Big God: What Happens When We Trust Him [Hardcover]

Britt Merrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2010

Faith is trust. It is a confidence in the power and goodness of God that leads us to make good decisions and allows us to surrender our lives to Him. As we strive to mature spiritually and lead lives pleasing to God, we all want more faith. Hebrews 6:12 says that we are to be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” One of the best ways to grow in faith is to imitate the lives of people who have shown great faith. Hebrews 11 guides us through the lives of men and women – like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David and others – who have done just that. Real people with real lives and real problems, who had faith in a great God and trusted Him at pivotal moments in their lives. By drawing on some of the greatest lives of faith in the Bible, readers will come to see that God was worthy of these men’s and women’s trust and faith during biblical times in the same way that He is worthy of ours today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I thank God for men who not only teach the Word accurately but also live it out. This book describes the faith God wants us to have, and Britt’s life exemplifies it.
Francis Chan
Author of Crazy Love
Pastor of Cornerstone Church, Simi Valley, California

God has not promised that our skies would always be blue or that the road would always be smooth.He has promised that He will always be with us in the fiercest storm to see us safely through. It is one thing to know this intellectually, but quite another to know it experientially. Britt writes out of experience, and thus has proved thorough his own experiences the faithfulness of God, which makes this book authentic not just in theory but also in actual practice.
Pastor Chuck Smith
Pastor, Calvary Chapel of CostaMesa
CostaMesa, California

 

Pastor Britt’s powerful book is well known to my family. The instruction, lessons and Spirit-filled knowledge were the basis of our Bible study for more than a year at Reality Carpinteria, where my family and I attend. Big God will allow those seeking a closer walk with Jesus Christ to realize the endless love that our Lord offers us every moment . . . and why our greatest goal is to live in harmony with Him. Pastor Britt’s courage in the face of adversity demonstrates that he lives his life according to Scripture. Learn from this brave, humble man of God. Your family will be blessed by his great wisdom and gifts.
Kathy Ireland
Author, Entrepreneur and Model

Britt and the entire Merrick family are an inspiration to many believers, including myself. The honesty and vulnerability they witness in this book remind me of how big our God is, and it encourages me to go toward the impossible by faith.
Bryan Jennings
Professional Surfer and President of Walking on Water Ministries

 

The greatest defense of faith is not all of the evidence or the rationale. The greatest defense is truth backed up by a lifestyle. Britt Merrick shows us how the heroes of faith did it, how he seeks to do it and how we can too. When we embrace a big God, we will have a big faith.
Josh D. McDowell
Speaker and Author of Evidence that Demands a Verdict and Evidence for the Resurrection

I am very encouraged when I meet young leaders such as Britt Merrick. He is a voice of the future; a leader we all can follow. Not only can he tell a story and motivate a crowd, but he is also biblically solid. It doesn’t get any better than this.
John M. Perkins
Author of Follow Me to Freedom and Let Justice Roll Down

I have written many books about spiritual breakthrough. It is something we all want. In Big God, Britt Merrick shows us a key to all spiritual breakthrough: simply having faith in a big God. Thank you, Britt.
Elmer Towns
Author of Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough

 

From the Back Cover

Faith is trust. It is confidence in the power and goodness of God. But how can you know that He is trustworthy, that He is big enough to deserve your faith? By seeing how He has shown Himself faithful in the lives of people just like you. The stories of men and women who put their trust in God at critical, pivotal moments of their lives fill the pages of the Bible. These people were not perfect, but when it really mattered, they chose to trust the big God who knew and loved them. And once they did, these men and women of faith found out exactly what happens when God’s people put their faith in Him.
The Bible issues this challenge to anyone who longs for a closer walk with God: “Be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12). Big God will introduce you to some everyday people who trusted God’s promises and saw those promises fulfilled. By looking at their lives you will see that throughout history God has shown Himself faithful to His promises and His people—time and time again. You will learn that He is worthy of your trust today, and that no matter how overwhelming your problems, heartaches and circumstances appear to be, God is bigger.

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: Regal (February 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830752226
• ISBN-13: 978-0830752225
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Depth and Authenticity, March 2, 2010

By 

Christopher Lazo "Chris Lazo" (Carpinteria, CA.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big God: What Happens When We Trust Him (Hardcover)

I really loved reading this book. I usually want a little more depth than is generally found in many devotionals, and was kind of expecting this book to be a little more 'devotionally' oriented, but I was in for a surprise....while it is 'devotional' in the actual sense of the word, it's also very weighty in theological matters.

Big God addresses real issues with a scholarly grace, and yet does so without the rigidness of one of those academic journals theologians write to impress each other. The beautiful balance is that in addition to the heavy theology, it also communicates those truths in a down-to-earth and authentic way that I don't always see with scholarly books. And it has lots of Scripture... I'll bet the only book that has more scriptural references is the Bible!! I also love the way Britt references a wide array of theologians. I can sense his view of church unity in the way he pulls from many different ends of the orthodox Christian spectrum.

I also noticed that this book (while being mainly about the Hall of Faith) pulls in all of Britt's greatest themes in life: prayer, God's glory, mission, ecclesiology, the kingdom of God, his family, etc. If there are future books in Britt's roster, they will sure to be drawing from the rich themes in this one, just as many of John Piper's books trace back to 'Desiring God.'

What I like most is that it captured everything about the preaching pastor that Reality Carpinteria (his church) loves, and yet without exalting him to a pedestal. His true nature comes out of the writings, while Jesus Christ's preeminence shines all the more brightly.

As a college pastor, I am happy to recommend this book to my own people.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing look at a life of faith, May 10, 2010

By 

Kjaere Friestad (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big God: What Happens When We Trust Him (Hardcover)

Britt Merrick is a like a second father to me. I've known him personally for 10 years. I sat through each of the sermons this book was based on. I wept when his daughter was diagnosed with cancer... and I was captivated, humbled, and encouraged to pursue God more as I read this book. Britt does an amazing job writing so clearly the lessons on faith. I know the man behind the book and am blessed to be his friend and can testify to the words that he shares in Big God. The life of faith is a crazy journey and Big God: What Happens When We Trust Him is a great look at the stepping stones we all need.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look to the Great God, July 3, 2010

By 

Mike Robinson "Mike A Robinson: Apologetic An... (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big God: What Happens When We Trust Him (Hardcover)

A young boy traveling by airplane was sitting beside a man who happened to be a seminary professor. The boy was reading a Sunday school assignment when the professor thought he would have some fun with the young boy. "Young man,"said the professor, "If you can tell me something God can do, I"ll give you a big, shiny apple." The boy thought for a moment and then replied, "Mister, if you can tell me something God can't do, I"ll give you a whole barrel of apples!" And herein Britt Merrick, gives the reader a lot more than a barrel of apples. In "Big God" Pastor Merrick gives you a powerful and uplifting look at the greatness of God.

The good Pastor brings the stories of the Old Testament saints featured in Hebrews chapter 11 to life as he expounds the wonder and power of God Almighty. This surf-riding minister tells the fascinating and potent stories within the lives of many renown believers from the Old Testament who were flawed but trusted God and He delivered them by His omnipotent hand.

Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
The author's exposition centers on the truth that the believer's success and spiritual growth are not due to our own power, merit, or effort, but our faith in the great God (even if our faith at times is a bit feeble). Thus its about the size of God and not the size of our faith.

139:1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether... 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea... 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works... 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

This volume will increase your confidence in God and help you take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances. Psacal said, "The greatest single distinguishing feature of the omnipotence of God is that our imagination gets lost when thinking about it."

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

This fresh volume makes a great gift for teens, mothers, fathers, non-believers, and ministers.
------
See the New Book that contends for the existence of God using moral absolutes by Mike Robinson:
There Are Moral Absolutes: How to Be Absolutely Sure That Christianity Alone Supplies

------
or additionally see the dynamic new book on apologetics that proves God must exist:
[[ "The Necessary Existence of God: The Proof of Christianity Through Presuppositional Apologetics"]]ASIN:1419620355