What Do You Really Trust? (Why it Absolutely Matters.)

We become like what we trust. -Psalm 115:8

Trust can be pretty elusive, can’t it?

After all, just because we say we trust someone doesn’t mean that we actually do.

Trust must be proved, and it’s proved through our actions.

What Do You Trust? (And Why It Matters!)

What or who we really trust absolutely matters. In fact, it’s critical.

Why? Read the following verse to find out.

Their idols are silver and gold,

The work of man’s hands.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak;

They have eyes, but they cannot see;

They have ears, but they cannot hear;

They have noses, but they cannot smell;

They have hands, but they cannot feel;

They have feet, but they cannot walk;

They cannot make a sound with their throat.

Those who make them will become like them,

Everyone who trusts in them. -Psalm 115:4-8 (emphasis mine)

Idols, by definition, are false gods. They come in many shapes and sizes. Anything in our lives, whether person, job, money, even a ministry, can become an idol. Without warning, we can become enslaved to these idols, even though Christ came to set us free. And the passage above also reveals another dangerous truth.

We become like what we trust.

In STILL I WILL FOLLOW, the seventh Miller’s Creek novel due out this spring, this topic is explored, especially as it relates to freedom.

The hero of the story,Clay Barnes, though a professing Christian and deacon, finds his identity in his job as ranch manager on the Miller’s ranch, a job passed down to him by his daddy and grandaddy. But God makes it pretty clear in His Word that He will tolerate no other gods. Time and time again, in the Bible, God proves His status as the One and Only True and Living God, especially when compared to lifeless and impotent idols. How will that play out in Clay’s life?

Bella, the female lead in the story, is quick to give in to trusting the opinions of others about herself. Because she is trusting in this rather than God, she quickly becomes like what she trusts. In other words, she believes a lie, and it becomes a part of who she is.

Satan is liar. He does a pretty good job of convincing us to believe his lies on a regular basis. But the second we believe his lies, we’ve picked up an idol.

The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?” -Isaiah 44:20

Thankfully, the story doesn’t have to end there, either in fictional Miller’s Creek or in our lives.

If we fully place our trust in God, He transforms us into the image of Christ. The scales fall from our eyes and we are able to see that idol to which we’ve become enslaved for what it really is.

A lie.

Lord God, we stand convicted of often placing our trust in things which have no capacity to save us or change us. Help us fully place our trust in You and You alone, so we can become more and more like You and recognize the lies we hold in our hands. In the name of Jesus–who came to set us free–we pray. Amen.