Tag Archives: trusting God

September 15, 2026 · 6:09 AM

Peace In The Pain

Horatio Spafford faced a lot of loss. His business burned down in the Chicago Fire while he was still grieving the loss of his four year old son the year before. He worked hard for the next couple of years trying to help rebuild the city and needed a break. They decided to go join D.L. Moody in Europe for bit to get a break from the overwhelming work of rebuilding. As they were leaving he got held up with some urgent zoning and rebuilding issues. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead, but their boat hit another vessel in the Atlantic. He received a telegram from his wife that said, “Saved alone.” He took another boat to go meet up with his wife. When they arrived at the wreck site, the captain got Horatio and showed him. It was in that moment he penned the words to the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” In the middle of incredible loss, his outlook changed as he focused on God’s character.

In 1 Samuel 1, Elkanah went to Shiloh to offer his annual sacrifices. His wife Hannah, who had been barren, went with him. She desperately wanted a son for years. She was depressed, wouldn’t eat and was visibly sad about it. After her husband made his sacrifice, she went into the Tabernacle to pray where she wept bitterly before the Lord. Eli, the priest, saw her lips moving, but no words coming out. He assumed she was drunk and got onto her telling her to get rid of her wine. She responded she hadn’t been drinking, but was praying in anguish and desperation. He told her, “Go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad (NLT).

Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.” We all deal with loss and circumstances that steal our joy. Like these two examples it may occur over several years. Nothing had changed in either of their cases, but instead of staying focused on their situation, they trusted in the Lord and fixed their thoughts on Him. Instead of being crushed under the weight of everything, they stood on the eternal Rock. Their trust in God gave them peace in the midst of their circumstances. We can experience that same peace and countenance change when we keep our thoughts on God, trust in Him and have faith in His character over the moment we’re standing in.

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September 3, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Dealing With Doubt

Doubt is one of those things that we don’t really talk about when we go through it. The thoughts come in, we try to dismiss them away, but sometimes they linger. If you grew up in church and come from a family of generational Christians it’s natural for the enemy to try to plant seeds of doubt in your mind, especially after a tragic event of death of a close family member. We don’t talk about it because of the way we were raised, but if those thoughts linger, they will begin to show up in our actions. The good news is that when we go through periods of doubt, research shows that it gives us a chance to strengthen our relationship with Jesus and to let our roots grow deeper into Him. Doubt often produces a stronger faith. The Faith we talked about our whole life becomes real when we experience God intervene in our life and reveal Himself to us.

In John 20, Jesus had resurrected from the dead. Peter and John had been to the empty tomb, but Mary Magdalene saw Him. Doubt filled their minds I’m sure, but Jesus appeared to all of them that night with the exception of Thomas. He wasn’t in the room. When they tried to tell him their experience, he didn’t believe and famously said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (verse 25 NLT). We’ve nicknamed him and shamed him by calling him Doubting Thomas, but the truth is we all doubt at times and need God to reveal Himself to us in a real way. We all look for those moments we can look back on and say, “I know that was God!”

In Psalm 94:19 David says, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Even King David, who slayed a giant, experienced doubts but he always went back to God’s Word and found comfort in God. Romans 10:17 reminds us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. When doubts arise, read the Bible, go to the Lord in honest prayer and let another Christian you know and trust pray with you. We all experience periods and moments of doubt. Let them drive you to know God more and to have that moment where you place your finger in His hands and put your hand in side so to speak. He is willing to let you experience it to grow your faith. Don’t let doubt chase you away. Use it to grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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August 20, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Preparing For Blessings

Growing up in sports and then working in sales caused me to hear a lot of motivational sayings. One of them that I remember is from UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He said, “When opportunity knocks, It’s too late to prepare.” If you’re out of a job, you prepare for the next one by having a resume ready. In football, teams practice a two minute drill in case they’re down and need to score in the last two minutes. Preparation helps you be ready to capitalize on the opportunity that’s at hand. We all pray for once in a lifetime opportunities, but how many of us put in the work of preparation for such? If we haven’t prepared, we could miss out on the blessings God is trying to give us.

In 2 Kings 3, the two kings of Israel and the king of Edom were headed to teach the king of Moab a lesson. He had quit paying tribute to keep the peace. They decided to do a sneak attack so they took the long way went through the wilderness where there wasn’t any water. After seven days, the men and animals were parched and morale was down. They called for the prophet Elisha to help. He told them that the valley was going to be filled with water in the morning, and that they wouldn’t hear wind or rain. They needed to dig as many holes as possible to catch the water. Even though the army was exhausted, they dug the holes. The next morning they were filled with water as the prophet said. They had plenty for themselves and their animals to be victorious in the battle the next day.

Proverbs 24:27 says, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house” (NLT). There are things we must do first in preparation for long term blessings. The ways we prepare differ according to the blessings we’re praying for. If you’re praying for a spouse, do everything you can to prepare to be the best spouse yourself. If you’re praying for financial blessings, then prepare by learning wealth management. No matter what blessing you’re asking God for, there are steps you need to be taking now in order to receive it. Otherwise you may squander what God gives you or miss out on it completely. What holes do you need to be digging in order to contain what God is going to pour out? His blessings may fall suddenly without any warning so you need to be prepared. Even though you may be exhausted and tired, you need to step out in faith and dig. The amount of blessings you will be able to retain are directly proportionate to the amount of preparation you do.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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August 19, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Step Into The Water

I was recently sharing with some young adults at church about finding their purpose and living it out. When I asked about questions, one of them raised their hand. She said, “Why doesn’t God just tell me everything up front? It would be easier to live out my purpose if He did. I’ve just been waiting on Him to reveal it to me before I do anything.” She put words to what happens to so many of us. We’re sitting around waiting on God while life passes us by. I reminded her of Abraham and how God told him to go to a land that would be shown to him. It’s hard for God to direct our steps when we’re standing still.

In Joshua 3, the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan when God told them something interesting in verse 8. He said, “Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there’” (NLT). That’s always been interesting to me. The priests had to step into the river before the waters would part. When the arrived, the river was in flood season and overflowing its banks. I’m sure it was scary to step out into it. However, if they wanted to gain access to the Promised Land, they were going to have to get into the water before God intervened.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” How can God direct, guide and move you into the right direction if you’re standing still? You need to start walking towards something so He can direct your steps. You’re going to have to step into some flood waters that stand between you and where He’s leading you to. If you know every step, purpose and plan, that’s not faith. Faith is trusting in what isn’t seen or known and believing that God will step in and part the waters after you’re waist deep in a raging river. Faith is stepping out when you’re not sure of the outcome. God delights in the details of your life and has a plan for you, but you’re going to have to step into some water sooner or later to get to His promises.

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August 4, 2026 · 5:48 AM

Trust Beyond Today

I grew up when you kept a map or an atlas in the glove box to help you find your way. It’s such a different experience from using the interactive maps on our phones. We’ve grown accustomed to them finding the best route, telling us where traffic is, accidents are and rerouting us when we make a mistake. A few weeks ago it told me to exit. I looked ahead and didn’t see any traffic for the next mile or so. I had a decision to make. Do I trust it knows something I don’t or do I know more than it based on what I see? I decided to stay on the freeway. In the moment I didn’t understand what it was doing. Up the road, I found out there was a major accident blocking several lanes with no exit in sight. I sat there wishing I had listened and exited, even when I didn’t know what it was doing.

In John 13, Jesus had gathered the disciples for what we now call the Last Supper. Before they ate, Jesus put on a towel and began washing the dirty feet of the disciples. Peter protested when it was his turn. In verse 7, Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” (NLT). Peter still protested what Jesus was trying to do in the moment. He didn’t understand the lesson he was being taught, couldn’t see why Jesus was doing a servants job and couldn’t see Jesus was coming to save him from his sins instead of from Rome. Because of his lack of understanding, he pushed back in the moment like many of us do when we don’t understand what God is doing. Peter ultimately surrendered his will and understood later the lesson Jesus was teaching him.

Isaiah 50:10 says, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” Much of walking by faith and not by sight is not understanding in the moment what God is doing or why He’s doing it. We don’t see what He’s accomplishing in us through hardship in the moment. In those moments we have a choice. We can protest like Peter or we can trust in the Lord and rely on His understanding in those moments knowing He sees what’s ahead better than we do. Time gives great perspective to the times we’ve had to walk in darkness, without a ray of light. When we look back, we can see God’s hand as we walked through the Valley of the Shadow. When we gain that kind of perspective, it helps us to trust what He’s doing now, even though we may not understand in the moment.

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July 7, 2026 · 5:50 AM

When God Seems Silent

I was talking with someone the other day about ways to help someone who is really going through it. One of the suggestions they had was for the person to help someone else who is going through something worse than they are. That helps give perspective on their situation and gets the focus off of you and onto others. One of my suggestions was to have them try to recount all the prayers God has answered in their life. That helps them to shift focus from their problem to God who is able to take care of the situation. It also reminds them that they’ve been in tight spots before and God showed up. Sometimes in the middle of our problems we forget that God hasn’t abandoned us before and He’s not going to today.

I love Psalm 77 because it’s an honest prayer by Asaph when Jerusalem was under siege. Things were bad with no escape in sight. The report was that no one would survive. He has sleepless nights, fears of what ifs and questions of God’s goodness. He wrote, “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?” (NLT) These are all real questions we face when going through a hard time. This man led worship on the Temple and was chosen by King David, yet he struggled with questions doubting God’s goodness in the middle of a hard time. However, his psalm doesn’t end there.

In verses 11-12 he changed his perspective. He wrote, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” By doing this, he switched his momentary perspective of God to an eternal one. In the moment, sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is good, but when we look back across a lifetime and history of creation, we can clearly see the track record of His goodness. He also decided to meditate on the things God has done in the past rather than his problems of the present. In doing so, Asaph remembered, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there!” God’s deliverance comes when no one sees a way out and it’s often a path that unseen in the moment. We must keep trusting God, remember all He’s done and be prepared for Him to make a way where there seems to be no way.

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June 11, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Fully Surrendered

One of the books I’ve just read is about discipleship and how churches can create them. The first section of the book helps to define the four areas where people get stuck in the spiritual continuum. Many people never move past exploring Christ. They stand at the edge of receiving Him, but aren’t willing to give their heart to Him. Others who have accepted Jesus struggle to reconcile their private faith with their public life. They have a hard time growing in Christ. Once people become a new creation and develop spiritual disciplines, their life transforms and they move close to Christ. However, the next move is the hardest. It’s one thing to live for Christ, but it’s a totally different thing to completely surrender to Him living a Christ centered life. It’s where we quit asking God for direction and give Him control.

Think of the story of the rich, young ruler who came to visit Jesus in Matthew 19. He asks Jesus what he needs to do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. The guy then wants to know which ones. Jesus rattled off several of the 10 commandments. The ruler got excited and let Jesus know he’s been following the rules his whole life and feels like there’s more, so he asks what else. Jesus then tells him to sell everything he has, give the money to the poor and then follow Him. The young man went away sad because he was willing to follow the rules of Christianity, but he wasn’t willing to surrender his life completely to Jesus. He wanted Christianity and eternal life without fully surrendering his life.

Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you” (NLT) We usually look down on the rich young ruler for not giving up his possessions, but you and I hold things back from Jesus all the time. We seek Him for guidance, but are we giving Him the right to direct our life? It’s like my driving navigation app. When it tells me to turn, sometimes I go straight because I think I know better. I’m driving and it’s guiding. When we approach Jesus that way, we may be living a life that is close to Christ, but it’s not fully surrendered to Him. God is calling you and I into a deeper relationship with Him that requires more surrender the closer we get. To fully surrender to Him is to fully trust Him.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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May 20, 2026 · 5:37 AM

Trusting God In Uncertainty

I’ve found that when God asks me to do something where the outcome is uncertain, fear has a way of creeping in. Fear of the unknown can create all kinds of symptoms. For me, it creates procrastination while I try to see if I can guarantee the outcome. For others, it creates paralysis through analysis. Some people become very controlling of the things they can control in hopes of being able to control the outcome. What does uncertainty produce in you? There are some who see the uncertainty and instead of giving into fear, they trust God for the outcome and step out in faith. I think we would all love for that to be our go to response.

In Matthew 14:22, Jesus put the disciples in a boat to go ahead of Him across the Sea of Galilee. Along the way, the faced a storm that made their future uncertain. The rain was coming down, the waves were rocking the boat and these seasoned fishermen let fear take over even though they were doing what Jesus asked them to do. After several hours, they looked up to see Jesus walking on the water towards them telling them not to be afraid. Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water” (AMP). The Lord told him to get out as everyone else stayed in the boat. They all had the opportunity to walk on water, but only one stepped out despite their fear and trusted Jesus.

Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in You.” Where do you put your trust when you are afraid? Is it in routines, in what you know or what you can see? Peter and David trusted God over what their fear was telling them. David was in a desperate place when he penned these words. He had been captured by the enemy who knew who he was. Instead of giving into fear of an unknown future, he trusted the character of God and placed his faith their. We all have a choice where we place our faith in times of crisis, fear and uncertainty. Instead of choosing to let fear control our behavior, choose to trust an unknown future to the God you know you can trust. Put your faith in Him, step out of the boat of the familiar and step out in faith. Trust God even in uncertainty.

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May 19, 2026 · 5:44 AM

Kingdom Over Calling

History is littered with people who have been given great dreams to accomplish. Some become so obsessed with their dream that it consumes them. They get so focused on their dream dream that it becomes the source of their identity. When that happens, the dream giver becomes optional. Think of Samson whom God called from birth to rescue Israel with his strength. As he grew up, he began to love his strength more than the one who empowered him. That pride became his downfall. I could listen to modern people who fell into the same trap that he did. We all must be careful not to let our gift become our god or our calling to become an idol that we chase.

David was a young man when Samuel anointed him to be the next king of Israel. It wasn’t long before he defeated Goliath and was a regular in the king’s home. David must have thought it was happening then, but God saw fit to send him through adversity to prepare him for his calling. David lived in hiding, moving from cave to cave instead of palaces. He commanded a rebel army of outcasts and rejects before he commanded the national force. In the process of adversity, he learned to quit chasing the dream and to start chasing the dream giver. Twice he had the opportunity to kill King Saul and ascend to the throne, but he did not touch God’s anointed. David had a heart after God rather than the throne. When he was ready, God gave it to him. Throughout his life, he showed he was owned by God and not the throne.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also” (AMP). Have you found yourself chasing your dream or calling more than the One who planted that in you? God’s order is to seek Him first, then all these other things will be given to you. There’s a process that we go through that reveals and prepares our heart. When we bypass the process, we become like Samson rather than David. We find ourselves seeking the calling rather than the creator. God gives dreams and callings for the Kingdom. If you’re in a season of preparation or waiting for the calling to come to pass, seek God and His kingdom. When the time is right, God will give it to you and cause it to come to pass.

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April 13, 2026 · 5:50 AM

Trust What’s Inside

At one of the jobs I’ve had, I was sent to a month of training. After that month of training, I went to the store to have one week of shadowing someone and then a week of them helping me as I typed everything in. I’ll never forget that next week. My boss told me that I was going to be on my own helping customers, but if I had any questions throughout the day, they would help me. I was terrified wondering about messing up. I told him I needed more time working with someone else because I wasn’t ready. He said, “Yes you are! Trust the training. You’ve got this.” He was right. Everything I had learned helped me get through my day successfully.

In Deuteronomy 30, Israel was about to walk into the Promised Land. God told them that they were going to fight and that they were going to experience all the blessings He told them about, and all the curses. During those times, all they had to do was return to Him and they would experience blessings again. I’m sure they didn’t feel ready to go and take the land. They had been wandering for forty years. When the moment arrived, God told them He would make them successful. They wondered how they would follow His orders and if was too far away from them to remember. Then in verse 14 God said, “No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it” (NLT). They needed to trust what they had been taught. It was inside of them.

In Jeremiah 31:33, God says again, “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days, I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Each of us have a calling on our life. God asks us to step out and obey, but He proceeds it with a time of preparation. When the times comes, don’t let fear rule the day. Don’t let insecurity hold you back. God has given you what you need in order to accomplish it. He had written His Word on your heart and given you the instructions you need. You don’t need to know all the steps in order to get started. You only need faith to take the first one. Trust what He’s spoken and trust His Word. It’s inside of you and the Holy Spirit will remind you what He said and give you the words to say too.

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