Believe God With Your Heart For Your Life

Jeremiah 17:5–8 (NKJV) — [5] Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. [6] For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. [7] “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. [8] For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV) — [5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:25–26 (NKJV) — [25] Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; [26] For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

Psalm 32:8 (NKJV) — [8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

Mark 11:22–24 (NKJV) — [22] So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. [23] For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. [24] Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) — [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 1:1–3 (NKJV) — [1] Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. [3] He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Romans 5:8 (NKJV) — [8] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

See 2 Kings 18:1 – 19:7 – An example of confidence by Hezekiah

Objective

The objective of this lesson is to help you to not only pursue God, but to incorporate his Kingdom principles into your life.

Lesson

  • Consider honestly what you trust in with your heart. Is it God or is it man?
  • Do you believe the word of God for your life?
  • Is pursuing God a priority in your life (consider your day and what you chose to do)?

An important point about believing: Believing God is a choice (Believing anything is a choice).  The question then becomes, “What influences our choice?”  Why would you choose to believe God and make decisions based on that belief?

A relationship with God is imperative if we are going to live a life of trust.  How can we know what to trust God for if we do not know his nature, what he has promised, and what he has done?

Practice

Practice the things you learn in order to see the power of God operate in your life.

  • Instead of trying to figure a problem out, pray to God for the answer
  • Instead of taking a medication because of a new symptom, pray to God for relief of the cause of the symptom
  • Instead of trying to figure out how to get out of a bad situation, pray to God for wisdom
  • Instead of using your own resources to acquire something you need, pray to God to provide it for you.
  • Instead of blindly trusting and obeying the doctor, pray to God for healing and deliverance.

The point here is to get into a habit of pursuing God for all of the things in your life instead of relying on yourself or others first.

Commune With God Regularly

  1. Make the time to spend with the Lord regularly, even daily. Don’t make it a religion, but rather consider it a relationship.
  2. Make the time to read your Bible
  3. Make the time to pray according to Scripture (with boldness, confidence, and faith)
  4. PROTECT YOUR HEART
    1. Protect your heart from your own negative, worldly, and unbelieving disposition
    2. Protect your heart from those around you, who may mean well for you, but do not live a life of trust in God nor do they prioritize a healthy relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.
    3. Stay on the path of faith (steadfastness)
  5. Find others who walk by faith and fellowship with them even if it is a long-distance relationship or group.

Option 0

We are used to relying on man as our first option. When we are sick, we tend to think, “medical science.”  We tend to think of the bank, accountant, or a financial planner when we have financial issues.  Our hierarchy of trust looks something like the following.

  1. Humans (including self)
  2. Professional (doctor, lawyer, accountant, pastor, minister, etc.)
  3. Information (use herbs, concoctions, physical exercise, etc.)
  4. Spiritualism

In short, we tend to go immediately down the path of, “What can humans do for me” when we face challenges.  However, I would like to propose another option, a higher option.  I call it “Option 0.”