I will be completely honest: Some days, trusting God is a choice. I choose to trust God because all of my other options are much scarier and more depressing.
However, trusting God has often brought me peace when I finally decide to make that choice. But why is it so difficult to choose to have faith and not doubt?
Many fears and other emotions can surround your inability to “let go and let God.” So, how do you trust God and stop doubting? The Bible talks about this topic, and today, we will start by diving into the meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
How to Trust God With Your Whole Heart
I remember a dream I had several years ago. In the dream, my husband and I were driving while it was dark and snowy outside. We drove onto the lake, and the ice broke. I found myself floating in the water with darkness all around me and could not see. That was when I heard a voice say, “Just breathe.” Then I woke up.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh. For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8 (WEB)
Over the years, I have remembered those words when I am working to trust God with my whole heart—just breathe. That’s what it means to trust God in the darkness, sadness, and the unknown. Just stop and breathe; remember who God is and that He is with you even in the darkest moments of your life.
The Danger Of Relying On Your Own Understanding
According to Why Christians Doubt, we all go through the cycle of faith and doubt, and our personal times of doubt are often caused by the following:
- Emotional Turmoil
- Misleading Theology
- Spiritual Insensitivity
- New Testament Critics
- A Bad Beginning
- Unhealed Wounds
- The Problem Of Evil
- Faith-Doubt Ambivalence
This list is a great example of what it means to doubt because you are relying on your own understanding. We have yet to learn and overcome a lot of emotional pain and earthly knowledge. Most of us have no idea how to find healing in these areas of our life, and our faith walk.
Recognizing God’s Ways Over Our Own Ways
Human wisdom is not always sound wisdom. When you look at Job, the book’s main theme is to show us that we truly don’t understand what it is like to run the entire world.
Sure, you may have material wealth or rely on your own intelligence, but that doesn’t give you the ability to know every truth and every purpose for everything. To walk in faith and overcome doubt, you will need to be willing to lean into God’s sovereignty during the moments when you have the most questions.
Wrestling with doubt ultimately will lead you to a place where your faith will grow. But many people get stuck in their pain and injustices.
Truth be told, I think that’s fair. This life can be pretty hard and suck bad. Some people experience very little pain, and others endure some of the greatest tragedies in this world. But what can we learn from all of this? Why is it so difficult to have faith when life is falling apart?
It seems like that is when you will need your faith the most.
Holy Spirit Will Guide Your Path
Maybe you have felt like the weight of the world has been on your shoulders your whole life. Proverbs has several instances where it says that if you work hard, you will prosper.
It is easy to look at God’s Word and wonder why things aren’t going according to plan or think He doesn’t like you. However, His Word talks about how He disciplines His children.
If you have children, then you know that discipline is about teaching your kids how to maneuver this life and overcome the ways of the world. Discipline is good, but it does not feel good at the moment.
In Hebrews 12:11 (ESV) it states:
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
So, it is hard to walk the path of faith and discipline when relying on your own heart and thoughts. You can’t live this life relying on your own wisdom because you are a Child of God on the path to being more like Christ. This journey is not easy, and Christ learned obedience through His suffering.
though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. – Hebrews 5:8 (ESV)
Your own insights into the world and life we all live are very limited. Jesus suffered greatly, and when you became a Christian, it was because of His example of sacrifice.
As a Christian, you are called to follow Jesus’ example. The only way to do this is through the power of The Holy Spirit.
Without faith, we cannot please God, and without the Holy Spirit helping us through our doubts, we will remain stuck.
Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 (WEB)
In the article Where does faith come from? It states faith comes from God in the form of a gift. This article also states, “The Bible emphasizes that faith is a gift because God deserves all of the glory for our salvation.”
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, – Ephesians 2:8 (WEB)
Even the wisest man could not walk in faith without God because faith comes from God. You can’t overcome doubt without realizing your need for God and His gift of faith.
Practical Steps To Trust God And Overcome Doubt
I think as Christians, we get so caught up in doubting that we get scared, like something will be taken away from us. But God is a loving Father, and He gave us the gift of faith. Faith will only go away if we let it go away. We let go of something or grab hold of something by our choices.
We can take steps to choose to receive the gift of faith over and over again by:
- Choosing Faith
- Asking for God to Give us Faith
- Praying Without Ceasing
- Reading God’s Word
- Memorizing Scripture
- Writing out God’s Word
Please do not confuse this with me saying you must earn grace or that faith comes from anyone or anything but God.
What I am saying is, “Faith without works is dead.” Your choices will draw you closer to God or away from Him. Even your doubt is a wonderful opportunity to choose God again, no matter what you are going through.
Choosing Faith
Choosing faith in my daily life has given me the complete confidence I need to face the painful areas of my life. There was a time in my life when nothing was going right, and nothing was getting better anytime soon, and I had to choose to hold onto the faith. Faith truly was a gift in that moment, and it sustains me through questionable and difficult times.
Ask God To Give You Faith
Relying on our own prudence is dangerous and the opposite of faith. If you are struggling with doubt, the most practical and simplest thing you can do is acknowledge the struggle, wrestle with it, and ask The Holy Spirit to give you faith.
Pray Without Ceasing
Taking time to pray every day will allow you to surrender everything in your life to God. Fear will block your faith and is where your doubt will grow. You can give God all your fears and worries through daily prayer.
Reading God’s Word
The Bible says faith comes from hearing the Word of God. How will you ever know God’s promises for your life if you don’t read your Bible? Find a Bible reading plan to help you dive deeper into God’s Word. You don’t have to do an in-depth study; start by reading the Bible.
I read through the entire Bible in a year through my Bible App, and when I don’t feel like reading it, I listen to it. The point is to hear God’s Word so it is planted in your heart and mind. Attending a Bible-believing church every week is also very good for your faith because you hear God’s Word.
Memorizing Scripture
I cannot tell you how often I have been in a moment of doubt, and a verse will pop into my mind. The Holy Spirit guides you through God’s Word and allows you to remember His Word when you need it most. So, reading, studying, and memorizing the Word of God is an important tool in overcoming doubt.
Writing Out God’s Word
Writing God’s word is like writing the Word on the tablet of your heart. If you want to memorize God’s Word, write it out and put it where you will see it often. Grab some sticky notes and place them in your car, mirror, or office.
My favorite is writing a verse in my weekly planner or putting it on the dry-erase board in my home.
You could also grab a dated planner from the store, write a verse for each day, keep that planner, and make it your scripture notebook. You can open it up to the date the following year and read what you wrote! Writing scripture is an easy and fun way to learn God’s Word.
Life Application
Start choosing faith again today. You can stop, take a deep breath, and say, “God, I trust You.” Do this without any expectations on what you think should come next. Then, wait for The Holy Spirit to reveal your next steps.
How does Proverbs 3:5- 6 challenge you to trust God’s guidance over your understanding of your daily life and plans? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments below!