THE TRUST FACTOR

The alarm clock goes off. Half awake, I slump out of bed and my feet hit the floor. I'm up, sort of . . .

I stumble towards the bathroom and start to get ready for the day. I brush my teeth and my hair (there's not as much hair left these days!). I open the closet and put on my jeans and one of my flannel "dad" shirts, as my daughters like to call them. Finally, I venture downstairs and off we go with another day!

Does this morning routine sound familiar to you in one way or another?

Isn't it fascinating how you can be a "zombie" in the morning and still get ready without even thinking about it? However, let's back up for a second and re-examine a few key elements from my morning schedule. I didn't even mention how I trusted that my alarm clock would go off after I set it the night before. I didn't even think about how the floor was going to hold my weight as I got out of bed and started walking to the bathroom. Nope, not even a hint of worry! I even trusted that my skinny "bird legs" would work correctly and take me over to the bathroom somehow. Ok Jon, where are you going with this exactly? Point made. Let me tell you. Isn't it stunning how many temporal things in life we trust in without even thinking?! However, for many Christ followers, when it comes to their personal relationship with the Living God the trust level remains so low that it resembles the thermostat in my mom's house growing up (after almost 40 years I finally get it now . . . heat is expensive!). Yes indeed, trusting in God amidst the daily grind is a struggle for most believers.

Hebrews 11:1-3 says this: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." The word "faith" in the original Greek means belief, trust, confidence, fidelity & faithfulness. Additionally, the word "hope" means an absolute fact, or a sure thing. It does not mean "I hope so . . . ". For the believer, faith, trust, and hope are HUGE concepts that directly measure the temperature of your intimacy with God. If a believer doesn't exercise faith, trust, and hope, then their personal relationship with the Holy Spirit will be one of dysfunction at best.

At the beginning of this article, I made a list of a few temporal things that I take for granted and so easily trust in on a typical morning. I challenge you to make your own list of the temporal or material things that you trust in each day. Start at the very beginning and go right to the very moment you lay your head down at night. Then, extend this horizontal thinking up vertically to your relationship with the Lord and answer this question honestly: Do I trust in the temporal and material things of this life more than I trust in the Eternal God of the universe? In what areas do you struggle to trust God? List them out. Talk to Him about them.

The Scriptures make it clear throughout that believers are to continuously examine their hearts. Trust is perhaps the most important element in your relationship with God that needs to constantly be examined. Christ-follower, because the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you, He has already given you everything you need to experience an intimate relationship with Him. Do you believe that?

One soft spot for believers is trusting God when there is a thick fog ahead. This is a reoccurring theme in life. Go back to Hebrews chapter 11. The author of Hebrews talks about servants such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and more. When reading these accounts in Scripture it's clear that they trusted the Lord even though unknown circumstances were ahead. Their individual walks with God were built on the foundation of trust therefore they were able to be obedient in carrying out whatever God called them to do.

Believer, do you trust God's character enough to obey Him no matter what? If your relationship with the Lord is not where it should be then start with the trust factor. No relationship will have any kind of backbone unless the soils of trust are fertile. This is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to your relationship with the Living God. He's ready and willing to take you deeper. The question is, are you ready and willing to LET Him?