LIVING RIGHT SIDE UP IN AN UPSIDE DOWN SOCIETY! Proverbs 3:1-10. What is a Christian supposed to do?

We live in a society that is upside down. Back in 2006 I tried to ride a Roller Coaster, twice because I thought once is not enough. And you know how roller coasters are; they turn the riders upside down several times during the duration of the ride. When the ride is finished you will have trouble focusing and getting your balance straightened out again. After the ride, it was hard for me to determine which way to walk. I think that is what is or has happened in this society we live in. Everything has been turned upside down. It has been turned upside down morally, ethically, and physically. Nothing is biblically right side up. It is hard to live right side up in an upside down society. Society has no vision of how God looks at the system that we live in. Society sees everything totally different than God expects us to look at it. But you can live right side up if you want to. Society says abortion is okay as long as you have valid reasons for terminating your pregnancy. A man can marry another man vv. Society even say praying in schools shall be prohibited. It is accepted by our society for a child to make their own decision as though they were adults. They can choose what is beneficial to them physically, morally, and emotionally. They can even choose a life style that is completely opposed to the family belief system. Society says that right may not always be right to everyone and the individual can decide for himself what is right and wrong for him. Society says any and all sin should be looked at as a choice, while restraining the only freedom to truthfully preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is accepted by society that religions can be determined by society whether such is legitimate. When we look at anything from our own surroundings or own ability we will have a distorted view, and it wont appear like it does to God. When God is given the total freedom to perform His promises and His will in our lives then everything is right side up. Remember society will view it as being upside down. (Proverbs 3:1-10) This portion of Scripture tells us that there is a way in which every child of God can live successful and acceptable to God even though the surroundings may not be conceivably acceptable. Even if the whole society is upside down we, the children of God, can still live right side up. I want to give you four areas of life in which you must make this work for you. I. TRUST GOD BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE (Prov 3:5) Several have mentioned the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary this week. The English word Trust in the Hebrew means - Be confident or sure: --be bold (confident, secure, sure), careless, confidence, hope, trust. A very interesting word in this definition is Careless. How would that apply in trusting? Christians who put total trust in the Lord will appear to others to be careless in practice and thinking. An unbelieving person would think it very careless for a Christian, to place total trust in the Lord for all our needs, with no regard to whether or not God would do what He promised. It would appear to be careless not to make a back up provision in the event God didnt come through. To an unbeliever it will look careless. To a dedicated believer it is just trusting the Lord. When you announce to a godless soci ety that you are going to live totally by faith and they will call you careless. If Christians really place their faith and trust in God in the Bible manner, everyone else will think we are careless. Our assurance must be in God and God alone. When we say God plus man then we limit God. God may and probably will use man to bring about His desires for us, but man is only a delivery instrument and not the source of supply. Doctors that do medical treatment are not performing some magical or healing procedure, but rather they are the conduit that God uses to bring about the purpose. What are we talking about? Trusting God before anything else.

Trust has two applications here: A. Faith. Trusting in God will require faith in God. 1. With all your heart. That removes your own capability from the matter. Nothing you can do will make it any better, or anymore sure. It must all come from God. Trust means that you are going to leave the whole matter in Gods hands. Whatever the outcom e is, you will accept as God doing His own will. This means to trust God more than you would your retirement plan. More than you do your employer. More than your own ability. Do you want full barns and full wine presses? Trust in God. 2. Lean not on your own understanding. If we are leaning on self then we are not trusting in God with all our heart. Here is the catch to this: You must accept the truth that everything about your understanding will get you into deep trouble. Just ask the person who leaned on his own understanding. We are not to rely on, or support ourselves with our own understanding. Our understanding is carnal and influenced by the world. We said that the word Trust has to applications: The first was Faith. The second is: B. Confidence. Trusting God will require confidence. This is very important. 1. Confident that God can produce what He promises. (1 John 5:14) "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 2. Confident that God will give the asked need. (1 John 5:15) "And if we know that he hears uswhatever we askwe know that we have what we asked of him." Without confidence you wont trust Him.

Let me give you a very worldly example. In April 2014 there will be another Pacquiao fight. I will watch that game sitting on the edge of my chair, biting my fingernails, and hands sweaty. (I told you this was a worldly example) I will be nervous and get nearly sick to my stomach (I know that is sin but no one is perfect) Every time Pacman would throw a punch. But when I watch the replay, I will kick back in my recliner, pop some popcorn and watch it without any fingernail biting. No nervous stomach. No wringing of my hands. My hands arent sweaty. Why the change in my demeanor? Because by then I will know the outco me. Before the game I wasnt confident. After I experienc ed I am now confident. Thats where the Lord wants you and me to be in our confidence. He wants our trust in Him to be so confident so that we dont get sweaty hands, or nervous stomach while waiting on Him to meet our needs. By faith and trust we can know the outcome of everything we are faced with. We can be confident that He will do the right thing for us in each situation. When one trusts in the Lord with all his heart, all expectation of what man can do alone without God will be removed. I wonder if there is anyone here today that hasnt taken your hands off your life. If so, you must take them off and let God have full control. You will never get to where you need to be spiritually and financially until you do. What are we talking about? Living Right Side Up In An Upside Down World. For six thousand years man has tried to do right without God and has done nothing but was worse and worse. So there must be another way. That way is to trust in the Lord with all your heart.

II. COMMIT TO THE LORD IN ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE (Prov 14:12) "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." (Prov 3:6) "In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." In every way acknowledge Him as the One who will supply and protect you. You must acknowledge Him as your only source of trust and or supply. It is my conclusion that most every decision made by most Christians is made with some kind of reservation, and some area of designation. The reason is that when God begins to demand more than they want to pay they can back up and recant. Lord I didnt intend to go that far. If only we knew what we missed when we do that. Most have probably heard this story but it helps to clarify my point. It reminds me of an old beggar who was invited to the house of the richest man in town for dinner. The butler took him upstairs to the bathroom. After bathing he was given a suit of dinner clothes. He looked and felt like a million dollars. The only negative was he kept his old clothes in a brown paper bag. When it came time to go to the dinner table he took the clothes with him and placed them on his lap. The serving of the meal began. The meat was passed by and as he reached to get the platter of meat, his sack of old clothes fell off his lap. In reaching to pick up the sack the meat platter was passed on by him. Then came the potatoes. The same thing happened. Then the vegetables, and the same thing again, he dropped his old clothes. When the last serving of food was passed by and he again reached down and picked up his dirty clothes he again missed it. There he sat with nothing but his worthless and dirty clothes. Many Christians are just like that beggar. They hold on to their old possessions that are worthless and pass up all that God has to offer them. OH! WHAT WE MISS WHEN WE HANG ON TO THE OLD THINGS OF THIS LIFE. A. Acknowledging Him In All Our Ways. The Meaning Of Ways. 1. A Course Of Life Or Mode Of Action. Do you acknowledge and commit to the Lord your every course of life or mode of action? Is God in control of everything? Perhaps some of you listening to me right now your very next step in this matter of serving God is to commit to Him your course of life or mode of action. You may have nearly done this in the past, yet held on to just one little string of life that you wanted to control. You will never experience living right side up in this upside down world. 2. Conversation. Noah Websters definition of conversation is: General course of manners; behavior; deportment; especially as it respects morals. Remember what we are talking about. Committing all our ways unto the Lord. Conversation is one of those ways. Have you committed your behavior and your general course of manners to the Lord. That is one of the meanings of the word ways. 3. Customs. Frequent or common use, or practice; a frequent repetition o f the same act; hence, way; established manner; habitual practice. Most customs today is that of self controlling of our life. Not many Baptists have handed the reigns over to God for total control. Until you do that things will go on like they are and even get worse. Is that what you are wanting for? 4. Manner. Form; method; way of performing or executing. B. And He Shall Direct Thy Paths. Listen to this amazing Scripture: TURN TO: (Isa 30:21) "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it." Think about that: a voice whispering in your ear instructing you where to take every step in life. Take this road, Ivan. Make this decision. Buy this item. Spend your money for this. How blessed and sweet that would be. Oh! His direction will lead you to happiness and success. Your direction will lead you farther in what you now have. Which do you want? Committing comes before direction of our paths.

III. DONT OVER ESTIMATE YOUR OWN ABILITY (Prov 3:7) "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." The sooner each of us realizes that we are not capable of making our own decisions the better off we will be. When I make my own decisions and insist on my own way I always end up upside down confused and often defeated. Your flesh will make the wrong turns in life. You will go with the easiest course of life and the most attractive. Those ways may not be the best. If you will allow God to choose for you how much happier you will be. IV. BE A GOOD STEWARD WITH ALL THAT YOU HAVE This may be the number one stopper of all Christian success. That of failing to be a good steward with all substance. (Prov 3:9 KJV) "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:" Did you know that if you break this requirement you remove Gods entire obligation to provide for you? Im glad that I got into the tithing habit early. My wife and I have been married, soon to be, forty one years, and there has not been one pay check that we have not tithed. I dont mean that to be bragging. Im just saying that much of what God has done for us is in direct proportion to our faithfulness in tithing. I could stand here for hours telling you of the goodness of the Lord and to brag on the Lord and to testify of His goodness. Had we not have been faithful in tithing I am convinced that I could not give testimony of the Lords goodness toward us. Are you a good steward? Are you honoring Him with all your substance? Do you regularly and faithfully give the firstfruits of all your increase? If not then you may just as well prepare to continue on upside down. It wont get better, rather worse. V. ENJOYING THE RIGHT SIDE UP LIFE (Prov 3:10 KJV) So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. I had surely rather wake up tomorrow knowing my barns are full, and the wine presses are filled with plenty. This is the life God wants each of us to have. I am not talking about the health and wealth life that the Charismatics try to cram down our throats, but there is a promise that God will provide plenty for His children, and this the example of it. There is still one aspect of this whole precept that we didnt read yet, and it is found in Vs. 11&12. (Prov 3:11 KJV) My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: (Prov 3:12 KJV) For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Our failure to live right side up brings a consequence chastening. If we fail to do that then our chastening is to have to suffer the consequences of not living right side up. Living upside down brings a chastening. As I look around and see so many of Gods children living upside down I think to myself if on ly they would do what He says they could enjoy the right side up life. Where are you today? Is life upside down? Is your future about as bleak as it could be? Why not turn around and live right side up? You must first begin by being saved. After that, you begin to place all your trust in Him and proceed with what we have learned today. Who needs to come? If you do, just get up right now and come on. Turn over and begin living right side up.