You can believe in God and still try to manage everything. On the outside, your faith can look real—you show up, you care, you’re trying. But underneath it, there can still be a need to stay in control, to make things go your way, or to prove something. This message explores how easy it is to hold onto control without realizing it—and how that can keep your faith from actually changing your direction. It will help you recognize what you’re holding onto and what it looks like to truly surrender and follow Jesus.
Message Notes:
BIG IDEAYou can believe everything about Jesus and still want to stay at the center of your own story. That’s not following Him — it’s using Him.Key PassageActs 8:9–24 (NLT)
Simon was a celebrated sorcerer in Samaria — called He believed, was baptized, and followed Philip everywhere. But when he saw the apostles give the Holy Spirit through laying on hands, he offered them money for the same power. Peter rebuked him: Simon asked Peter to pray so the consequences wouldn’t come — but never repented.
“the Great One — the Power of God.”“Your heart is not right before God.”Supporting Verses:Acts 8:19— “”Let me have this power, too,” he requested, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit.””Mark 9:35— “”Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.””Philippians 2:3— “”Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.””Matthew 6:24— “”No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.””James 4:3— “”And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are wrong — you want only what will give you pleasure.””2 Corinthians 7:10— “The kind of sorrow God wants leads away from sin and results in salvation… But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”Main Points1.You Can Follow Jesus and Still Need to Be Somebody
Simon’s entire identity was built on being the most spiritually significant person in Samaria. Conversion changed — but not
where he waswhere he was going.
Like , who refused the title of king but built something that kept him at the center anyway — Simon found a religious way to remain significant. He couldn’t stay a nobody.
Gideon
The instinct to protect our status doesn’t disappear when we believe. It goes underground — until it surfaces at the exact moment someone else gets what we wanted.
Reflect:In the areas where you serve, give, or lead — who are you most aware of? Jesus or yourself? That awareness is a compass telling you where you are going.2.You Can Follow Jesus and Still Trust Yourself
Whatever you reach for when you feel threatened is what you actually believe in. Simon had believed in Jesus — but hadn’t unlearned his old operating system. When the moment came, he reached for his wallet.
Like (2 Peter 2:15), who never stopped being a prophet but kept trying to find a version of faith that let him stay in control of the outcome — Simon brought his old idol with him and gave it a new name. The idol was significance. The new name was ministry.
Balaam
Peter’s verdict: Not your theology. Not your belief. Your
“Your heart is not right before God.”heart.Reflect:What did you reach for the last time you felt out of control, frustrated, or scared? Whatever it is, it’s telling you something about where you are actually going.3.You Can Feel Convicted and Still Not Repent
There is a sorrow that manages consequences without changing direction. It feels like repentance — but produces none of its fruit.
Peter gave Simon a clear path: Simon’s response: He wanted the consequences removed — not his direction changed. Like , who asked for relief after every plague but hardened his heart when it came.
repent, pray, ask forgiveness.“Pray to the Lord for me so these terrible things won’t happen to me.”Pharaoh
manages the feeling. changes the direction.
RemorseRepentance
They feel similar from the inside. They produce entirely different outcomes.
Application
Simon did everything right on the outside. Believed. Baptized. Engaged. Wanted to be in ministry. But underneath it all, he was still pointed at himself.
We’re probably closer to Simon than we are to Ananias and Sapphira:
We still feel the need to be seen.
•We still need to stay in control.
•
We still need Jesus to work within our expectations.
•
It is about where you are going.
Following Jesus is not about where you are.
God isn’t asking you to believe something new. He’s asking you to surrender something old — the need to matter on your own terms, the need to stay in control.
Repentance is not saying you’re sorry.It’s letting go of the direction you’re facing and turning around.No one can do this for you. And every one of us can do this.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Application Questions
What stood out to you from this message and why?What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?How will this message change how you act at home, at work, and in your relationships?