The Faith to Follow - Steps to God's Guidance, Pt. 3

We'll see you next time on In Touch. In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. Next on In Touch, the faith to follow. It's an act of God's grace that He has chosen a plan for your life and mine. Wonderful grace of God that He has chosen a plan and is willing to walk with you. So, we don't have to go through life wondering, is my life going to count, what am I doing with myself, what do others think, and all of that. God, in His awesome grace, has a plan and a purpose for your life, and therefore, He has a pathway for you to walk. Because if He has a plan, there's a path. Most people are going to live out their life never even thinking the fact that God has a will for them or a plan for them. And they're going to come to a point where they'll fall out and come maybe toward the end of their life or maybe a few years before that, and look back and think, what was all that about? What did I miss? Where was God in all of this? And I can tell you, God knew from the very beginning His plan and purpose and will for your life. The sooner you discover what that pathway is, you get on His path, then the sooner and the better and the happier and the happier and the happier you're going to be in your life. And that's what He's going to do for you, no matter what's going on. But, you have to believe that. You have to believe that God loves you enough to have a plan.

He loves you enough to get you into the plan. He has a pathway that's the best path. God doesn't have any second-rate paths. He has the best path for you, if you're willing to follow it. One of the most familiar verses in the Bible or passages is in Proverbs chapter eight. We'll deal with those primarily, but look, if you will, beginning in verse one of Proverbs chapter three. He says, "'My son, do not forget My teaching,' what a wonderful way to begin, "'but let your heart keep My commandments. For the length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.'" So, how you live makes a difference. "'Do not let kindness and truth leave you. But do not leave them in the sight of God.' And I'll tell you what. Do not leave them in the sight of God. But lay them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart so you'll find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.'" And now listen to this. You should memorize this. Watch. "'Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.'" Now, here's God's command to us. It's one thing for Him to guide me, to be willing to guide me.

It's one thing for me to listen, but am I willing, am I willing and truly, truly willing to follow that? That is, am I willing to trust Him? Now, if you don't trust Him, you don't trust Him. Watch this. If you don't obey God, it's because you don't trust Him. Whatever else you may say, you don't trust Him. Because He always chooses what's right and what's best for us. And so, if we believe that God is who He says He is, we'll trust Him. If I don't trust Him, if, for example, if He says, you're afraid, if you're afraid, you're not trusting Him. If you rebel, you're not trusting Him. If there's something about what He commands you to do and you say, no, no, you don't trust Him. You don't trust Him to be the God He says He is. So, with that in mind, I want us to think about this passage of Scripture, and that is that God commands us to trust Him. Listen to what He says. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Now, to trust somebody is to have a strong belief in their integrity, their ability, and their character. If I really and fully trust them, all three of those things are going to be involved. And so, He says here, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Now, if I trust somebody, I have confidence in them. I believe what they say. In other words, what I'm saying is, I have confidence in You as a person, therefore, I will do thus and so. I have confidence in You, God, that if You're leading me to do

this or to say this, then I'm going to trust You that You will work it out according to what Your plan is. You said You'd plan their life. You'd give us guidance and direction. And we're to listen to, here's what I believe you've said. Now, if I really and truly believe you, I'm going to trust you that whatever you require of me is going to turn out right. Now, if there's no trust, no confidence, I'm not going to do it. So, think about this. When a person lives a life of sin, whatever else you may say, they're living a life in which they do not trust God. And so, the truth is, if I don't trust Him, nothing in my life's going to work out right. And the reason people are living the lives they're living, outside of God's will and purpose of their life, they don't trust Him. If I trust Him, and this is Almighty God, if I trust Him, I'm going to do what He says. And so, what you have to ask yourself is, are you one of those persons that trust Him? Or are you one of those persons that you talk about it and you think about it, but deep down inside, you don't trust Him? Let's give you a simple example. The Bible says, bring ye all the tithes in the storehouse and all the promises that God makes. Now, why wouldn't anybody tithe their income to God who asks for it as an act of blessing and who makes this awesome promise? Either I'm going to do it, or whatever I may try to deceive myself, I don't trust Him.

And I can tell you, I've been tithing from my first job, and I don't brag about that. I gave a little bit more than that before, and I gave twenty-five percent on my first job because I wouldn't have thought about just giving God pennies. He didn't make me four dollars, but I gave Him a dollar. I thought He deserved that much. You know what? I've been trusting Him ever since. And I'll tell you something else, He's never let me down, not one single time. Now, either you believe what He says, you trust Him, or you don't. Now, you can color it up and massage it and do all kind of things to it, but either you trust Him or you don't. So, what's the basis of this trust? He's, listen, He says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean to your own understanding. So, what's the basis of this? You listening? Watch this. Look this way for a moment. The basis of all of our trust of God is His divine sovereignty, which means God rules over all things, all people, at all times. The sovereignty of God. If that is not true, then we have no assurance of anything. If you don't believe in the sovereignty of God, then you don't believe the Bible. This is the wisdom of God, the power of God,

the righteousness of God all wrapped up in one. His purpose is always perfect for you. His goal for you is perfect. And the basis of my trust is, listen, watch this. If I didn't believe in the sovereignty of God, I could question His will about things. But because He is sovereign, He knows everything about every situation, past, present, future. There are no surprises to God. And He has always chosen the best for us. Did I say that what we consider the best always works out for us? Well, from our point of view, it would not. Because sometimes when things come our way that bring illness or bring trouble and heartache that we had nothing to do, we'd say, Well, God's not in that. And it's amazing how on the other side of heartache, on the other side of trouble, on the other side of death, we see the hand of God. So therefore, because He absolutely rules in every circumstance of life and over all the circumstances of life, I can absolutely trust Him in every single circumstance of life because they all fit into the fact that He is sovereign and in control of everything. What an awesome sense of confidence we can have because God is the sovereign God of the universe, not just of our life. He's in control of all things. And you say, Well, now, wait a minute. If He's in control of all things, why does He let this happen and that happen and the other happen? The simplest example of that would be Joseph, for example.

If God was sovereign, why did He let His brothers throw Him in a pit? Why did He get sold into slavery? Why did He end up being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife? Why did He end up in prison? I'll tell you why, because in the sovereignty of God, God was equipping Him to be next to Pharaoh and all of Egypt, the greatest nation on the earth at that point. And so, you and I can trust Him in every single circumstance of life, no matter what it might be. Because He's not only a sovereign God. Listen, He is a loving, trustworthy, sovereign God. He's not just this being out yonder. He has personhood. He's a personal God, loving God, God of grace and love and mercy and kindness, and has a pathway for each one of us to walk if we're wise enough to follow Him. So, when He asks us to follow His path, We must believe that He's chosen the right path. He knows your abilities, talents, skills, and all the things that make up your life. If I trust Him, I trust Him on the basis that He's the sovereign God of this universe. Now, if He's the divine, sovereign God, He is that, and He's always been that, and He doesn't change. If God changed things, then we'd have a reason to doubt and question what He says. But if He's the divine, sovereign God, He's the sovereign God of this universe, then we'd have a reason to doubt and question what He says.

Now, I want you to understand this because He says in this passage, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean on your own understanding. My own understanding will never match the sovereignty of God. Or sometimes we ask Him to do things, He may choose another way to do it. Or we wonder why He does certain things. And He says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Now, I want you to understand this because He knew beforehand what the right thing was. Once you settle that issue in your life, it settles many other issues. That if He makes a statement, He makes a promise, God in all of His power is behind that promise to make it otherwise we'd have a major problem. So, trust in the Lord with all your heart. And the basis of that trust is, watch this, is who He is, not who we are. So, that puts it on a whole different level. I can trust Him because of who He is. The third thing I want you to notice about this passage is this, watch this. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. So, what is the degree to which I'm to trust Him? I'm to trust Him with all my heart. And not to lean on my understanding. With all my heart. That means totally. I've got to trust Him about a few things, but everything. Let me ask you a question.

What is it in your life that's the most difficult when you face a particular issue? What's the most difficult one you have to deal with when it comes to trusting? People have different things in their life, different situations and circumstances. And the answer is, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Now, the question is, to what degree do you trust the Lord? Because He's trustworthy and He has a plan for your life. And if you listen to Him, He'll show you what to do and He'll always show you the right thing to do every single time. The question is, to what degree? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Now, think about this for a moment. How many of you agree with the Bible? Okay. How many of you believe the Bible? I figured that. Because you're thinking that if you agree with it, you believe it, not necessarily true. For example, let's say that I'm lost and I would agree with the Bible, I agree with the Bible about being kind one to another. I can be lost as I can be, but maybe I'm a little kind hearted and I'd say, Yeah, you ought to be kind. And I can agree with the Bible about giving to others. There are a lot of things in the Bible I can agree with without placing my trust in Him. Because there is that good side of everybody to some degree. Yes, I do agree with You, Lord.

We ought to be kind to one another. We shouldn't falsely accuse each other. You just go down to the Ten Commandments. Oh, yes, I, in other words, a lot of people who are lost as they can be will agree that the Ten Commandments is a good thing. Agreeing with it's one thing, believing in full belief means that I not only believe, but I'm going to respond to that in right belief. I'm going to trust God. So, we have to distinguish between do I agree or do I really believe Him? So, I can agree with many things about the Bible and not be a Christian. But if I trust in the living God, then it's going to affect every single aspect of my life. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Is there some area of your life, for example, some particular area, nobody knows what it is but you, some area in which you'd have to say, Now, when it comes to that, I have a very difficult time. I have a very difficult time believing God for that. I have a very difficult time trusting God for this. How do I know thus and so? The Bible doesn't say that everything will be simple and plain, but the Bible says that God will guide us in the right way if we'll trust Him. So, I don't always have to agree with other people. I may see things in the Scripture that I think, Well, Lord, I don't know exactly how to explain that or understand

that, but if I believe the Word of God, I'm going to trust Him. So, when you think in your own personal life, what area is it in your life that you, when it comes to trusting Him for that, you just say, God, I know I'm saved and I know this, I know that, I know this, but to ask me to do this and so, no. Is God trustworthy? Yes, He is. Can I put my confidence in Him? Yes. In how many things? In every single thing. You're trying to find the will of God about your job or your about the person you're going to marry or whatever it might be. You can trust Him in every single circumstances. And He says, trust the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean on to your own understanding because, watch this, our understanding is limited. I can't see beyond, right now, the walls of this room. God can see all the way to the other end of the earth. There's some things we don't understand, but I'm to trust Him. Watch this. I'm to trust Him even when I may not agree with something. And somebody says, well, if you trust Him, won't you always agree? I think the Lord's allowed things in my life to happen that I thought, Lord, now wait a minute. I'm trusting You, but this stings, this hurts, this pain. And so, there are times we get tested. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight. So, when He says, in all your ways, what does that mean? In every single aspect of our life, we're to trust Him. And what He's asking is, not only to trust Him, but in all your ways, acknowledge Him. That is, to acknowledge somebody is to recognize Him. To acknowledge God is not only to recognize Him, but to recognize Him as God, as Lord, as Master, as the One who has the right to give direction for our life, and the Lord who has the authority to send blessing upon us when He chooses to do so. So, ask yourself the question, is there one single area in your life that you're sort of holding back on? In all your ways, trust Him. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. You say, well, I have, but there's just this one thing. And I think it's that one thing in many people's lives that absolutely causes them more pain than they could ever possibly realize. Total surrender, absolute surrender, complete surrender means I must trust Him completely. I must trust Him absolutely because we're limited in our knowledge and our understanding. We can't see the future. We don't do very well looking at the past. And so, in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. Now, what does He mean by making your path straight?

I will protect you from the side roads in life. I'll protect you from those areas that you think are a part of the trip that are not a part of the trip. And so, He says, in all of our ways, we are to acknowledge Him and He'll make our path straight. That is, He will eliminate a lot of obstacles, eliminate a lot of confusion, eliminate a lot of wear and tear on your life. And I think about people who are not saved and they live their life. And they're not saved. They're saved because they're not saved. Look at people who are saved, look at them, they get about sixty or somewhere thereabouts and they get saved. Look at the wear and tear on your life. Look what you've missed. When He says, I'll make your way straight, that doesn't mean that's, listen, straight doesn't always mean easy, but straight is the best way. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. And somebody would say, well, do you mean that I don't do this and don't do that? No, no, no, no, no, I'm just talking about this. Are you trusting God each day for your life to lead you, to guide you? And as best you know your heart, you're doing what God wants you to do. Doesn't mean you'll be perfect. You may give out a gas somewhere in that trip. And you may realize, Lord, I missed something here. But would you say that you're walking a straight path for God?

That in all your ways, as best you know how, you're trying to be obedient to God. He says, watch this, in all your ways, He says, acknowledge Him, that is, recognize Him, listen to Him, He'll make your path straight. He will save you from all the wear and tear and the rumbling around over here and over there and spending years and years of your life until you finally decide to yield yourself to God. And that's where a lot of people are. And I can still remember where I was standing on the steps when I told my first friend that I, yesterday, I got saved. I still remember that. What he said. Well, I'm not going to do that now, I'm going to do that later. He ended up in prison. He had the same privilege that I had, but he chose to take another path. That's where it led him. There are a lot of people who are hurting today because they decided, I'm not going that path, I'll choose my own path. What they're saying is, watch this, I really believe that I'm smarter than God. I really believe that the path that I've chosen will bring me more happiness, more joy, more peace, and especially more prosperity. So, I'm taking this path. Everything that looks golden is not golden. Everything that looks straight is not straight. It may be straight for a few feet, but after that, you're off the path.

In all your ways, acknowledge Him, he says, and He will direct your path. Now, there's a warning here I want you to notice. He says, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. I want you to turn, if you will, to Proverbs twenty-six. Proverbs twenty-six, and I want you to look at this verse. Here's the warning, Proverbs twenty-six, verse twelve. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. And here's what God says, when we choose our way that is not God's way, we are playing the fool. You know people in your life who've done that and who are doing it. Deciding they're going to have it their way no matter what. Deciding they're going to have it their way no matter what. And here's what God says, never thinking about God's way, God's will, God's power, and never thinking about a judgment day. Because no matter how life treats you, ultimately every single one of us are going to come to that point in life when we meet the living God before whom we've lived all these years. And here's what God says, do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. That's what a wise man or woman does. They seek the Lord, they listen to God. Listen, not only do they realize that God will lead them, and they listen to Him and they trust Him. It's the trust level. Do you trust Him to be to you what He promises to be? God, the Bible says it, but we know it.

Whatever God says is true, is true. And so, at some point in our life, we're all going to give an account. And therefore, when He says, fear the Lord and turn away from evil, to fear Him means to honor Him as the living God and to obey Him, to recognize who He is, and to acknowledge that He's the God of this universe, but He's the God of your life and mine. So, I would simply ask you this question. We have the promise that He'll guide us. Are you listening? I'll tell you whether you're listening or not. Are you trusting Him? You may agree with it all, but are you trusting Him for your life personally? As best you know your heart, are you trying to walk in the ways that God has required of you? Every single day, you and I make decisions. We're forced to make decisions and we choose to make decisions. And those decisions are going to be based on whether we believe there's a God or not, whether we believe that He has a plan and a path for our life, whether we believe that He's chosen the best path and He has, and whether we are willing to listen to Him and willing to trust Him. And so, I would ask you this question. Are you trusting Him for your life personally? Are you trusting Him for your life personally? Are you trusting Him for your life personally? Are you trusting Him for your life personally? In all thy ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.

And listen, He says, fear the Lord, that's honor Him. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones, when you live in the pathway that God has laid out for you. It may not be your choice of a path, but if it's God's choice, you're going to succeed at what you're doing. If it's God's choice, there's going to be an underlining sense of peace and assurance and confidence, a sense of satisfaction. When you do it His way, it will be healing to your body and, He said, refreshment to your bones. So, let's simply ask you a question. Are you listening to Him? But do you trust Him? When you come Sunday after Sunday, do you listen? But do you trust Him? If I fully trust Him, I have confidence in Him that His decisions about my life are the best decisions, the wisest decisions, the most profitable decisions, the most freeing decisions, and the happiest decisions if I trust Him. Amen? Father, how grateful we are that You made Your plan so simple. Listen to You, trust You. And then obey You. And I pray this morning that somebody here who has never trusted You as their Savior will realize they've chosen the wrong path. You're not going to force them to get off that path onto Yours,

but You invite them to make that change. You invite them to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. And in so doing, You place their feet on the right path. And then You're willing to walk with them, run with them, whatever it may be, all the days of their life. And You said it'll be like health to their life and strength, like refreshment to their bones. Things are always better when we walk on Your pathway. And I trust that that person, whoever he or she may be, that today though they may have heard many sermons, today they take this moment to say, Lord Jesus, I'm listening. I do believe that You died on the cross for my sins. And today I confess that I'm a sinner. And I also confess that beginning right now, I'm confessing You as my Savior and my Lord based on what You did at the cross. And I receive Your gift of salvation this day and this moment. I trust You, dear Father. Thank You, Lord, that You've never turned anybody down who came to You. You're willing to put every person on the right pathway who's willing to listen. Let us not be one of those that You call a fool, but one whom You call wise, is my prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.