Trust & FavorPart 2

How We Grow in TrustWorking Through Trusting God

Russ Fochler October 26, 2013

Trust and Vulnerability

Insights from Brene Brown’s “Power of Vulnerability Course” Session 3 part 5In this segment, she talks about:The Myths of VulnerabilityThe gift of being Imperfect before each other.Trust and Vulnerability

Being Imperfect Vulnerability and Trust

Brene Brown: Myths of Vulnerability

Session 3 Part 5

http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/The-Power-of-Vulnerability-with-Brené-Brown/4223.pd?gclid=CPS876Lmt7oCFclDMgodoQoAuQ

Taking Your “Armor” Off...

How do you feel about being:“Goofy and Free”orHonest about your feelings of vulnerability or hurtWith God?Around people - even those closest to you?

Being Imperfect Vulnerability and Trust

Brene Brown: Myths of VulnerabilityMore of Session 3 Part 5

Susan’s “Sliding Door” story as a child

Get in a 2 person Group

Each of you share:One recent story about something that someone did that “put a marble in your trust jar” (take turns)A “sliding door” moment in your life - where things really changed because of how you or someone else responded/acted in life-giving way.

From my last talk - about how we can grow trust with othersOr.... Some things that can put another “marble” in the “trust jar”

Trust Grows

Trust from others grows when we handle feedback well.Trust grows when we demonstrate that we value the well-being of the “family” or community more than personal gain or promotion.Trust grows when people see they are valued and protected.

Trust Grows

When we work through conflicts (!)When we communicate with kindness AND honesty.When we are authentic and vulnerable with each other.When people really know that their heart has been heard.

Trust Grows

When we clean up our “messes”.

When love motivates us instead of fear.

We’re Created to Learn to Trust Early in Our Life

But You are He who took Me out of the womb;You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. Ps 22:9

But Stuff Happens in Our Life that Wounds and Deeply Challenges Our Capacity and Willingness to Trust

Learning to Trust Again:

Danny Lee Silk (Facebook post July 29, 2013):

“Learning to trust again was an ability that Christ gave us through His work on the Cross. Jesus went to the Cross to avenge the stolen innocence and broken trust we ALL inherited after the Fall. When He declared that we all had to be “born again,’ He was saying:

In Daddy’s Arms

“We are going to start this trust thing over again. I am placing you in the Father’s arms, where you are going to experience unconditional love acceptance and care. He is going to meet your needs when you cry out to Him, especially your need to be loved; here your heart will be satisfied” Having trouble trusting again? Do you know Whose arms you are in? KYLO!!!

Scriptures: Trusting God

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength... Isaiah 30:15a AMPThough He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. Job 15:13 NKJV The Hebrew word

translated “trust” means to wait

Scriptures: Trusting God

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8 NKJV

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143.8

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Eph 1:13 NKJV

Trusting God

Probably the biggest challenge each of us faces from time to time.The Enemy’s chief aim is to cause us to question our God’s goodness!What helps you to trust God in the midst of the challenges to that trust?

Ask the audience and repeat back what people say - if it bears repeating!

Tried and True Helps

Remembering the ways that God has come through for you in the past. Regularly reminding ourselves and “building memorials” to His past goodness and faithfulness to us.Cultivating gratitude and thankfulness - for both “little” and “big” gifts and “kisses” everyday. What we focus on - we

make more room for in our mind and heart

God directed the Israelites to do many things - monuments, festivals, etc. - to help them remember His Goodness to them.

Patricia King’s story of gaining “Operative Authority” over poverty and lack

Letting Him “In”

Tasting and Seeing that He is Good! This is not simply based upon intellect or will!And where we have a deep emotional mistrust of God, there is usually a part of of our heart that is holding past trauma and feels alone.

Jesus!

Often, there are parts of our heart that need help to experience Jesus being with us - and Jesus being kind, being safe and strong, bringing truth that sets us free....

Our Internal “Protector”

We all have a part of the core of who we are - that is dedicated to keeping us alive; rising up to protect us from perceived threats - both emotional and physical.This “Protector” is suspicious by nature.But they desperately need to experientially know and trust Jesus.

Jesus is Better

Jesus is much better at assessing and responding to challenges with life-giving responses than our “self protective” nature is by itself.And He is confident that even physical or emotional devastation cannot separate us from Him.

Unless....

Unless Jesus is welcomed deeply into to our emotional, self-protective “heart”, then We’ll keep responding as though our self-protection is the only thing that matters. But, when Jesus is welcomed in - then things begin to shift! Our emotional responses begin to be based upon our security in Jesus.

What Does It Look Like?

When we are more focussed upon Jesus than upon self protection?For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25

Exercise

Inviting our internal “Protector” to meet Jesus - and see how strong and wise Jesus is at helping us navigate both internal and external vulnerabilities and threatening situations.