Introduction: How would you define trust? Do you know people that you
can trust completely? Would you trust certain people (or everyone you
consider trustworthy) only for certain things? Our lesson this week
is about Jesus being the “North star” that we can fully trust in all
circumstances–so lets dive in!

  1. Faith and Trust


    1. Are faith and trust the same thing? Can a person believe
      in God and yet not trust Him?


    2. Let’s read Proverbs 3:1-4. What does it mean (v.1) to keep
      God’s commands in our heart?


      1. Is having something in your heart a substitute for a
        good memory?


      2. What would you do to comply with verse 3 – to bind
        love and faithfulness around your neck and “write
        them on the tablet of your heart?”


        1. First, what does it mean to write them on the
          tablet of your heart? (Writing on your heart
          means that you want to obey, it comes naturally
          because you have a desire to please God. See
          Deuteronomy 5:27-29. You do not have to try to
          remember something that you do naturally.)


        2. Second, what does it mean to bind love and
          faithfulness around your neck? (Your neck is
          where you would wear the jewelry you wanted to
          show off. Love and faithfulness should be
          visible in your life. They should be the
          ornaments of your life. See Proverbs 1:9 and
          3:22. This accords with Peter’s advice in 1
          Peter 3:3-4 that our quest for beauty should
          rest primarily on who we are not what we wear.)


  2. Trust and the Culture


    1. Let’s continue with Proverbs 3:5-6. There are several
      elements of these verses that we want to understand.


      1. What does it mean to “lean on your own
        understanding?”


        1. Does this mean we should not use our brains in
          God’s work? Should we stop planning?


        2. Does it mean that if God’s direction and our
          desire or culture clash, we should follow God’s
          direction?



        1. Can you think of something that we want to do in
          the church because we feel it is “politically
          correct” or culturally correct, yet contradicts
          God’s word?


        2. In making plans for the church, how do you make
          plans, yet not lean on your own understanding?


      1. What does it mean to trust in God with all our heart?
        (I think the picture is to willingly submit our will
        to God. Feel comfortable submitting our will and
        thinking to God.)


        1. Is that the picture the world has of us – people
          who are too dumb to do their own thinking? (We
          are people who are too smart to believe that we
          know more than God.)


      2. What does it mean to acknowledge God in “all our
        ways?” (This would mean every aspect of our life
        should reflect God’s will. This is a difficult area
        for me when it comes to my litigation. Was King David
        reflecting God’s will as he was lopping off the heads
        of his opponents? How many “heads” am I allowed to
        lop off in my religious liberty litigation and still
        be in God’s will?)


      3. What do you think God is promising when He says that
        He will “make your paths straight” if you trust Him?
        (The straight path is the easy path.)


        1. Have you found that to be true in your life? If
          not, are you sure that you have trusted in God
          and not leaned on your own understanding?


  1. Trust and Prosperity


    1. Read Proverbs 3:7-10. What is the practical result of
      trusting God’s will for our lives and not our own desires?
      (Health and wealth! Sometimes we go overboard in our
      opposition to those who believe the gospel is the path to
      prosperity and lose sight of God’s promise that obedience
      makes our life better.)


      1. “Health reform” teaches that cleaning up our diet
        increases our spirituality. Is Solomon saying just
        the opposite: “cleaning up” our spirituality
        increases our health?


        1. Is true health reform a matter of what comes out
          of our mouth rather than what goes in it? See
          Matthew 15:11.


          1. Is there a moderate balance we should seek
            in addressing both our physical health and
            our spiritual health? Should we work both
            sides of the problem?


      2. Although trusting God gives us literal wealth
        according to Proverbs 3:10, do we want it? What is
        the problem with wealth? (Read Proverbs 11:4. The
        problem is not wealth, but trusting in our wealth.
        Wealth is generally fleeting, but trust in God is
        forever.)


      3. Read Proverbs 8:17-21. What kind of wealth does God
        give us? Is it gold or silver? (It is beyond gold
        and silver!)


  2. Trust and Life


    1. What is your reaction when you have been trusting God and
      things go wrong in your life?


      1. Is it impossible to trust God and have things go
        wrong?


    2. Read Proverbs 16:1-3. What does verse 1 mean? (You think
      something before you say it. Therefore, I conclude this
      means that we can plan all sorts of things, but the final
      results are in God’s hands. He has the final word.)


      1. What does this teach us about trusting God? (We need
        to trust God even though our plans do not turn out
        exactly as we had in mind — which may be the result
        of leaning on our own understanding.)


      2. Why do (v.2) all of our ways seem innocent to us?
        Should we be worried about our motives? (It is hard
        for us to fairly evaluate our motives. We think we
        are trusting God.)


        1. Verse 2 seems to say that God sees through us.
          Is that a lesson in trusting God? (Yes. God may
          decide not to follow our plans because He
          understands our motives and knows it would not
          be best for us.)


      3. Is verse 3 an answer to verses 1 and 2? (If you want
        God to cooperate with you on your plans, if you want
        success, the best thing to do is to first cooperate
        with God. You may think that you have the best of
        motives, but God knows the truth. That is why His
        plans are better than our plans.)


    3. Read Proverbs 16:4. Does this verse give you more or less
      trust in God? (This is like Romans 8:28 – it tells us that
      God is in charge, He has a plan, and He works every
      circumstance of our life so that it is consistent with His
      purpose.)


    4. Friend, are you willing to trust God? Are you willing to
      turn all your plans over to Him and acknowledge Him in all
      things? If so, He promises to give you a “straight path.”


  3. Next Week: What I Am Versus What You Think I Am