RESTORED Week 6 - Learning to Trust God

Watch the Video for Week 6: “Learning to Trust God.”

Scriptures Mentioned Today

• 2 Corinthians 5:7
• Romans 10:17
• Hebrews 11:11

Your Notes from the Teaching

True faith is never “blind.” As we saw this week, there are many things in which we put our faith, or trust. Some prove to be more trustworthy or reliable than other things, but we learn based on what we’ve experienced. If you’re like most of us, we all put our trust in some things (and people) that let us down. Because of that, we can struggle in putting our trust in an invisible God, who can also be rather unpredictable at times. Remembering how He has come through for us in the past is a big key to trusting Him when the stakes are higher in our future. In the book of Joshua, chapters 3-4, the story of an amazing water crossing is told. Everyone knows about how they passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, but did you know that 40 years later, the children of those who crossed the Red sea on dry land also walked through water – only this time it was the Jordan River. The first generation soon acted as if they had never experienced the love and care of God, and refused to trust God even after they literally “walked through” a miracle like the Red Sea!). So this time, God gave the children who crossed the Jordan something to remember the event by. He told them to take a stone for each tribe from the riverbed as they walked through. These would help them never forget about God’s care, His goodness to them, and how trustworthy He is. Take some time to write out your own “stones of remembrance.” Recall every time you can now see that God was working on your behalf – even before you even acknowledged who He was! Keep this list for the next time you need to stand in faith, and watch as your faith increases through your experiences with Jesus!

Faith works very much like a muscle. If we use our muscles, they get stronger and more defined. If we are a couch potato, well, we end up looking a lot like a potato. Everything we will begin to experience in our walk with Jesus draws us deeper into a lifestyle of faith, where we live by the strength and leading of God Himself. He often has very different ideas of what we should be doing than we do, and they often require some demonstration of trust. We call this, “Stepping out in faith.”

If we could figure it all out we wouldn’t need Him, now, would we? I would suggest that if we live our lives only doing what would have been possible without God, then we have not yet begun to experience the New Life we have been given in Christ.

Sometimes, faith requires us to forgive someone who has done something “unforgivable.” Other times it’s taking a job that will stretch us beyond what we thought we were capable of. Often, it’s to go talk with someone and pray for something that requires divine intervention (like healing, or a miracle of some sort). Perhaps it’s letting go of something we once trusted in for the sake of grabbing hold of more.

We soon learn that the biggest enemy of faith is fear. Amazingly, both faith and fear are grounded in what we believe in our hearts. Fear is a belief that things will go horribly wrong in the future, so it’s best to play it as safe as possible. Faith is a belief that God will make all things work together for my good, so what’s the harm in risking it?

Today, reflect on something that you have been holding out on – something you know you’re supposed to do, but requires a trust in God to work on your behalf. Ask yourself: what am I afraid of? Share this with your cohort and have them pray for you. Then, go do it. Go to the “faith gym” and work that faith muscle of yours! A great and glorious testimony awaits. And even if nothing changes, you will have learned how to walk by faith and not by sight.

Now that is a win-win.

The beautiful thing about having a Bible filled with stories is that we not only have our own beautiful story in the making, but we have the examples of thousands who have gone before us in the lifestyle of faith we now live. Another beautiful thing about our bible stories is that they do not hide the fact that everyone who has lived by faith struggled with unbelief at times!

Does that comfort you a little?

Take a look today at Hebrews Chapter 11. (If you’re looking to do a bible study of your own, try reading all of the stories of those named in this chapter). This is largely called the “Hall of Faith.” Pick any one of the people named in this chapter, and read their stories.

(By the way, if you want help with that, a simple Google search will give you good answers to most bible study questions! – try, “Which chapters of the bible tell the story of Abraham,” for example)

Take note of how, even though they are praised for their faith, they also had moments of doubt and fear. However, because they pressed through that fear and persevered in faith, they were recorded for all time as heroes of faith.

Remember that whenever you struggle with doubt, you’re in good company!