if the rewards stopped — exposes the temptation toward transactional faith. The integrity of God’s sovereignty is emphasized: God permits limits to the enemy but is not the author of harm. The “hedge” around Job becomes a vivid image of both protection and necessary restraint.

The difference between formula and faith is made concrete: many live by an equation of actions plus behavior equals consequences, but the book of Job breaks that math. Even when outcomes are confusing or painful, worship and truthful lament are authentic responses; Job tears his robe, shaves his head, and still worships. That posture reframes possession and loss: everything was a gift and a stewardship before it was ever an entitlement. Ultimately the address redirects to the cross as the true basis for trust — trust rooted in what Christ accomplished, not in contingent outcomes — and calls listeners to abandon transactional religion for faith that rests in God’s character. The invitation closes with a clear gospel appeal: surrender, not for guaranteed comfort, but for relationship with the One who is worthy of trust even when understanding falls short.

Key Takeaways

1. Trust is anchored in character True trust depends on who God is, not merely on what God does. When confidence is rooted in divine consistency—His mercy, wisdom, and purposes—faith remains steady in seasons of confusion. This kind of trust allows worship to coexist with honest questions and keeps a soul from redefining God by circumstances. [08:34]
2. Faith isn't a transactional formula Walking by faith is not following a reliable equation of actions plus behaviors producing expected outcomes. The temptation to reduce devotion to a reward system robs faith of depth and makes it fragile when trials contradict expected math. Genuine faith perseveres when the arithmetic of life fails. [32:35]
3. Worship can accompany honest grief Lament and praise are not mutually exclusive; worship can be uttered through torn robes and shaved heads. Holding sorrow and adoration together acknowledges reality while refusing to surrender the heart to cynicism. Such worship is more resilient because it speaks truth to pain without erasing it. [41:05]
4. All possessions are sacred stewardship Wealth, family, and success were gifts before they were belongings; stewardship flips entitlement into gratitude and responsibility. Recognizing everything as a loan from God frees a heart to worship in loss and to steward in plenty. That perspective reframes suffering not as punishment but as an invitation to deeper dependence. [43:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:33] - House Rules: Prayer, Presence, People
[01:02] - Word of the Year: Trust
[02:21] - Job 13:15 Introduced
[08:34] - Trust Tied to God's Character
[17:40] - Job’s Prosperity and Resume
[24:29] - Satan’s Accusation and the Hedge
[32:35] - Formula Faith vs. True Faith
[41:05] - Worship During Grief
[43:42] - Stewardship: Everything Is a Gift
[45:46] - Start with the Cross
[52:14] - Invitation: Surrender & Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

Job 13:15
"Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face."

Hebrews 10:35–37
"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, 'Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay.'"

Job 1:20–21
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

Observation questions

According to the description of Job’s life before his trials, what were the four specific traits that defined his character? [17:40]
In Job 1:20, what were the three immediate physical responses Job had after losing his children and his wealth? [41:05]
Based on Hebrews 10:35-36, what is the relationship between "confident trust" and the "reward" or "promise" of God? [01:22]
When Satan challenges God regarding Job, what specific protection does he claim God has placed around Job and his household? [24:29]

Interpretation questions

Trust is always connected to the consistency of a person’s character rather than just how much we like them [08:34]. How does a deep knowledge of God’s nature prevent a person from redefining Him based on painful circumstances? [09:47]
Many people live by a "formula faith" where right actions plus right behavior should equal right consequences [33:04]. Why does the book of Job intentionally "break the formula" to show that suffering isn't always a result of personal sin? [37:15]
Job worshiped while simultaneously tearing his robe and shaving his head in grief [41:19]. What does this teach about the ability to hold both deep sorrow and sincere adoration for God at the same time? [42:42]
The biblical metaphor of a "hedge" involves thorny bushes that keep predators out but also keep the sheep from wandering away [27:32]. How does this dual purpose of the hedge help us interpret the "boundaries" God sets in our lives? [27:50]

Application questions

It is easy to trust God when the "math is mathing" and life is going according to plan. Can you share a time when your "formula" for faith was broken by a trial you didn't expect? [35:22]
We often treat our blessings as entitlements rather than gifts. If you truly viewed your family, health, and career as a "stewardship" on loan from God, how would that change your perspective during a season of loss? [43:42]
Transactional trust says, "I will serve God *so that* He will bless me" [30:39]. In what areas of your life are you currently tempted to walk by a formula instead of walking by faith? [37:46]
Job didn't reach the point of saying "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him" until chapter 13 of his story [40:14]. If you feel like you are "not there yet" in your spiritual maturity, what is one way you can be more honest with God about your current struggles this week? [03:22]
When it feels like God has "missed the shot" or failed to answer a specific prayer, we are tempted to walk away [13:11]. How can looking at the cross—the ultimate consequence of God's love—anchor your trust when your current outcomes are confusing? [45:46]
Worship is not an escape from grief, but a response that can coexist with it [42:17]. Is there a "torn robe" or a "shaved head" moment in your life right now where you need to give yourself permission to grieve while still choosing to fall on the ground and worship? [41:05]

Sermon Clips

You didn't hear him say that. God didn't say that. He said, I'm I'm not saying y'all y'all are gonna have one. He said, I just wanna pray. He said, can I pray? And I politely grabbed his hand, but firmly, and said, no. We're not gonna pray. We good. He said, you're not gonna let me pray for you? I said, no. You should go. And he walked away. And the reason I had the confidence to tell that man, God didn't say that, is because I know God's character. I know who he is. [00:07:18] (36 seconds) #DiscernGodsWord

I I know who God is. And as we begin to unpack this word, trust over this year, it is going to be important. No. I'll say imperative that you begin to get clarity on the nature and on the character of who God is. You have to know who God is if you're gonna put your trust and your faith in him because trust is always connected to the consistency of a person's character. [00:08:09] (28 seconds) #TrustGodsCharacter

You're enrolling people on the hit list of Satan? and you're bringing up my name to the enemy? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. If I'm Job, this is the part where I'm going, god, keep my name and I'm wealthy, and you're bringing my you're bringing my name up to the devil. Ain't that something? What kind of God is this? And the Bible doesn't even explain to us why he does it. He just does it. [00:23:13] (50 seconds) #WhyGodAllowsTrials

What is the enemy attacking? Here's what he's attacking. He's saying to God, Job don't love you for you. Job loves you for what you do for him. God, don't get it twisted. You think he's faithful? He ain't faithful. He just figured out the formula. He figured out that when he does right, you bless him. When he's righteous, you reward him. Job doesn't love you. Job loves outcomes. [00:29:12] (38 seconds) #JobLovesOutcomes

Here's my question. Are you walking by faith or are you walking by formula? Because sometimes it's hard to tell if you're trusting God because you love him or you're trusting God for the outcome you want, and you're not walking by faith, you're walking by formula. Let me form you know what a formula is? Can I go Bill Nye, the science guy? I mean, there's a difference between walking by faith and walking by formula. Do you know the difference between faith and formula? No difference? I did not excel in math. [00:30:35] (54 seconds) #WalkByFaithNotFormula

Break the formula, God. Let her pray for her mama to be healed, and you don't heal her. Watch how she stops praying. God, let him believe you for a job, trust you, actually start tithing this year, and then he never gets the job and loses the one he doesn't even like. I bet he stops coming to church and goes to Buffalo Wild Wings. Break the formula. [00:35:30] (27 seconds) #FaithBeyondFormula

``So the enemy says, Break the formula, God. I promise He'll curse you to your face. But I need you to hear this. God goes, okay. Satan, this is how much you can touch. I think it's imperative to note the idea to bring the pain and the harm did not come from God. Satan thought of it. God, in his sovereignty says, this is as far as you can go. It was not God's idea to inflict the pain. [00:38:14] (44 seconds) #GodLimitsSatan

I'm not looking at the outcome to determine his love for me. I'm looking at the old rugged cross. And when I believe what has been done for me, I will not allow the enemy to reduce my love and my trust in God to outcomes. [00:47:14] (19 seconds) #FaithInTheCross

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How does one distinguish faith from formula?

Why does God allow suffering despite His goodness?

What does Job teach about worshiping while grieving?

I’m Not There Yet I Robert Madu I Social Dallas

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God’s Character Over Our Circumstances

Day 2: Finding Peace Within God’s Hedge of Protection

Day 3: Trading a Formula Faith for True Devotion

Day 4: The Power of Worshiping and Grieving Simultaneously

Day 5: Anchoring Your Hope in the Finished Work

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

I’m Not There Yet I Robert Madu I Social Dallas

Share