First Things First

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Part of Weekend Series
Four-Part Sermon Series
First Things First

Part 2: I’m Bringing Everything Into Order
Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III
January 11, 2026

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

1. INTRODUCTION

As we continue in this series, it’s important to understand that God is a God of order. Order means things are aligned the way He designed them to function.

Blessings flow when things are aligned. God built the garden before He created Adam. Formation happens before fulfillment.

Many people want God’s favor before His focus. We ask for increase while tolerating disorder.

Proverbs teaches us to trust in the Lord and not lean into our own understanding. We often trust ourselves too much.

God is not the author of confusion; He is the author of peace. In many lives, everything exists—but nothing is where it needs to be.

We learn how to function in disorder, but everything has a place.

God says He is bringing things into order—but only if we surrender and trust His timing.

The moment we bring things into order, heaven brings things into alignment. When we get ourselves together, we’re ready for what God wants to do.

Solomon, though known for wisdom, was also known to get distracted. Divided trust leads to distraction. We must lean into God, not ourselves.

Human logic can become a spiritual limitation. Make God central to all of your life. It is God’s desire that you arrive at the destination whole.

So what does it mean to confide completely?

1. CONFIDE COMPLETELY

To confide completely means we trust God without hesitation, reservation, or a backup plan.

It does not mean you will always understand the process.

Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and said, “Lord, if it is You, bid me to come.”
You can’t experience peace if you are still struggling with your own plan. Peace follows surrender. Sometimes you must act before you know what God is going to do.

The three Hebrew boys said, “Even if He does not deliver us, we still will not bow.”
Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

The peace of God does not always come out of comfort—sometimes it comes out of chaos.

1. Partial Trust Produces Partial Peace

If you trust God halfway, you get halfway peace. God does not move in an atmosphere of doubt; He operates where there is faith. We don’t want to miss miracles because we lack faith.

1. Faith Requires Release: You Can’t Surrender Control and Still Demand the Steering Wheel

Faith does not begin until you let God have control. We want God to drive, but we still want to give directions.

You can’t tell God to take the wheel and then argue about the turns. Real faith says, “I trust You enough to believe in the outcome.”

When you release control, you make way for divine direction. You must trust that God knows what He’s doing. Remember when God asked, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”

How Do We Surrender Control to God?

• Release the Outcome – Stop telling God how it has to end. Faith trusts Him with the results.
• Relinquish the Timeline – Control disguises itself as impatience.
• Submit to the Process – Ask, “What are You doing in me to prepare me for where You’re taking me?” If it looks like delay, it may be development.
• Yield Your Perspective – Stop filtering through feelings and start seeing through faith. It may not look good, but we still trust Him.

III. CEASE FROM CALCULATING

Ceasing from calculating means refusing to let human logic hold us back spiritually.

We try to make faith make sense, attempting to explain what only God can execute. You cannot measure a miracle with math.

Imagine standing with Gideon. God’s logic never makes sense to human logic. When the math doesn’t add up, you still end up with more than you gave (tithe).

1. Leaning on Your Own Understanding Limits What God Can Unleash

A dog on a leash is restrained because the owner doesn’t trust where it might go. But once released, it doesn’t ease into freedom—it bursts into it. The energy was always there; it was just constrained.

When we lean on our own understanding, we limit what God wants to do. God can do far more than we imagine. He restores us when others have written us off.

We often struggle with overthinking.

1. When You Overthink, You Under-Trust

Thinkers often fall into rabbit holes when faith is required. We want God to provide, but God is waiting on us to surrender.

We talk ourselves out of things God has already answered. It delays what God has already decided—like Martha or Israel seeing the giants.

Overthinking multiplies assumptions.

Book Reference: Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

Next Level Leaders Book Club: Text BOOKCLUB to 78228

“Your thoughts are not the truth; they are just thoughts.” — Joseph Nguyen

Fear, stories, and decisions can all come from a single thought. When you stop thinking that way and move in faith, you can break free. This is why the Bible says to cast down imaginations.

Overthinking says, “What if?”
Faith says, “Even if.”

1. COMMIT TO CONSULTATION

Who do you consult—friends, social media influencers? Sometimes God is our last resort. He wants to be included in the details, not just the drama.

God does not have a habit of blessing our mess. We can all testify that we’ve gone ahead of God before.

How Do We Stop That?

• Dialogue – Talking with God (prayer)
• Desire – Wanting God (closeness)
• Dedication – Prioritizing God (devotion becomes visible)
• Discipline – Ordering your life (you can tell where your dedication is)
• Development – Growing with others (no relationship that doesn’t make me better)
• Deployment – Serving with purpose (moving from consuming the Kingdom to developing it)

If there is no development, no discipline, no dedication, no desire—then you haven’t talked to God about it.

1. Acknowledge Him in All Your Ways, Not Just the Ones That Make Sense

Acknowledging God is like turning on location sharing—you give Him access to where you are. Proverbs 3:6 means to know God intimately and invite Him into the process.

Before David fought Goliath, he acknowledged God. The same God who gave him victory over the bear gave him victory over the giant.

Don’t let people rush you into decisions. Take time and acknowledge God.

1. God Can’t Direct What You Don’t First Dedicate

The Bible says God shall direct your paths—not might.

He arranges things ahead of you so you don’t have to worry. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Illustration: Driving somewhere unfamiliar with GPS. The system knows the destination even when you don’t. If you miss a turn, it doesn’t yell or shut down—it recalculates. But you must stop and let it reroute you.