I'll speak to you from this text on this subject. Boasting like we control tomorrow. Boasting like we control tomorrow. Let me ask you three questions that I hope will place you into this text. How many of you this morning would admit that you love Jesus? How many of here would admit that you love Jesus? Just slip your hands up. Don't lie. If you don't love Jesus, that's okay. I mean, it's not okay, but it's okay not to lie. All right? Okay, good. You can put your hands down. Now, don't raise your hand on this one. How many of you desire God's will for your life? Now, I hope everybody who had their hand up the first time would be willing to put it up the second time, right? Let me ask you a third question. How many of us casually made plans this week without ever pausing to consider God's will? I mean, you're in it. The email comes in, the cell phone dings, and you make a, I'm not talking about, you know, I think I'll get my sandwich now, it's lunchtime. I'm not talking about that kind of stuff, right? I'm talking about how many of us this week made decisions, things came to us, we made split-second decisions, we made decisions in our job, we made decisions with our kids, with our wife, with our families, we just made decisions without ever honestly, intentionally giving any thought whatsoever to God and His will. Kent Hughes, in his comments on our passage, wrote this, and I quote, So pervasive is our culture's arrogant independence of God, that even many Christians attend church marry, choose their vocations, have children, buy and sell homes, expand their portfolios, and numbly ride the currents of culture without substantial reference to the will of God." End of quote. Sadly, we all might admit this morning that we often live as though we are in control of our own tomorrow. God is simply not a meaningful part of our daily lives. God is an object that we package very nicely because, after all, He's glorious. And we set the God package on the shelf in a very prominent place in our home, may I say, because we would obviously acknowledge that we love Him, right? We all raised our hand. We all love Him, so we're going to exalt Him. So we're going to put the God package all neatly wrapped and bundled just in a way that we can do what we need to do. And we put the God package up on the shelf in our home, and we walk through the other six days of our week with virtually No effect and no meaningful thought concerning what God's will is for our everyday life. On Sunday, we go and get the God package. And we come to Gateway Church. Well, we come to Gateway Church if there's not anything else more important to do. I mean, let's be honest. Right? I mean, the God package, it's okay. You can sit there on the shelf if, you know, like there's a good golf match. or, you know, fishing competition, or whatever else we want to put. I mean, you know, God packaged it, because, I mean, we love Him. I mean, we even got Him up there on the shelf. And so we kind of interact with God in a way that is convenient to us. I mean, if it's convenient to do the God thing, we'll do the God thing. And if not, we just, we honor Him, because we've set Him up on the shelf. James is writing to these early believers, and he's challenging their thinking. And I want us to see again in our text, James's challenge, his confrontation with these ancient believers. Three big ideas, I think, that are found in this text. Number one, confront. James is challenging these believers to confront their arrogance. Number two, He's admonishing them that perhaps in their life it is time for a reality check. And number three, he suggests some corrective action. Notice number one, confront your arrogance. Come now, verse 13, come now you who say. You see, our boasting is so common that we fail even to see it as boasting. And certainly we often fail to see it for the arrogance that it is. And James is confronting them with this. You see, what makes the statement of verse 13 such a problem? Come now, James is saying, look, hey, hold on, come on now. You who say, I mean, what's wrong with this statement? Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. I mean, what's wrong with making a plan? What's wrong with profit? What's wrong with doing business? I mean, there's no one here that doesn't want to do business and make a profit at whatever it is that you do. So what's wrong with this? Why is James calling their attention? You see, what makes this statement in verse 13 such a problem is that these people were making these plans and making these decisions To live their life without any serious reference to God's will. Often we as Christians, we become like the world. We are materialistic. And if we're not careful, we assume that prophet and God's will is the same thing. And we are eager and quick to make huge, life-changing decisions based upon whether or not it is profitable to us. No other thought. No consideration about God and His will. I mean, we tell our kids, now son, I want you to go get a really good education and I want you to make sure that you take something in college because I don't want you to suffer the way I suffered. You need to get a good education so that you can get a really, really good job. So that life will be easier for you, son, than it was for me. Life being lived. This is what James is saying. Life is being lived with absolutely no thought about God's will for us, in our planning, or for our families. You see, the pride of our heart is revealed by the words on our tongue. You see what he says? He says here you boast in verse 16. It is as it is. You boast in your arrogance. You see, the tongue, we have already learned in the book of James, in fact, in chapter 3 and verse 5, it says this, it says that our tongue, though it is a small member in our body, yet it boasts great things. You see, the pride of our heart is often revealed by the words on our tongue. Psalm chapter 10 verse 3 and 4. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek God. All his thoughts are, there is no God. I doubt, very seriously, anybody here would stand up today and say, I'm one of those. I don't believe that God exists. I doubt that. And yet, practically, we live as though God does not exist. Psalm 94-4, O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked boast? They pour out their arrogant words, all the evildoers boast. Romans chapter 1, Paul writes this, speaking of the condition of the culture of that day, they were filled with all manner of unrighteousness. evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, or proud. There it is, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. You see, James is confronting us with the arrogance of boasting about tomorrow, or boasting or making plans without any recognition at all, or any reference at all to the will of God. Secondly, arrogant boasting, he says in verse 16, is a heinous evil. Notice again, verse 13, come on you, you who say today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit, verse 16, as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. You see, boasting is an assault on God. How arrogantly wicked is that? You ignore the One who stands there squeezing your heart so that it will keep pumping. The One who breathes out oxygenated air in just the right mixture so that you can take the next breath. The One who gives you life and health and clothes and shelter and food and family and the ability to reason and take action. And you look at this one, who literally sustains our life, and we fail to recognize any of that, and we arrogantly make our plans for tomorrow, with absolutely no consideration of what God's will is. And James says, to these believers, that that is arrogant boasting, and arrogant boasting is a heinous evil. Psalm 10. In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek God. All his thoughts are, there is no God. His ways prosper at all times. Your judgments are on high, out of his sight. For all his foes, he puffs at them. He says in his heart, I shall not be moved. Throughout all generations, I shall not meet adversity. His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression, and under his tongue are mischief and iniquity." You see, James is confronting the arrogance of Christians who have no power to control anything, and yet they are making their plans with no thought of God who controls everything. Daniel, chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar is on the throne, the king of Babylon. Daniel and his friends have been brought to Babylon. They are serving this king, Nebuchadnezzar. He is the ruler of the entire world at this time, this Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world were the Babylonian hanging gardens built by this man, Nebuchadnezzar. One day, the king is walking out on the veranda of his palace and he's surveying these beautiful hanging gardens and all of the works of his hands. And this is what Nebuchadnezzar says. He says, Is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice from heaven spoke, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken. The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and you shall be made to eat grass like a cow, like an ox. And seven periods of time, seven years, shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wills." This arrogant pagan king who is puffing himself up and bragging on what he has done. By the way, ancient history, it's very interesting. In ancient history that has been discovered, some of the writings have been discovered, there is a period of time that is recorded concerning this man's reign, and it's just silent. Just silent. Well, we can tell you from Scripture why it was silent. Because for seven years, he was kept in a paddock out behind the... and he walked around like an animal on his hands and feet, and he ate grass like a cow. And his hair grew like bird feathers, and his nails, it says, grew like claws in the book of Daniel. And then after seven years, his right mind returned to him. And then Nebuchadnezzar says, Now I know that there is a God who rules over the affairs of men. You see, arrogant boasting is a heinous evil. So we said three things. Number one, James is confronting our arrogance. The arrogance of making plans with absolutely no thought of God and His will. Number two, verse 14. James says, it's time for a reality check. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. For what is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Two things that we see in verse 14. Number one, the first thing James reminds us is that life is uncertain. You don't even know what tomorrow will bring. It's uncertain. Listen, none of us even know what this afternoon will bring. Now we have plans. I have plans this afternoon. I plan to have a good lunch, take a short nap, and then I have a meeting. Beginning at 16 hours, going to about 19 hours. But you know what? I have that plan, but I have no idea what really might take place this afternoon. Why? We don't know what tomorrow will bring. Life is uncertain. Luke chapter 12. Jesus told a parable. I really think it helps to illustrate what James is trying to teach us today. Jesus tells them this parable about this rich man. And this rich man was was a corporate farmer. I mean, he really had a large spread. Many people worked for him and his land produced abundantly. Verse 17, he thought to himself, what shall I do? I mean, I have such a bumper harvest this year. I don't even have enough barns to store the amazing amount of crops that I've harvested. Verse 18, he says, I will do this. I will tear down my barns, build bigger ones, and then I will store my grains and my good. And after I do that, I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, fool, Fool, this night, your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? You see, this man that Jesus speaks of, he was an entrepreneur. He was a hardworking. He was a very diligent businessman. He was rich. He was confident. He was successful. And he was a fool. Why was he a fool? Was it because he didn't have good business sense? Or he made bad deals? Or he didn't know how to build bonds? Or he didn't know how to store his grain? He didn't know how to invest his money? No, no, no. He knew all of that. You see, the Bible says he was a fool because in the midst of all of life's accomplishments, he never gave one thought about God, or tomorrow, or what God's will was for him. And God said, you're a fool. You're a fool. I mean, he made all of his efforts, all of his decisions, and all of his planning, with no thought of God or God's will. Do you see him? Can you see him in your mind's eye? I mean, he's sitting on the back for Ron. One evening, just as the sun was beginning to set, he's looking out over his game ranch with a cool drink in his hand, talking about expanding his business capacity, with no thought that in just a couple of hours he'd be dead. God says, you live your life like that? You're a fool. You're a fool. This night your soul will be required of you. Yes, we should be diligent in business. We should use wise principles. We ought to work hard. We ought to invest. There's nothing wrong with any of that. The problem is not the wisdom to invest and work hard and do business. The problem is when we do those things with absolutely no thought of God or His will. That's the problem that James is addressing in our text. And James says life is uncertain. Number two, he also points out the fact that life is brief. He says, you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Life is uncertain. What is your life? It's also brief. For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Not only is life uncertain, but life is brief. It's short. It's likened to the steam coming off a kettle. Here for a few moments, and then gone. Psalm 90 verse 12. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. The writer of Proverbs warns us, do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Job speaks of life like a weaver's shuttle. You know, when that wheel goes around, and that little thing that's going up and down, just that fast. He says, that's just how fast life is. Just one, on a weaver's shuttle. You're done. You're done. You're done. And generation after generation passes, and you've got one, and you're living your little, without even thinking at all about God or God's will. Job says, life is like a cloud that vanishes and is gone. So is he who goes down to the grave and does not return. Don't assume you have tomorrow. Live every day as though it is your last, because one day it will be. Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. If somehow I could show you, thank God I can't do this, but if I could, and I were to tell you, Teo, this is the last day of your life. You've got till midnight tonight. What would you do with the next 12 hours? What would become important for you in the next 12 hours? Who would you want to go to and speak an encouraging word? Who would you want to go to and ask forgiveness? Who would you want to go to and repay because you ripped them off last year in a business deal? So whatever is going through your head right now, that's what you ought to do this afternoon. This is what James is saying. Though we are Christians, we live as though God doesn't exist. And we know He does. But He's in the box on the shelf, remember? Don't boast about tomorrow. Because there's no one in this room including me that has any guarantee that tomorrow will come because life is uncertain and life is short and how arrogant it is to make a plan for the whole year without giving any thought to God and God's will. And number three, Number one, confront your arrogance. Number two, it's time for a reality check. Don't assume tomorrow. Live every day as though it's your last because one day it will be. And number three, take corrective action. And that's really what James is after here in this text. Notice what he says. Look at verse 15. Instead, notice, here's the correction. He says, this is what you're doing, this is how you're living your life, as though God has no place in your life. You don't think about God and His will for next year, and your business plans, and your relationships, and the raising of your kids, and what school you're going to put them into. And where are you going to live? You're making all of these plans with literally no thought of God and God's will. He says, look, as a child of God, here's the corrective step to take. Instead, instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. What's he saying? Instead of making all of our plans with never giving any thought to God's will, we ought to begin with God's will. Acknowledging God. Acknowledging that He has a purpose, that He has a plan. If the Lord wills, we will rent the Lubambe Center this year. If the Lord wills, We will go here, we will go there on vacation if the Lord wills. Three things, corrective actions. Number one, our plans should acknowledge that God has a will. Your plans should acknowledge that God has a will. You ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will do this or do that. You see, God is the master architect, and He has the master plan. He is the creator and the controller. Job 23 verse 13, the writer of Job understood this very clearly about God. Look what it says. This is a brilliant verse. But He, speaking of God, but He is unchangeable. And who can turn Him back? What He desires, that He does. There are several truths about God and God's will. Notice the first thing, God has a plan. God has a plan. Whatever God desires, God does. He is of one mind. In other words, He is one-minded. He is unchangeable. He is of one mind. And whatever His soul desires, that is what God does. Number one, God has a plan. Number two, notice God's plan is unchangeable. Who can turn Him back? When God does what God wants to do, His plans are unchangeable. And who can turn Him around? Notice God's plan must and will succeed. What He desires that He does. His plans He has a plan, it's unchangeable. His plan must and will succeed. And God's plan includes all things that come to pass. But we know, Romans 8, 28, Paul writes, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. You see, God is ever at work, and He does all things according to His own eternal knowledge, power, and design. He is unchangeable. No one can change Him. No one can turn Him back. Whatever He chooses, whatever He desires, that He most certainly will do. A.W. Tozer likened God's sovereignty and providence to a cruise ship sailing from London to New York City. The ship has a specific destination and everyone on board will arrive at that destination. You get on the cruise ship in London, it's headed to New York. Everybody on that ship's gonna end up in New York. But while you're on the ship, you're walking around, and you're eating nice food, and you're enjoying entertainment, and you're going to your nice little berth, and you're having restful sleep, and you're doing all of these things, all of these things that occupy your time, and your attention, and your life, and you're making decisions, and you're moving here, and you're swimming in the pool on the top deck, and you're watching a movie down below, and you're doing all of these things, and all the while, God's sovereign plan is steaming towards New York City. Every one of us. God has a plan. And God's purposes will be fulfilled. His steamship is heading to that port and you can think that you're in control and you're making your decisions and you're free to do whatever you want and you're walking around, you're enjoying yourself, you're doing all this kind of stuff all the while God's sovereign purpose is just heading down. So, because of these realities, your plans should acknowledge that God has a will. Our prayer should be the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6.10. What did he say? They said, Lord, teach us how to pray. What was part of the prayer that he taught them? Your kingdom come, your will be done. on earth as it is in heaven. Throughout the New Testament, again and again and again, we find that biblical writers were making plans for what God wanted them to do, and yet they were laying those plans, they were acknowledging that God has a will. Acts 18.21, Paul is in Ephesus. But on taking leave of them, he said, I will return to you if God wills. And he set sail. Romans 15, 32, he tells, writes to the Romans who he's not yet visited in Rome. So that by God's will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. To the Corinthians, early in his letter, he says, but I will come to you soon if the Lord wills. later in the same letter. For I do not want to see you just now in passing. I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits. The writer of Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 3. And this we will do if God permits. You see, this is the flow of the Christian life. We don't tack God's will on as an affirmation to our plans. Rather, we begin with an acknowledgement that He has a divine will. So number one, the corrective steps, your plans should acknowledge that God has a will. Number two, your plans must concede that God's will always comes to pass. Instead, James says, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will. If the Lord wills, we will. You see, concede God's will always comes to pass. Psalm 76 10. Another beautiful, beautiful verse. Surely the wrath of man shall praise you. Surely the wrath, all the unjust wrath and anger of sinful man shall praise you, speaking of God. The remnant, the overflow of that sinful wrath, you will put on like a belt, or some translations say, you will restrain. Same idea. This is a phenomenal thought. Do you know what God is teaching through that text? Nothing will thwart God's will. No one will hinder God's will. Even those with evil intentions, even those who don't acknowledge God, they don't fear God. Their hearts are filled and controlled with ungodly wrath and anger and vile sin. They have no thought of God in their heart. They're not doing anything for God. They're not trying to glorify God. Even those people will bring praise to God. You see, even those with evil intentions will ultimately further God's will. Even man's wrath will glorify God. You say, how is that possible? Man's free will is 100% responsible for every bit of sin and wrath, and every act produced by it. And yet God totally controls and directs the man's heart. All the wrath that will further God's purposes is allowed to surface in that man's life, and the rest of it, God restrains it. As evil as our world is today, God is only allowing the wicked intentions and purposes of evil men to be acted upon only to the degree that will further God's purpose and bring Him glory. The rest of the wrath and anger and wickedness in a man's heart, God takes like a big belt and He puts a belt around it and He restrains it. They don't get to do what really they want to do. They don't get to sin as much as they want to sin. Things aren't as bad as they would be if God were to remove his restraint. By the way, we are told in the book of Revelation there is coming a day in which the Holy Spirit of God is going to be removed from the earth, and in that case, the total restraint of God's sovereign hand will be removed for a period of time, and this world, we will spiral into absolute anarchy and chaos. You see, God is sovereign. In the midst of sinful men, God is sovereign. In the midst of sin, God is not the producer of sin, but He controls how much you get to sin. And only the amount that will further His glorious purposes and plans, He allows you to actually act upon. God is in control. And your plans must concede that God's will always comes to pass. Number three, so find God's will and participate in what He's doing. So find God's will and participate in what God is doing. John 5 and verse 30, seek God's will. Listen, Jesus says, I can do nothing on my own, as I hear and judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. Seek God's will, John 5.30. Find what God is doing. Find what God's will is. Go to scripture. Find out what God says. And acknowledge His will. And start with His will. And yes, make your plans if the Lord wills. Seek God's will. Secondly, follow God's will. Psalm 119, 105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. You see, that's how the Christian life works. As we pursue God's will in God's Word, God's Word is like a lantern. God's Word is like a torch on a dark night, and the Word of God turns the light on, the spotlight on. And in the midst of the darkness, in the midst of the uncertainty of life, God's spotlight shines, and we know I don't know about tomorrow, but I know what I'm supposed to do right now. I am supposed to obediently obey God's word, and I'm to take that step. You know what problem some of us have? You know. You're seeking God's will about business. You're seeking God's will about a marriage partner. You're seeking God's will about all these things, right? And yet, there are things that God has clearly, clearly shown you in His Word. Either through a Bible study, or your own reading of the Word, or on a Sunday morning you heard something, and God has clearly revealed, He's turned the light on from His Word, and yet you have refused to obey. Oh, Lord, you just, oh, we just beg you. You gotta give us direction, Lord, in this business thing. You just, oh, please, God, show us what to do with our business. And how, oh, Lord. And God's sitting there going. I already gave you light. I already told you the next thing that you're supposed to do. And you're ignoring what I told you to do, and you're wanting an answer for that. Your word is a lamp to my feet. In other words, the idea is I'm to take the next step of obedience with God and for some of you that's baptism. You've come to a biblical understanding of public identification in baptism and yet you still refuse. And then you want God somehow to give you some big plan and some big ideas out here for His will. He's going, I've already showed you my will. I've told you what the next thing is I want you to do, and you keep refusing. I mean, how would you like it if your kid came to you, and he's asking for whatever, something big, right? I want a bicycle, Dad. Give me a bicycle. Give me a bicycle. And you've told the kid, clean your room. Clean your room. I don't want to clean my room. And you go in, he doesn't clean his room. And you spank him, he still doesn't clean his room. He never cleans his room. But he keeps coming back going, get down, I want a bicycle. Do you think you're going to feel like giving him a bicycle? He's ignoring you, he's disobeying you, he's thumbing his nose at you, he's rebellious against you, but he wants you to pull out some gift for him. But that's how we big people, that's what we big people do with our God all the time. Now, you see... Now, you see, I actually have a reason for why. You see... Now, all the while, God says, My word is a lamp to your feet. I've shown you what I want you to do. I've told you what your next step of obedience is. And you wonder why God doesn't bless us? Why God, seemingly, He's silent? He doesn't lead us? He doesn't direct us? We need to find what God's will is and participate in what He's doing. We need to go to God's Word. Whatever God says to us in His Word, we're to say, Yes, Lord. Seek God's will, but then follow God's will. And when you follow God's will, you will experience God's will. That's the last one. Romans 12, 1 and 2. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. It's your reasonable worship. Verse 2. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. My mind is renewed through the Word of God. So that by testing, you may discern what is the Will of God. You see, my mind is transformed by the Word of God as I present myself to God. My mind is transformed by the Word of God so that I can live the Will of God. As I'm taking that next step, I can then discern that this is what God's will is, because this is what God's word says. No, it's never God's will for you to cheat the customer. It's just not. No, but that's Zambian, that's how we do business here, and if we don't do business like that, we won't make a profit, and certainly God doesn't want my family to starve, so therefore it must be God's will for me to cheat them, because I need a profit, so that my family won't starve. Our minds are, we present our bodies to God, our minds are transformed by the renewing of our mind through the word so that we can live out, we can test, we can make practical applications down in the everyday of life to discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Notice verse 17, I'm done. James is done for today. Verse 17, so. That word, so. He's going to conclude, right? So, whoever knows to do good, whoever knows the right thing to do, and fails to do it, for him it is sin. There's his conclusion. So, if you know what's right, and you don't do what's right, you're sinning. So now what? What's the way forward? Number one, humble yourself. Really, isn't that what he's just talked about? He just said, look, you're arrogant. You're living your life with no thought of God or His will. That's arrogance. You're boasting. What do we need to do? We need to humble ourselves. Verse 10, he's talked about that already. He says in verse number 10, humble yourself before the Lord and He will exalt you. In verse 6, he warns us that God fights against the proud, but God abundantly pours out His grace to the humble. So what do we do? If we've been living our life with little thought of God or His will, humble yourself. Admit your arrogance. Admit that your lack of considering God and His will is actually arrogance. It's pride. As though you think you are certain of tomorrow, and you do have control. And then, verse 17, he says, if you know what to do and you don't do it, it's sin. So, what do we do with sin? We repent of it. Humble yourself. Admit your arrogance. Repent of your sin. And then what? Do God's will. Do God's will. Is God calling you to do something for Him today? May you say, Lord, I'm willing. Okay, I'm willing. Is God asking you to accept a difficult responsibility? Lord, I'm willing. Is God asking you to go somewhere for His purposes, to advance His cause, Lord? I'm willing. Whatever it is that God has shown you clearly as the next step of obedience, are you willing to follow His will? That's the question. Father, you know our hearts. Last thing I said to my wife at the house today was, this one hit me right between the eyes this week. So how do I pray for my people when I'm guilty? I don't know. But I do pray for myself. Lord, I far too often during my week just make decisions that affect people, that affect my family, affect the course of my life, affect the course of my ministry, without ever thinking about you or your will. Help us to say, if the Lord wills, we will do this or we will do that. Help us to believe that you're a good God, because you are. Help us to really believe that you're a faithful God, because you are. That place in our life where you've clearly shown us from your word what our next step of obedience is, And we've hesitated for some reason. We've delayed for some reason. We've said no. We've made some excuse. God, forgive us. It's sin. James says it's sin. You say it's sin. Our hearts and mind confirm that that's sin. Lord, we repent. We come to you. God, may not fear stand in our way of obedience. May not our own desires stand in the way of obedience. Help us to know your will. Help us to submit to your will. And empower us to obey your will, we pray for Jesus' sake, amen.