I WILLS TO INSTILL: I Will Trust God // Letting Trust Change Your Perspective About Your Story

Life is filled with uncertainty, yet, whatever a new year brings, we can find strength and even joy through trust in God. This latest podcast episode talks about the determined decision to trust Him no matter what happens in life. Let's look at biblical insights from Isaiah 12:2  - - - continuing our "I WILLS to INSTILL" conversations. Listen in on this episode, then spend a few moments in personal devotions with this conversation guide.

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“I WILLS TO INSTILL” - Convo #2:  I Will Trust God

“Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 CSB

SEEK HIM: Devotion is Meeting with God in Our Own Lives! A new year is filled with knowns and unknowns. And, while we can make plans, we can’t choose everything about our lives. What we can choose is our mindset for living. Let's see how Isaiah 12:2 encourages us to say “I Will Trust God.”  

WHAT:  What is God saying through this Scripture? This verse is about at least two things:  God’s character and our response. God tells us He is entirely capable of being our salvation, strength and song. He won't force these gifts upon us, though. Instead He lets us choose what we will do with all He offers us. ~ Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation? If so, are you living by His strength or your own?  

WHY:  Why does this Scripture matter? We have a daily choice:  to live with fear and anxiety, or to trust God with our lives. God’s Word promises, “The one who trusts in the Lord will be happy,” (Proverbs 16:20b). You can know if you’re trusting God by examining whether stress or a song is echoing through your heart. ~ What do you need to trust God about today? How can trusting God lead to happiness? When you experience an unhelpful thought or emotion, how can you trust God with it? 

HOW: How does God want us to respond to this truth? Trusting God means that, no matter what happens, we choose to rely on His character and promises. This determined decision echoes the verse, “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.” (Psalm 56:4 CSB). ~ How can you praise God when you’re going through something hard? How are you actively letting go of fear so you can hold onto trusting God’s character and promises?

SPEAK HIM: Discipleship is Making God Known to Others! A person who really, truly trusts God won’t be afraid to speak up about it. Jesus said, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises. And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’” (Hebrews 2:12-13a NIV). We can follow Jesus’ example and “Speak Him” to all those watching our lives. Who is watching you, and will you speak about your trust in Him today?

© 2024 Tosha Lamdin Williams 

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As you're beginning this new year, how's it going
for you?
Have your plans worked out theway you've wanted them to so far
?
How are those I wills going,your New Year's resolutions,
your goals or your decisionsabout how you're going to live?
What about the things that youput on your calendar, the plans

(00:20):
you made, the meetings you hadon the schedule, the work
responsibilities that you wereplanning to do once the new year
hit?
If you're like me, some thingsare working out pretty well, and
then other things are alreadycompletely off track.
The truth is a new year well,it's a partially blank slate.

(00:41):
It's filled with well, someknowns, some plans, but it's
also filled with so many moreunknowns.
The reality is that we candefinitely make some plans, some
really great plans, but wecan't choose everything about
our lives.
We get so many interruptionsthe dishwasher quits, the sink

(01:04):
starts leaking, the dryer stopsworking, the dog throws up, the
baby gets sick, unexpectedguests arrive.
There are so many X factors inour lives.
We don't get to chooseeverything about every day, but
what we can choose is ourmindset for living, including,

(01:26):
and maybe even especially, whowe will trust.
Today, let's continue in ourconversations through Isaiah,
chapter 12.
Today we come to verse 2.
I love this verse and Iactually think it's not just a
good one to meditate on.
This is a great one to memorize.

(01:46):
So let's take a few moments andtalk about the second truth of
I wills.
To instill this truth about Iwill trust God With what's going
on in your life today.
Maybe this will be encouragingfor you as much as it has been
for me.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Welcome to the Family Disciple Me podcast.
If you have a real relationshipwith Jesus, then you're in the
right place to be encouraged,challenged and blessed as you
seek Him, speak Him.
The mission of the FamilyDisciple Me ministry is to
inspire devotion-drivendiscipleship, which is something
we believe every Christfollower can do.

(02:31):
Discipleship starts with aconversation, so let's get going
with that right now.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
I don't know about you, but in making my plans for
this year, if I could haveeverything the way that I want
it to be, this is one thing thatwould be true.
I want to be happy.
I want this to be a good year.
I want this to be a great year.
I want this to be a year thatis overflowing with happiness

(03:02):
and joy.
Do you know how to make thathappen?
If you could bottle that up asa recipe, you could sell it and
retire tomorrow as a billionaire.
Everybody wants to be happy.
The question is how do we getthere?
How do we guarantee happiness?
There's all sorts ofpossibilities that the world

(03:24):
offers, but God's Word gives usthe path toward it.
It's not a path that, well, themajority of the world is going
to take.
It's not even a path that manyChristians will take.
The question is is this a paththat you and I will take, and is
it a path that we willencourage those entrusted to us

(03:49):
to take?
You know, god's Word gives us asecret.
It's found in Proverbs, chapter16, verse 20, and it says this
the one who trusts in the Lordwill be happy.
There it is.
That's the secret.
The one who trusts in the Lordwill be happy.

(04:10):
So then, the question is how dowe do this?
If this is the secret, if thisis the path to happiness, if
trust is what it takes, then howdo we instill this into our
lives?
Well, I am so glad you asked.
Isaiah 12, verse 2, has theanswer.

(04:33):
It says this Indeed, god is mysalvation.
I will trust him and not beafraid for the Lord.
The Lord himself is my strengthand my song.
He has become my salvation.
You know, this verse is abouttwo specific things, at least

(04:55):
two.
It's about God's character andour response.
The Lord, god Almighty, the onewho set forth the heavens, the
one who makes the sun and thestars and the moon, the one who
creates the seasons and the snowand the falling leaves and the
spring flowers.
He says he is entirely capableof being our salvation, our

(05:18):
strength and our song.
So many of us who walk withJesus trust him for our
salvation.
We trust him for eternity, butwe're not so sure about today.
Thing is just like.
God won't force us to receiveHis salvation.
He won't force us to receiveHis strength or His song either.

(05:42):
We can live this new year withfear or anxiety.
We can walk and be afraid as wego through our days, or we can
commit it to the Lord, ask forHis strength.
We can commit it to the Lord,ask for His strength, ask for
His song along the way and trustHim.
This, to me, is one of thosethings that takes us back to the
very foundation of this entireconversation series.

(06:07):
We live lives full of I can't, Icould, I ought, I should, I
might, I may, could, I ought, Ishould, I might, I may.
But I've found, whenever I haveany of those attitudes in the
way I approach God, I don'ttrust Him.
I don't trust God until Idetermine that I will trust God.

(06:29):
This is such a deliberate dayin and day out choice.
So what about you?
What have you decided about howyou are going to put your faith
in God in this new year?
How are you intentionallychoosing to trust him?
In what areas of your life areyou choosing to trust him?

(06:51):
For me personally, last year wasa really great year.
I am so grateful, I am sograteful, I am so thankful.
The problem with that is that,well, honestly, I'm waiting for
the other boot to drop, becausethe prior year was not a great
year, and that makes fear riseup in my heart.

(07:12):
It gives me anxiety thatsomething bad just has to happen
next, something terrible mustbe around the corner again.
But when I live with thatmindset here's the thing I am
not a very happy person.
Not at all.
My happiness is when I chooseto trust God.

(07:41):
Happiness is when I choose totrust God, when I trust God with
my family, with my kids, withmy grandkids, with my husband,
with Vanguard Church, withfamily disciple me, with my
friendships and relationships,with all the circumstances
swirling around me.
When I deliberately,intentionally choose to trust
him, I'm happier.
I have more peace, I have morejoy, I have more hope, I have

(08:04):
more of a song in my lifebecause the God of my salvation
for eternity is the God of mystrength for today.
And with this confidence, withthis hope, with this joy, I can
look at my calendar, I can openmy planner and I can look at the
days and the weeks and themonths ahead.

(08:25):
I can scroll through each ofthese and say I will trust him
here this day.
I will trust him here on thisweek.
I will still trust him in thismonth.
I will trust him in thatsituation.
I will keep trusting him inthat relationship.

(08:46):
I will trust him in thiscircumstance.
And since I'm trusting him inall of this that I know, I'm
going to trust him in what Idon't know, because I know he
has me.
I know he has all those thathe's entrusted to me.
There's nothing we're going towalk through in the days ahead

(09:10):
that he is not with us.
This is what can give ushappiness along life's way.
So say it with me, I will trustGod.
I will trust God.
Not I might trust God.
I could, I ought, I should, butI will trust God.
I could, I ought, I should, butI will trust God.

(09:33):
And so, with that, let me closewith this prayer, this blessing
from Romans, chapter 15, verse13.
May the God of hope fill youwith all joy, with all peace, as
you trust in him, so that youmay overflow with hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

(09:55):
Oh, friend, trust in Him and gowith the joy and the hope and
the happiness that he promisesto give you when you set your
eyes and your faith and yourwill upon Him and with that,
until next time, be encouraged.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Thanks for joining us in this podcast episode.
You can find the matchingconversation guide in the show
notes To get the latest updatesabout the Family Disciple Me
ministry, as well as word aboutour soon-to-be-released app,
Sign up to be the first to knowat familydisciplemeorg.
Also, if you enjoyed thispodcast, help us get the word

(10:38):
out by leaving us a review onyour favorite podcast platform.
God bless you, friend.
Now go seek Him, speak Him.