This Sunday

October 18 – What You Believe Shapes How You Live | Truth, Trust, and Tithing

What you believe about God shapes how you live, how you make decisions, and where you place your trust. John remained faithful to Jesus even when his testimony cost him his freedom, reminding us that conviction must hold firm under pressure. Scripture calls us to build our lives on three foundations: truth, trust, and tithing. Jesus is the truth, God is rich in mercy, and His wisdom is more trustworthy than our own understanding. When fear tempts us to take control, faith calls us to surrender our plans and trust God’s direction. And when we honor Him through faithful giving, we learn to live with greater freedom from the fear of never having enough. Genuine faith is more than what we profess; it is revealed in how we live.

Revelation 1:9-17 (NLT)

I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the Island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s day, and I was worshiping in the spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches- in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the son of man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 

He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead.

Revelation 1:9 NLT

I, John, was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. 

What you believe shapes the way you behave. 

Three practical lessons (biblical concepts) 

-truth

-trust 

-tithe 

1. Truth 

John 14:6 NIV

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Ephesians 2:4 KJV (shortened, just this)

...God is rich in mercy

2. Trust 

Proverbs 3:5-6: NKJV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path. 

Trusting God is an active, ongoing choice to rely on his character, wisdom, and promises, rather than our own limited understanding, self-reliance, or control. 

3. Tithe 

The tithe has removed my fear of not having enough money.