The Application of
Trust
Do you
struggle in the area of trusting your emotions instead of trusting in the word
of God? When God makes a promise to you, or reminds you of a promise in His
word, do you trust him wholeheartedly?
1.
The Problem
Let’s look
at our relationship with God from a paternal standpoint. When your dad promised
you something as a child, did you doubt him? Or did you have full assurance in
your mind that he was going to do exactly what he said he was going to do? I
will say that I trusted my father no matter. But why is it, that so often, we
distrust God’s promises? As the creator of the universe, He is more than
capable of fulfilling his promises, but why aren’t we more trusting of his
promises?
2. The Causes
Let look at
some probable causes of this lack of trust.
A
Dependence on Man Rather Than God
The bible
commands us not the put our trust in men. Most of us reside with other people,
whether it’s other family members, a spouse, children, a roommate or friends. Or if you’re
like me, you grew up a large family. And in a dynamic such as this, one can
develop a dependency on people. I remember so many times when I should have
went to God in a time of doubt, I sought out my family for assistance and complained
about an unfulfilled promise in my life.
For example, when God promised me that I would obtain my teaching
license and I reached a point of wanting to give up after experiencing set back
upon set back, my Mom encouraged me to keep working towards my goal. But so
often in life, we don’t have anyone available when we encounter a crisis of
doubt. And God is always standing patiently by, waiting for us to reach out to
him. We can grow such a dependence on man, rather than God, to the point
where we trust in man more than we trust in God. Psalm 118:8 reads, “It is
better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” It is much better
to trust in the Lord, than to gain a dependence on man, which can stifle your
trust in God.
Feeding Fears
Another
reason why we may not trust God may be because we are feeding our fears instead
of feeding our faith. Have you ever noticed that if you concentrate on your
doubts that they get bigger and bigger until it gets out of control and you
find yourself worrying about one thing for most of the day? Well if we don’t
cast down these doubts with the word of God, then they can overwhelm us. If you
constantly feed your fears, then it will be hard to trust God. On the other
hand, if we feed our faith, then there won’t be room for doubt. Isaiah 26:3
says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee;
because he trusteth in thee.” And sometimes it’s not easy, but if we’re persistent
with replacing our doubts with the word of God, then trust will win out. As a
Christian, we must constantly seek ways to feed our faith. The primary way to
feed our faith is reading and meditating on God’s word and allowing it to
saturate our lives.
Setbacks
Sometimes
when we are standing on God’s promises, we experience setbacks. Setbacks are
probably one of the number one reasons why doubts tries to creep in. When my
mom confirmed that I would obtain my teaching license, I was encouraged to keep
pursuing my license, but it wasn't a smooth ride. I spent many hours looking
for the courses that I needed to take in order to satisfy the requirements for
my license. After hours and days and weeks and months of searching, I found a
class that satisfied two of the requirements. Now after I experienced the first
setback, I could have decided to doubt the promise of God, but we must continue
to trust God in spite of setbacks that we face. Galatians 6:9 reads, “And let us not
be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Abandonment
Oftentimes
when the rug is pulled out from under us, so to speak, from abandonment, we can experience the
feeling of instability and all of a sudden mistrust and indecisiveness can rear
its ugly head. In my own life, after I experienced a sudden loss, I begin to
deal with indecisiveness and mistrust. Suddenly God's leading became unstable
in MY mind and confusion broke loose. And unknowingly, I began to view God in a
different light that is not supported by the word of God. A few years passed, as
I slowly became an unreliable person who made promises that I ultimately never
kept, due to the confusion that was plaguing my huge decisions in life. After
about two years, I took a step back, at the caution of the sister, to take
inventory and try to find out just what had set me on this indecisive tail
spin. And I asked God to reveal to me just what had brought about this
confusion. He showed me that the change started in my heart, after the loss
that I experienced. Now I'm actively seeking to renew my mind with the word of
God that focuses on the immutability of God. Such as Malachi 3:6, which states,
"For I am the Lord, I change not.” And I realized just how much God loves
me. He showed me that my relationship with Him is like that of a Father and
daughter. He assured me that He is For me and not against me. And that His
thoughts are precious towards me and that they are more in number than the
small particles of sand on the beach!" (Psalm 139:17-18) God loves you too
and wants to break the bonds of mistrust in your life.
Emotion
Emotions are
a strong entity. Emotions have led many astray, and can cause us as Christians
to mistrust God's words. Emotions can be very misleading and will not always
support God's promises. When we grow impatient, that doesn't mean that God's
promises are any less true. When we feel confused, it doesn't mean God's
promises concerning peace are any less true. Therefore, when we are standing on
the promises of God, we must know which feelings to accept and which to cast
down. C.S. Lewis captures this concept perfectly in the following quote, which
reads, "Don't bother too much about feelings. When they are humble,
loving, brave, give thanks for them; when they are conceited, selfish,
cowardly, ask to have them altered. In neither case are they you, but only a
thing that happens to you. What matters is your intentions and your
behavior." So when God promises you something don't expect your feelings
to follow obediently all the time. Stay active by casting down doubts or
anything that doesn’t line up with the word of God. 2 Cor. 10:5
II. The Solution
The solution
is simple. Rely on God no matter what comes your way by applying His Word to every situation in your life and give
every single burden over to Him.
"Casting
all your care upon Him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7
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