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Sermon Recap

"God doesn't give us the full picture, He doesn't explain all; He just gives us the next step."

-Ric Garland

Scripture Focus 1 Kings 17:8-16

We are on week three in our series of Elijah, and this week Pastor Ric shares a message on what it means to trust the Lord, a few areas that tend to hold us back from doing so, and how and why we should push beyond them.

Trusting God means relying on and placing complete confidence in Him. Most Christians find this easy to do when things are going well. When you can see God actively working in your life, you can see people being positively affected by your influence, and you can see the big picture; it is easy to trust that God has your back. But what about when life isn't going so well, when you don't seem to be making an impact on others, and the big picture is a foggy mess? It's harder to be all in on trusting God when you don't understand.

But here's the thing.......

God wants the trust of our hearts, not the understanding of our emotions. God doesn't owe us an explanation! - Ric Garland

Three things that hold us back from fully trusting God.

Overthinking. When God's will doesn't make sense to us, we begin to overthink everything. Trust obeys the Word of the Lord, and His Word is clear. If you are unsure of God's will in a situation, then consider that it might be your will getting in the way of His.

"Trust follows the next step instead of demanding knowing the entire journey." RG.

Believing the situation to be impossible. God does not always provide the solution we would hope for in every case. But He always provides a solution. Sometimes our situations seem so impossible that we cycle back into anxiety, overthinking, and second-guessing. Our scripture in 1 Kings today gave such a vivid example of God providing solutions for Elijah every step of the way when he trusted that God had his back. He did not ask God to fill in every detail; He simply took the next step, and God always provided a solution.

Lacking faith. God's provisions and blessings always come through faith.

"When you follow the will of God, giving of your time, talents, or finances and in turn create a need for yourself, God will always fill that need." RG

Have you felt God moving in your heart but failed to act on it? Today our scripture shows how deeply Elijah trusted the Lord every step of the way, even though he could not see the outcome as he was going through it. Was he afraid at times? Confused? Wondering what the outcome would be? Probably but still, Elijah got up and went through as God directed.

When we fail to trust God, we let ourselves down. We go through life half alive, unwilling to be all in for fear of failure, forgetting that God shows us we need not be afraid when we have Him. Next time you feel God moving in your heart, will you trust Him?

Get up. Take the next step. Go through.

My GOD is enough for ME

My God is enough for me. I have come to realize that no matter what I go through in life, I can always rely on Him. He is my source of strength, love, and compassion. With Him, I have the assurance that I will never be alone and that I will always have the guidance and support I need. He is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. He is the one who will never leave me nor forsake me. His love is unending and His grace is all-encompassing. He is my faithful companion and friend even in the darkest of days. He is enough for me, and I am thankful for His presence in my life.