Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

The Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your Heart, Pt. 7

II. Hindrances to Total (100%) Trust or Faith in the Lord.

A. Dread or Fear. B. Delay or Hesitancy. C. Disobedience. D. Doubt. E. Double Minded. F. Disbelief. G. Distraction. H. Drowsiness or Weakness.

I. Debating and Offering Excuses. Exodus 4:10, “Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

When our willingness to obey God’s command is lacking we are in “debate mode,” offering excuses as to why we can not do what God is asking.

When we feel less than adequate we have taken our eyes off of the Lord and placed them on ourselves. We then begin to make excuses for our deficiencies.

The real problem is a lack of faith; not trusting in God to lead you, and/or worrying, due to embarrassment, fear, the desire to be accepted by your peers, or ignorance of Bible Doctrine.

At those times we tend to come up with excuses for why we did not serve, and have entered into debate with the Lord.

You are not Faith-Resting as long as you are debating with the Lord and coming up with excuses.

Those who choose not to believe in Christ for salvation make all kinds of excuses for their lack of faith. Luke 14:16; Mat 22:1-14

People who make excuses care only about their own selfish desires and plans and consider God’s kingdom and plan as trivial and unimportant.

They will only consider it if it does not interfere with their own desires and ambitions.

The Faith-Rest life places God and His plan as first priority in life, living each day unto the Lord with out any debate or excuses.

I. A Defeated Spirit, 1 Sam 17:1-11

“Dismayed” – CHATHATH, “To be broken”, (i.e., shattered, dismayed, abolished or afraid.)

When we take our eyes off of the Lord and focus on the problems of life we will feel defeated: inadequate and hopeless, not able to move forward. Job 6:11; 7:6

Job 6:11, “What is my strength, that I should wait? and what is my end, that I should endure?”

Job 7:6, “My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and come to an end without hope.”

If we become hopeless and defeated, we will not attempt to stand for the Lord because our spirit will be broken and we will not live the Faith-Rest life.

This hopeless, defeated condition describes what we were like before we were saved. Eph 2:12

Eph 2:12, “Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

Satan desires to devour us with defeat, discouragement, disillusionment, and depression. He will obliterate us if we let him. 1 Peter 5:8 Cf. 1 Sam 17:34-37

1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

You can live in victory, but you need to have the desire to go forward for Christ in total Faith-Rest.

Psa 42:5-6, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. O my God, my soul is in despair within me; therefore I remember You….”

Deut 31:8, “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Joshua 1:9; 10:25; 1 Chron 28:20; 2 Chron 20:15, 17; 32:7.

Phil 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Grace Fellowship Church Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Tape # Proverbs Chapter 3 Trust in the Lord Debating (Making Excuses) and a Defeated Spirit Prov 3:5-6; Ex 4:10; Luke 14:16-24; 1 Sam 17:1-11; Psa 42:5-6 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2012