FAITH IN THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

 

THEME: FAITH IN THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

Faith - Deep conviction or trust in something that cannot be proven or seen with tangible evidence.

Text Box: 1 Samuel 17:4-16 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.[c] His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.Text Box: Call to worship: 1 Samuel 17:45-47 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”Text Box: 1 Samuel 17: 20 – 37 20 early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear. 25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” 29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”Providence - The protective care, guidance, and provision of a divine power or higher authority.

 

Results of having Faith in God

·         Text Box: John 3: 16 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.Salvation:

·         Text Box: Romans 12:2 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.Transformation:

 

 

Text Box: Ephesians 2:10 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

·         Empowerment for Service:

Text Box: Hosea 5:6 6 When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him;he has withdrawn himself from them.Results of not having faith in God

·         Separation from God:

 

·         Sometimes it leads to negative mental health issues:

Type of negative mental health

Ø  Anxiety Disorders: Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive worry, fear, or nervousness that can interfere with daily activities.

Ø  Substance Use Disorders: Substance use disorders involve problematic use of substances, such as alcohol, drugs, or other substances, that can lead to negative mental health outcomes and impair daily functioning.

Ø  Personality Disorders: Personality disorders involve long-standing patterns of behavior, thoughts, and emotions that deviate from cultural and societal norms, and can cause significant distress and impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning

Impacts of negative mental health

Ø  Impaired functioning in daily life: Mental health conditions can disrupt an individual's ability to carry out daily activities, such as work, school, relationships, and self-care. This can result in decreased productivity, difficulties in relationships, and challenges in fulfilling responsibilities.

Ø  Emotional distress: Mental health conditions often involve emotional distress, such as persistent sadness, anxiety, fear, anger, or irritability. These emotions can impact a person's overall well-being and quality of life, affecting their mood, relationships, and ability to cope with daily stressors.

Ø  Social isolation and stigma: Mental health conditions can lead to social isolation, as individuals may withdraw from social activities and relationships due to the symptoms they are experiencing.

Ø  Substance abuse and self-harm: Some individuals may turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism to manage their mental health symptoms, which can lead to addiction and other negative consequences. Additionally, individuals with mental health conditions may be at higher risk for engaging in self-harm behaviors, such as cutting or other forms of self-injury.

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