Using Trust to Overcome Fear
My life right now is composed of a lot of “never thoughts.” I never thought I would go to graduate school immediately following graduation. I never thought I would live paycheck to paycheck. I never thought I would get a tattoo. I never thought I would dye my hair brown. I never thought I wouldn’t be employed with a full time job after college.
In short, I never thought I would have to rely solely upon my Lord Jesus Christ in order to get to the next day.
The amazing thing about “never thoughts” is that they offer God the opportunity to write your story. For many years, I have been relying on self-effort to live my life instead of surrendering the pen to the One who created me.
Until recently, I’ve never really had a reason to not depend on my own strength. I have been very blessed in my life and I thought muttering a few words to God at the end of the day could suffice as fully trusting in Him. God has totally rocked my world and has gently touched my heart with the truth of surrendering self and the meaning of ultimate reliance on Jesus Christ.
Trust is not muttering a prayer because you feel like you should. Trust is crying out to God on your hands and knees, knowing full well that He is right there with you through your pain.
Trust is not reading the Bible for five minutes and posting your favorite verse on Facebook. Trust is pouring over God’s Word, letting yourself become immersed in it, and allowing it to shape your life.
Trust is not being a Christian only on Sundays. Trust is the reality of committing your life wholeheartedly to God and completely setting yourself apart from the world.
Unfortunately, it’s taken me a long time to figure this out. Fortunately, God has always been here with me and His refining discipline has shown me how to commit myself to His will. College life is a series of ups and downs and having God as a stable rock in rough times and in great times is absolutely essential.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6
His heart for us is to give Him our lives instead of turning to self-reliance. He wants us to understand that trust overcomes fear, depression, and doubt.
Trust Overcomes Fear
In my current situation, I’m very afraid and worried that I won’t ever have a full-time job and that I won’t be able to trust God with my basic needs. When I try to do it all by myself, I am proven wrong and fear creeps in. It is a struggle to know who God is and remember all the times He has been faithful to me.
But, when I let Him hold the pen to write my life, He never disappoints, even if He does something I never intended to do.
When we genuinely trust God, we know He will provide no matter what. We also know that what He does might not be our idea of how we want our life to pan out. However, we can have absolute certainty that His way is far better than ours.
[pullquote width="300" float="right"]Fear disappears when we trust in God's plan for us.[/pullquote]
Fear disappears when we trust in His plan for us. God is with us and we need not focus on our problems, shortcomings, or worries and only need to give Him our full attention. In Joshua 1, He commands us to not be afraid because He is with us wherever we go. Trusting our Father and realizing that He cares for us and will not let us down offers us the opportunity to conquer fear.
Trust Overcomes Depression
I don’t know about you, but when life isn’t going my way, I get depressed. First, I focus too much on my situation and I stop enjoying life. Life becomes tedious and meaningless, and God becomes a distant speck in the back of my mind. I start to have a pity party, allowing my emotions to consume my every thought, and not leaving room for Jesus.
Regardless of our feelings, trusting in His plan for us always gives us hope. Depression results when we rely on our feelings to dictate our relationship with God. We can always have abundant joy when trusting Him because we know the glory that awaits us in heaven. Trust the Lord and He will always draw you back to His light.
Trust Overcomes Doubt
When a situation becomes too much to handle, I begin to doubt that God will ever come through for me. Not only do I doubt His power, but I also start to doubt my faith as a Christian. Doubt rears its ugly head when we lean on the world and on our own understanding in order to face trials.
However, trust can eliminate doubt when our hearts and minds are set upon the Truth of the gospel. Trusting that what God says and does is true allows us to stand on faith as an anchor, making us strong, immovable, and ready to fight for God’s kingdom. Doubt doesn’t have to consume us when trust in the Lord fills our hearts and our minds.
“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” -1 Peter 4:19
Let us fully commit to the Lord and trust that He will never fail nor forsake us.
In order to train yourself to trust in God no matter what your circumstances are, be dedicated in your daily time in the Word, be devoted to prayer, and study His truth about reliance on Him rather than on your own understanding. May God lead you and guide you with you trusting Him every step of the way.
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