There is so much happening in the world daily and so much negative information is spread today, and this has instilled fear in the hearts of those who are not rooted and grounded in the word of God.
Psalm37:4-5” Delight thyself in the LORD: and he shall give the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring to pass.”
Despite the horrors of the negative news around us, a sermon on trusting God in difficult times encourages us that God does not want us to live in constant fear. (Luke21:25-26) He has demonstrated his love to us through the sacrifice of His sinless son Jesus Christ. Hold unto Him daily, the victory is yours.
When you are trusting in God, it does not mean you are ignoring your feelings or reality of what is happening around you at that moment, you don’t need to pretend that all is well when it is not.
What Is Trusting God?
To trust God means to believe in his reliability, His word, His ability, and His strength for he cannot lie, fail, or betray you. It is to believe what God says about himself, the world, and you.
Trusting God is much more than a feeling, it means to depend on Him even when your feelings and circumstances reflect something different. Your feelings and circumstances can change but Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.
Sermon On Trusting God In Difficult Times
HOW DO YOU TRUST GOD IN DIFFICULT TIMES?
As believers of Christ, the Bible is our manual of life. Now we will consider the following things that will help us in difficult times.
1. FAITH– You are to stand your ground in faith, no matter the challenges and hardships in today’s world. Train your mind with the word to prevail against afflictions and challenges of life.
Don’t give up on the pressure around you (Ephesians6:13-16). As the children of God, you are to walk by faith, not by your senses (2Corithians5:7; 1Corinthians2:14; Romans9:8)
Faith is a fundamental issue in Christianity, without which we cannot relate to God (Hebrews11:6). It is connected to the power of God, the desperate action of men as provoked by the revelation of God’s word thereby compelling a desired change.
Primarily, faith is not a means of receiving material things like money, cars, and houses, but it provides a means through which the natural relates with the supernatural (Romans 4:16).
From the scriptural perspective, ”Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
So faith is not a futuristic belief, it believes in the now. It believes in the immediate result. It is real, it is something tangible, accessible, feelable, and touchable. Faith is a solid force that combats the forces of darkness anytime, any day, and anywhere.
It is hearing from God now and acting on the word to get a perfect result as desired by God for man. It is a platform through which the mortal relates with the immortal. Through faith, the visible relates to the invisible world.
God has given every believer faith to believe in Christ.
Christianity is the work of grace which requires faith to receive and enter into it (Ephesians2:8) “ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” God gives the gift of faith to whoever comes to the need of Christ (Romans4:18-20; Romans5:2).
Faith is trusting completely in God’s word, and unconditional confidence in what God says because He cannot lie, make mistakes, or be defeated. Resting in the faith of Jesus is your fundamental requirement to make things done cheaply (John 14:12; John15:5; Mark11:23-24; 2Corinthians5:7).
God’s word is what determines your experience of the reality of God’s promises in your life. It is one thing to receive the word and another thing to take appropriate steps toward what you received to prove that you believe the word.
Romans4:17-21 Abraham was a man of doubtless and daring faith. He chose to trust God even when everything was naturally working against him and his wife, He was strong, resolute, and fearless in his faith irrespective of what people were saying.
The centurion in Matthew 8:5- 13 was resolute in faith, he believed Jesus’s word was enough to get his sick servant off his sick bed and it was so to him. Faith is the only authentic way out of fear (Psalm27:13; Daniel3:16-18)
HOW TO ACCESS FAITH
Faith comes by hearing (Romans10:17). The more of the word of God you consume in your inner man the more you are empowered for productivity (2Timothy3:14-17, John)
1. Studying the word- Rigorous word study is essential to building your faith. Know the word by yourself and for yourself (2Timothy2:15. Study purposefully (1Peter2:2), study understandingly (John14:26), study meditatively (Psalm1:2), study prayerfully (1Timothy4:15).
a: Commit yourself to obey God’s word (act on the word)- Acting appropriately on the word revealed to you concerning any aspect of your life is very important.
When Abraham received the word from God concerning his life as recorded in Genesis12:1-3, he did not wait to analyze it but he obeyed and God counted it for him as righteousness. (Luke5:4-7)
b: Thinking the word- The more you are thinking on the word daily the more you are empowered to deliver greatness as a child of God (Philippians4:8; 2Timothy3:16-17)
2: BELIEVE THE WORD– Believe in the validity of the word of God spoken to you (1 Thessalonian 2:13). The value of the word of God in your life is more pronounced when you believe it. Your ability to believe God’s word is what triggers your faith in God.
When you receive the word and believe, it keeps your faith functional (Hebrews 4:2). After receiving and believing the word you will be propelled to act on the word (Luke5:4-7).
Your corresponding action is proof that you truly believe in the word you receive from the Lord thus generating an unusual order of result (John 14:12).
3: SEE THE REALITY OF YOUR EXPECTATION- The ability to see the reality of your expected result is a step toward your victory.
Jesus said to Mary, about Lazarus’ death “ If thou can believe, thou shall see the glory of God (John11:3-4,20-23). Jesus saw in His spiritual eyes how Lazarus came back to life as He responded to Martha “ Your brother will rise again”
Jesus was seeing glory amid a contrary situation because that was His expectation. Until you can see Christ amid that challenge, and difficulty, it will continue to persist.
Your ability to see your victory amid battle and challenges delivers the victory into your hands without stress. (Genesis 13:14-15: Jeremiah 1:11,13).
4: FASTING AND PRAYER– Fast and pray the word of God for this is your preference point on the altar of prayer (Isaiah 41:21).
In the time of affliction, learn how to pray the word of God back to Him, reminding Him what His words say concerning what you are passing through.
The truth is, that understanding what God is saying, particularly on the altar of prayer, is a key factor in building and activating your faith life. The prayer that is backed up with word is effective in combating negative situations and circumstances of life.
Prayer backed up with the word of God helps in stabilizing and repositioning your faith to command greater results. When you are praying the word back to God, it means you are drawing your strength from what God says concerning you, your situation, and your circumstances at that particular point in time.
Engage the Holy Spirit by constantly praying in tongues. Praying in tongues or the Holy Spirit will help to fix your spirit mind on the promises of God concerning your life and the situation you are facing at the moment (1Corinthians14:2) “ For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue, speaketh not unto men, but unto God” they speak forth kingdom mysteries.
Scripturally, speaking in tongues is seen as one of the highest forms of spiritual exercise that you must engage in (Jude 1:20).
Having a consistent prayer life is the fuel that keeps the fire of your faith burning. Keep the fire on your prayer altar burning day and night. When you allow your prayer life to go down you are walking towards defeat. Pray in faith and with impunity.
5: SPEAK THE WORD– Your commitment to speaking the word of God as it relates to the changes you are going through is fundamental for you to focus on God.
You must keep speaking the word until you see your desired results both in the spiritual and in the physical realm (Romans 10:8).
When you speak the word, speak it in agreement with what you want to see and not unwanted issues of life. This spiritual exercise empowers your faith to give maximum delivery.
God did not give us mouth only for eating and drinking but most importantly to create our world through speaking God’s inspired word (Luke 21:15).
Beloved, your mouth is the most important weapon of warfare when it comes to the warfare of life. Your word is your power don’t lose the battle by keeping quiet.
6: LIVE A LIFE OF GRATITUDE- It is not easy to find joy in the world especially when you are heartbroken. But you can always rejoice in who God is and what he can do (Philipians 4:4).
For many people money is the source of their joy, some feel good only when they ponder on their positions as the head of organizations, and academic attainments with numerous certificates, For others, materials acquisitions are the joy of their hearts and when those things are not forthcoming or attained based on their timetable, they lose every brightness in their life.
To rejoice in the Lord is to look away from your circumstances and delight yourself in Him (Psalm34:4) When you rejoice in the Lord and his awesome abilities, it attracts God’s presence (Psalm16:11; Psalm63:3: psalm72:18; Psalm103:1-2). Make praise your weapon of war Psalm 43:3- 4; Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 71:14).
Praise strengthens your hope, it helps you to remember God’s glory and greatness. Lack of joy can completely incapacitate your faith (Habakkuk3:17-19). Make Thanksgiving your lifestyle.
7: FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD- Consistent fellowship with God strengthens your faith and helps you access God’s promises concerning your situation (Psalm 91:1).
To fellowship with Jesus Christ is to fellowship with the fullest revelation of the essence of deity and this can only be achieved with the help of the Holy Spirit. Be actively engaged with Christ daily and He will take over your life and you will enjoy unprecedented manifestations of His power.
Conclusion
Let us learn from the flying eagles. They get excited when storm clouds gather, WHY? Because they know the storm winds will lift them above the clouds.
They rest their wings and become stronger. Challenges bring opportunities, stop organizing pity parties, embrace the challenges, and learn from them.
It does not look easy but you can learn how to. Life is not about clinging to the old and familiar, step out of your comfort zone.
The challenges and storms of life are there to tell you it is time to move on, grow, and spread your wings. Live in the faith of Christ, give your life to fasting and prayers, believe the word, speak the word, and live a life of gratitude and fellowship with God and you will be more than a conqueror.
