Description:

Our purpose in this study is to identify the difference between a heart dedicated to God and one dedicated to self. Based on the Word of God, we all start out as sinful. As David said in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Message from Marsh: “May your personal walk with the Lord lead you to be transformed, renewed, and blessed.”

Marsh

Founder/President

Thank you for coming to: mensgroup.org

Men and Matters of the Heart

Lesson 10 – The Trusting Heart – Recognizes Our Own Insufficiency and God’s All Sufficiency

(www.mensgroup.org – “Original Study”)

Lesson Focus: We will affirm that having a trusting heart in God always results in a life well lived according to His purpose than living independent of Him, which produces fear and falsehood.

“Blessing for trusting in God for your salvation and trusting Him with your daily life. Trust is a valuable commodity, and we know that God never squanders it.” – C. Marsh Bull.

Starting Prayer: Father, we accept the fact that you are always in control, and we want to place our trust in you every day. We know that you desire good things for our life when we trust and obey you. Help us to trust you more and more each day.

Opening Questions:

1.      When in your life have you trusted someone, and they let you down?

2.      How valuable is trust in God to you?

Scripture Passage:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Phrase Explanation:

“In God we Trust” was the motto adopted for our money by a joint resolution of the 84th Congress and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower on July 30, 1956. It became the replacement for the unofficial motto of “E pluribus unum,” which means “one out of many” that had been on our paper currency since 1782.

From that day until now there have been those wanting its removal based on separation of church and state, but it has survived this groundless pressure. This is a declaration of trust in someone greater than the government and it points peacefully to what the Scripture passage above urges us.

The vital first mistake we make is that we trust only in ourselves and this independence, denies God His rightful place in His creation’s life. Isaiah challenged his writers to,

Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem. (Isaiah 2:22)

And the psalmist echoed that by declaring,

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. (Psalm 118:8)

The second mistake is to trust in government, which we have seen to be riddled with bureaucracy, greed, and unworthy of our complete trust.

King David declared,

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. (Psalm 28:7)

We have spoken of wholeheartedness as another desire for our heart as we live before God, trusting Him and aligning our mind, emotion, and will–all our heart. Declaring that we can’t fully depend on ourselves, any others, idols, or the government to direct our life leads us to trust God only.

A trusting heart is a heart freed from beliefs that would deceive and disappoint. It is a leap of faith that moves our soul and spirit to a new level of spirituality. No matter what comes, what circumstance crosses our path, who remains faithful or unfaithful to us, or any other temporal thing, wholehearted trust in God is totally sufficient for us. It is a deep dependence on the God who is our creator, sustainer, savior, guide, and Lord. Trusting God is recognizing our insufficiency and His all sufficiency.

 

Discussion Questions:

1.      What are the mistakes people make in the trusting area?

2.      How does trusting in God make your heart “leap for joy?”

3.      Where does your trust in God breakdown: circumstances, relationships, or _________ ?

Application:

1.      What things presently do your trust more than your trust in God?

2.      How would trusting God with all your heart change the way you live?

3.      What is the most important part of trusting God to you?

Closing Prayer: Father, it seems easy to let you take control, but we know that our flesh wants to be in charge, so it is more difficult than it seems. Help us to build our trust in you by reviewing our past, where you were faithful, and stepping out in faith in the present by trusting you with our future.

 

Additional Resources:

Similar verses:
Psalm 20:7; 32:10; 37:5-6; 56:3-4; 62:8; 112:6-7; Isaiah 26:3-4: Jeremiah 17:7-8

Continue to Lesson 11 – The Meditative Heart – Stilled to Hear God and Know Self

Or use these links to navigate to various parts of this study:

Intro | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 | Lesson 11 | Lesson 12

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