Key Verses - “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” - James 4:13-14
Trusting Myself Means…
A. Trusting my Instincts.
Translation: We often call this an “Educated Guess”
B. Trusting my Experience.
Translation: I’ll trust my successes from the past...and my preparation for the present.
Application: Experience can lull us into a false confidence.
James 4:16 - “As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.”
C. Trusting my Judgment.
Translation: I’m smart...I’ll just use my Brain power.
Question: What happens when things don’t make sense?
D. Trusting my Heart.
Translation: I feel strongly about this.
Problem: Our hearts can be misled.
Trusting God Means…
A. Starting with God’s Will.
James 4:15 - “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”
Matthew 6:33 - “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
** How to “Start with God’s will”?
1) Consult the Bible – has God revealed his will for my situation?
2) Prayer – what is God saying to me about my situation?
B. Seeking Godly counsel.
Henri Nouwen - “Perhaps the main task of the minister is to prevent people from suffering for the wrong reasons.”
Proverbs 15:22 - “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success.” (NLT)
Proverbs 19:20 - “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.”
Remember: Trust only those who are, themselves, trusting God.
C. Analyzing the Situation.
** God wants us to consider the variables, options and costs.
Luke 14:28 - “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?”
Application: Counting the cost keeps us from impulsivity.
D. Striving for Holiness.
James 4:17 – “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
Colossians 3:17 - “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Application: Striving for holiness keeps us intentionally focused...
…and being Focused keeps us alert to pitfalls that may trip us or the doors of opportunity that may open.
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