Learning to Trust God

This journey in life is too difficult to make on our own. We need God’s help and encouragement from others to learn how to trust God. We don’t naturally trust; we have to learn how to trust. Likewise, learning to trust God takes years of practice. David describes trust like this: “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalm 131:2). A child most naturally resists the time to be weaned from its mother’s milk because it is what it knows. But it is in the child’s own best interest to take this step. It is time to grow and eat solid food. Steve Farrar writes in his book Courage, “Weaning is the first great disappointment of life. No matter what our age, however, God is continually weaning us from places or positions where we have found comfort, peace, security, nourishment, or affirmation. Sometimes we fight with everything we have to maintain those places of safety, comfort, and security—especially if it involves our income stream.” However, in all these situations, we are forced to either trust God or rely on our own intelligence. Solomon wisely said: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Leaning on our own understanding is dangerous, even though it often seems right. Much like refusing to follow your GPS because it just feels like the right way to go, only to later find out you should have heeded it.

When we are going through a time when nothing makes sense, and it feels as if God has abandoned us, it is very difficult to trust God. Some things in our lives are not right, mistakes are happening, and God has to use difficult measures to keep us on the right path. We are often lured by our desires and tempted by the world around us. So how does God get our attention? Pain is one of the ways he uses to get us to listen to Him. It is those moments that we have to learn to trust God.

Whatever we plan, we must first commit to God. It must have his approval to succeed. Again, Solomon gives us good advice: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”(Proverbs 16:3). If God says yes, we proceed; if he says no, we don’t. It’s that simple and that real. If we learn to do this, we will save ourselves so much heartache.

 

 

The Nine Fruits of the Spirit

Paul’s letter to the Galatians lists these fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Nine incredible ways to know that God is at work in our lives. First of all, they are fruits that God produces as a result of our surrendered lives to him. They come from him and are a part of him. Love is what God has shown to each of us. He helps us love others. It’s not hard to love people who are nice to us, but it is difficult to love the unlovely. This fruit loves unconditionally. The next fruit is joy. God gives us the ability to have joy in the middle of sorrow. It’s a joy that comes from the Lord, and it gives us strength to endure trials as Jesus did. Joy enables us to enjoy our lives with those around us. It comes from God, and the world can’t take it away from us. When this fruit is evident, we are free from the anxieties of life because of the wonderful peace God has placed within our hearts. Next comes patience. We are, by default, impatient, especially with others. When this fruit is present, we demonstrate patience with others. Only God can give us that noble quality.

The next is gentleness, which is power under control. Jesus was so gentle with bruised hearts and spirits that were barely flickering with life. His words and actions conveyed kindness and gentleness. Kindness, another fruit, flows out of a gentle spirit. With a gentle spirit and kind words, we enrich the lives of people around us. Next is goodness, which is what is on the inside of us. It is what makes up our character. Integrity is not what we do, so much as who we are. It determines what we do, and it becomes the navigation system that guides us. Next is faithfulness or trustworthiness. Faithfulness determines how reliable we are. When you are working and living among faithful people, you grow rather than shrivel up around unreliable people. Another aspect of gentleness and faithfulness is humility. Gentle and faithful people are always humble. Peter described humility as “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Lastly, there is self-control; this is really the vehicle in which all the other fruits are transported to others.  Without self-control, we have no patience, no love, no joy, no peace, or any other fruit. Solomon said this: “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32). Self-control demonstrates the Spirit of Christ in our lives, and it enables us to choose God’s will over our own will.