Have You Tried Everything Else? Now Try Jesus (346) - April 18 2026

How many of us want to move forward but feel stagnant, running in so many directions and doing so many things? Eventually, we realize we are not moving forward the way we would like or the way we thought we were. Many people use the phrase: “I am hitting up against a wall.” This means there are obstacles in the way, you’re going nowhere, and you are stagnant. This is a sign that you are going the wrong way or doing the wrong things. It’s like driving on the road and looking for the turn you’re supposed to take. You can tell the turn should have come up by now, but it’s taking too long. All the signs are pointing to something being wrong. This means it’s time to pause, conserve your energy, and regather yourself to come up with a new plan that works — because what you’re doing is not working. All your efforts, all your knowledge, and all your information are leading you to a dead end. Truly, God is trying to tell you something. Those who are listening can hear God. Those who are not listening can see the signs by now. The big sign in your life is this: something is wrong.

We discuss the following topics:
- What are the obstacles that can be in your way?
- Who is God in your life?
- Understand that Jesus, who is bigger and wiser than you, is in control.
- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): Hebrews 6, Judges 18:5-6, 2 Samuel 2:1, Judges 20:18, 1 Samuel 28:6, 2 Chronicles 34:21, Exodus 20:3, Jeremiah 29:12-13, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 3:7, Isaiah 55:7-9, Proverbs 4:7, Job 38:1-18, Proverbs 4:1-2, Proverbs 4:5-13, Zachariah 4:6, Job 40:1-10, Job 42:2-6, Job 37:14-24.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) And welcome back to yet another episode of touchofgod.world. My name is Catrice and I'll be delivering the message for you today. This week we're going to be talking about have you tried everything else? Now try Jesus. For those of you who'd like to follow along with us, we use the amplified classic version. Last week on Are Those God's Instructions Part 5, we talked about the following. Following God's instructions can be rewarding if that is what you are following. We must, however, first look at our motive and heart posture. If what you are asking God is different from what is in your heart, it can get confusing. Why? Because the motive of the heart can leave you going up and down. Are you following what God wants or what you want? Can you trust your own heart? This week on Have You Tried Everything Else? Now Try Jesus, we'll be examining this topic in a much closer way. How many of us are wanting to move forward but have been running in so many directions, doing so many things, eventually we realize we are not moving forward the way we would like or the way we thought we were. Many people use the phrase, I am hitting up against a wall. This means there are obstacles in the way. You're going nowhere. You are stagnant. This is a sign that you are going the wrong way, doing the wrong things. It's like driving on the road and you're looking for where you're supposed to turn. A turn is supposed to be coming up, but you can tell that it's taking too long. You should have made the turn by now. All the signs are pointing to something going wrong. This means it's time to pause, reserve your energy and regather yourself to come up with a new plan that works because what you're doing is not working. All your efforts, all your knowledge and information are leading you to a dead end. Truly, God is trying to tell you something. Those who are listening can hear God. Those who are not listening can see the signs by now. The big sign in your life is something is wrong. The topics for this week. What are the obstacles that can be in your way? Who is God in your life? Understand that Jesus, who is bigger, wiser than you, is in control. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Let's start with what are some obstacles that can be in your way. Not praying or Bible reading and just letting life happen. Not being subject to God, Jesus Christ, according to the word. Not trying to be a sayer and a doer of the word. Not studying to know God's word and how he works. Only seeking God for money, power and things. Making idols of pastors, prophets, teachers in the world. Seeking help from anyone, even if they serve the devil. Still in sin and not living a repented holy life, according to the Bible. It can also be pride, stubbornness. You don't want to do the work. Feel like there are too many rules. An attitude towards all Bible words being unnecessary. And so many more obstacles. Without believing and knowing, it's a hard road to even go down if you don't know God. Let's look at Hebrews 6. But without faith, it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to him. We're talking about God. For whoever would come near to God must unnecessarily believe that God exists and that he is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek him out. These are just the first and beginning steps. We have to believe that God is. We have to have faith that God is there, number one, and that he exists. Once you understand that he exists and you have faith in him, then you can move on to the next step, which is earnestly and diligently seeking him. But if you don't believe that God exists and you're not trying to understand at all, you're trying to get to what it is you're trying to get to, God can't direct you. Just like if you were talking to a person and you never acknowledged, let's say if it was somebody at work that you needed instructions from, but you never acknowledged them, you never said hello to them, you never communicated, you never had any kind of relationship with them, they're not going to know that you need help and they can't direct your footsteps if you don't even talk to them. That's how it is when you don't have a relationship with God, but yet you're wanting to overcome all the things in your life. You have to use and apply what's in the Bible so that you can be moving forward. Let's look at who is God in your life. Are you serving Jesus Christ? Do you have many gods and idols in your life? Are you subject to Jesus Christ only? Are we our own gods only listening to what we think and consider? All these things contribute to delay a believer's life or non-believer's life. Actually, if you say you're a believer, but do not remain in Christ and Jesus is not your Lord, then you never made him Lord over your life. And this means he can't direct you. Sometimes we can say that we have made Jesus our Lord, but many times our thoughts in our heart and mind are about what we want to do versus what God wants to do. Let's ask ourselves a question. When it comes to food, do we ask the Lord if we should eat certain things? When it comes to things we want to buy, do we ask the Lord what to buy? Do we ask the Lord any questions at all? Take time to really answer that question in your mind. If the answer was not yes, then you are in a group with many who may not even be aware that acknowledging the Lord to guide your steps is something that needs to be done. When we do this, we lean on the Lord to direct us to do the right thing, take the right path, make the right choice for us. When we do things, we are not depending on the Lord. We are depending on ourselves sometimes. We did not inquire of the Lord, pray, fast, or seek him, or even see what the Bible says. All of these things are steps that you have to do if you are wanting to seek the Lord and you've done everything else in your life. You have to move towards deciding whether you're going to get serious about God. When you have become saved and made Jesus the Lord of your life, over all decisions, you must inquire of the Lord. This means when different things happen in your life, you ask Jesus what to do, where to go, who to talk to, things like that. Let's look at Judges 18, 5-6 for an example of what it means to look towards the Lord. And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray for you, of God, that we may know whether our journey will be successful. And the priest said to them, Go in peace, the way in which you go is before, under the eye of the Lord, so we can see here that the priests are instructing these people to seek counsel and inquire of the Lord if they want to know which way to go. So we can see that that's very important. Let's look at another example in 2 Samuel 2, verse 1. After this, David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up, David, go up. David said, To which shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron. So we can see here, asking God specific questions in the Bible that David inquired of the Lord and he got specific answers, but it also shows that they asked, and then they had to wait for God's answer. Let's look at another example in Judges 20, verse 18. The Israelites arose and went up to the house of God, Bethel, and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall take the lead to battle against the Bedtimites? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first. The examples I just read show us how the people in the Bible who trusted in the Lord inquired of him. When we inquire of the Lord, he gives us answers, directions, provision. This is, of course, if we are not in sin. Remember, sin can separate us from God. Let's look at another example in 1 Samuel 28, verse 6. When Saul inquired of the Lord, he refused to answer him, either by dreams or by Urim, a symbol worn by the priest when seeking the will of God for Israel, or by the prophets. So Saul sinned against God and did not listen to God's instructions. And in this case, this applies to sin separating us from God. When Saul did not do what the Lord asked, the Lord did not answer him when he went to seek him and inquire of him. So it's very important that you are not in sin knowingly or repent before being in constant praying about what you've done and be very careful to inquire of the Lord if you've offended him or just ask the Lord and the Lord will guide you in all of these steps. Look at another example, 2 Chronicles 34, 21. The king ordered his people to go inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah about the words of the book that is found. For great is the Lord's wrath that is poured out on us because our father have not kept the word of the Lord to do according to all that is written in this book. So we can see that it is very important that you have to do all that is written in God's book, which is the Bible. We're inquiring of the Lord. We want to make sure that we're doing all that we know to do as we're reading his word. So this means you have to read God's word as you're seeking him. We can see in the example that I just read that the king understood how necessary it is to inquire of the Lord to the point that he had fear of the Lord. Let's look at Exodus 20 verse 3. You shall have no other gods before or besides me. So God is letting us know it is good to inquire of him while you're doing that. You want to have no other gods, no other gods. So that means if you're trying to believe in Jesus, but then you're also worshiping other gods and statues and idols, that's not going to work. That will be considered a sin and sin separates us from God. So we want to remember these things as we're overcoming obstacles. We're saying to the Lord and perhaps some of us are even complaining that this is not working and all these things are not working. But if you haven't tried the Lord and you're not following the Bible and you're not following the precepts and you're not reading the Bible or praying or doing the things that you're supposed to do, you can't say that God doesn't work if you haven't tried to do that. When we do not inquire of the Lord, we are depending on another person, place, or thing to guide, direct, provide for us. However, when we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, it is Jesus who we inquire of. In Jeremiah 29 verses 12 to 13, it says, Then you will call upon me and you will come and pray to me and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek me, inquire for me and require me as a vital necessity and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Let's look at Proverbs 3, 5 to 6. Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways, know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. In this verse, the Lord is telling us if we are seeking Him, we have to learn to lean on and trust in Him. This means we have to depend on the Lord, that it's not just saying, oh, I believe in God, but throughout everything that you're going through, you have to lean on and trust in the Lord and be confident in the Lord in all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. This is talking about something different because for those who have been seeking and trying to overcome different obstacles in your life, perhaps you've been depending on your own wisdom, your own knowledge, or trying to see what friends are thinking or see what somebody who's a popular person, seeing what they think, but God is asking you to lean on, trust in, and rely upon Him. This is a whole new kingdom. You're not relying upon yourself anymore and that's the whole point of making Jesus Lord. When we recognize and acknowledge the Lord, then He can turn to us and direct us and make straight and plain our paths. But if you're not turning to, trusting, and relying on, you're not confident in the Lord in your heart and mind, then He can't make your path straight because you haven't given Him the problem. It's kind of like a child going to their mother and if they don't tell their mother what's going on or trust their parents to tell them what's going on, the parents can't give them any kind of knowledge or wisdom or their opinion about anything because they haven't given it over to them. It's very important that we give over every situation. We submit our prayers unto the Lord with prayers and supplication. In Proverbs 3, verse 7, it says, Be not wise in your own eyes, reverently fear and worship the Lord, and turn entirely away from evil. God is trying to give us a message here that when we have been trying everything in our own lives, we've been wise in our own eyes. But as you come into the kingdom of God, He's saying, Be not wise in your own eyes, and reverently fear and worship the Lord. You have to understand that when you make Jesus Lord, you've come to the end of your own understanding and where you end, God begins. If you're still struggling with giving things over to the Lord, that means that you haven't given Him anything to work on for you because you're still holding on to it. And we don't want to still be holding on to our own problems when God can do so much better because He knows so much more about everything because He created us. If we are listening to our own thoughts and are too prideful to acknowledge that we don't know things about everything, we won't be able to hear the Lord. Why? Because our own thoughts mixed with the spirit of pride cloud our judgment. So we can't hear God's voice. Take every thought captive under the obedience of Jesus Christ. How many of us are wise in our own eyes? We think we know everything about everything. We only see what we want at the moment. We think we have figured it all out and have not been around longer than those in charge of us. What's wrong with being wise in our own eyes, you say? Should we feel bad about thinking we know everything? One thing we all need to think about is that our knowledge is based on the amount of time we have spent on this earth and what we have seen and heard and learned. There are people who have been on earth longer than you. They have done more than you, seen more than you, know more than you. Then there is the one who created the heavens and the earth. If they are the creator, they know how everything works because they created everything and know how everything is made and how everything works. At some point, we have to understand that at the point we came into this life and into this earth, there are people who are ahead of us and God put them there to use as a guide for us if there's somebody that we can trust to direct us and direct our paths to the Lord. Otherwise, we don't want to get into pride and pride can lead to exaggerated self-esteem, excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue or wisdom and that's something that you don't want to do when you have God in your life who is willing to direct you if you would just turn to him and obey his word. Understand that Jesus who is bigger, wiser than you is in control. Let's look at Isaiah 55, 7-9. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will have love, pity and mercy for him and to our God for he will multiply to him his abundant pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. So we have to keep in mind that this is in the Old Testament and it's Isaiah 55, verses 7-9 and so this means that Jesus hadn't come yet and as we go on our journey and we study the word of God and we begin to learn the word of God then we take on what God says for us to do and then our ways become the ways of the Lord because we become one with the Lord by being connected and studying his word and knowing who God is through his word but if we don't study his word then the Old Testament would apply to you that God's ways are different, God's thoughts are higher, God's ways are higher but if God says, for example, do not steal and you've decided to not steal then God's ways are your ways. That's exciting to me. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom when we take on what God is telling us it's the beginning of wisdom as we fear to not know what God wants and to not have directions we want to completely need the Lord's wisdoms for direction otherwise we are lost and for those of you who have been trying everything you know what it means and you know what it feels like to be lost and we don't want that for you so let's look at Proverbs 4, verse 7 The beginning of wisdom is get wisdom, skillful and godly wisdom for skillful and godly wisdom is the principal thing and with all you have gotten get understanding, discernment, comprehension and interpretation let's look at those who believe they know everything an example so for those of you who are still struggling and you're deciding whether you should have God in your life and you've been complaining to the Lord that he's not doing anything and that things aren't happening let's look an example let's look at an example of someone who questioned the Lord let's go to Job chapter 38, verses 1 to 8 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now your loins like a man and I will demand of you and you declare to me Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to me, if you have and know understanding Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? Upon what were the foundations of it fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy Or who shut up the sea with the doors when it broke forth and issued out of the womb? When I made the clouds the garment of it and thick darkness a swaddling band for it and marked for it my appointed boundary and set bars and doors and said Thusfore shall you come and no farther And here shall your proud waves be stayed Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place so that light may get hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wickedness of night out of it? It is change like clay into which a seal is pressed and things stand out like a many-colored garment From the wicked there light is withheld and their uplifted arm is broken Have you explored the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the door of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the breath of the earth? Tell me if you know it all God is talking to Job and asking him all these questions because when God hears us complaining and questioning him he's asking himself, have you created these things? Did you create the earth? Did you do this? Did you know how the sea stops at the shoreline? All of these things we don't know because we haven't created it and so we have to think about when we're questioning God who is our creator, he has far more wisdom than us and so that's an insult to him to complain about him and to complain to him because you don't have understanding It doesn't make it right But let's look at Proverbs 4 verses 1 to 2 Hear my sons the instructions of a father and pay attention in order to gain and know intelligent discernment, comprehension, interpretation of spiritual matters If you're wanting to have understanding and discernment and comprehension and interpretation of spiritual matters then you have to listen to God and not complain to God about what you think you know and understand that God knows everything Back to Proverbs 4 verse 2 For I give you good doctrine what is to be received Do not forsake my teaching Proverbs 4 verses 15 to 13 Get skillful and godly wisdom and get understanding Discernment comprehension and interpretation Do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth Forsake not wisdom and she will keep defend and protect you Love her and she will guard you The beginning of wisdom Get wisdom skillful and godly wisdom For skillful and godly wisdom is the principal thing End with all you have gotten Get understanding discernment comprehension and interpretation Prize wisdom highly and exalt her And she will exalt and promote you She will bring you to honor when you embrace her She shall give to your head a wreath and a gracefulness A crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you Hear oh my son and receive my sayings And the years of life shall be many I have taught you in the way of skillful godly wisdom Which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God I have led you in paths of uprightness When you walk your steps shall not be hampered Your path will be clear and open And when you run you shall not stumble Take firm hold of instruction do not let go Guard her for she is your life Amen When we pursue God's instruction wisdom understanding The things of the Lord began to shift Let's look at Zechariah 4 6 The word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying Not by might nor by power but by my spirit Of whom the oil is a symbol says the Lord of hosts God is giving us directions It's not by power and not by might Again for those of you who have said to yourself I've been doing everything we can see here in Zechariah 4 6 That it's not by any power or by any might that you are using But it is literally by the spirit of the Lord That anything is going to take place or be accomplished Example of someone who questions the Lord Let's take another look at Job 40 verse 1 And it says moreover the Lord said to Job Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty Contend with him he who disputes with God Let him answer it Then Job replied to the Lord Behold I am of small account and vile What shall I answer you? I lay my hand upon my mouth I have spoken once but I will not reply again Indeed twice have I answered but I will proceed no further Then the Lord answered Job out of the world when saying Gird up your loins now like a man I will demand of you and you answer me Will you also annul set aside and render void my judgment Will you condemn me your God That you may appear righteous and justified Have you an arm like God Or can you thunder with a voice like his Since you question the manner of the Almighty's rule Deck yourself now with the excellency and dignity Of the supreme ruler And yourself undertake the government of the world If you are so wise and array yourself with honor and majesty Wow God is just speaking to Job because Job began to talk to the Lord as if he had known or had been the creator And when the Lord speaks to Job He puts everything in perspective that Job does not know everything He's not the creator and he doesn't have understanding And in fact he has limited understanding When you acknowledge the Lord