I recently heard Dr. Pat Briney say, “If our trust in God is not 100%, then it is not trust at all.” Wow—is this really true?
Imagine lowering yourself into a couch you secretly doubted will hold you. You perch on the very edge, muscles tight, back straight, anxiously awaiting its failure. Your conversation is strained, your face is pinched with anxiety. Everything about you signals one clear message: I don’t fully trust this couch. Now picture the same couch you know beyond doubt is solid. You sink back fully, your shoulders relax, your legs stretch out, and a deep sigh of peace escapes. You are free to carry on magnanimous conversation and engage in laughter. You invite others to join you and…they want to!
This is a small picture of the dramatic difference between partial trust and wholehearted trust in God…and begs the question: Is “partial trust” even really the kind of “trust” contemplated by God’s Word? The Bible says:
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
God calls for the trust of ALL of our heart and ALL of our ways. Partial trust—reserving any area for self-reliance, human counsel, money, or worry—is not trust at all. It is distrust in disguise. It is a distorted reflection of the God we claim to serve. Our lack of trust reflects a God who cannot be trusted. Well, that’s not who God says He is, is it? So the question we should ask ourselves is, “who are we really trusting?” When we are born again, we put our trust for salvation 100% in God—otherwise, we are relying on something else that can NEVER give us salvation. So, if God saved us from the worst fate ever, that is eternal death; why would we then fail to trust Him for all the less difficult things in our lifes?
Ah, my friend, it is because we have enemies that NEVER want us to experience the freedom of 100% trust in God!
Do you find yourself praying but then frantically lining up a backup plan? Do you tithe and yet lose sleep over finances? We confess “God is in control” while we are riddled with anxiety and our schedule overflows with self-made solutions. Think about it—does your life attract others to life in Christ or is it dominated by joylessness, anxiety, and weariness? Do you have any love or energy for those around you? These are symptoms of zero trust in God.
The contrast of a life that is 100% trusting God is amazing.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
In fact, the Word of God gives us an amazing contrast between trusting ourselves and trusting Him:
“CURSED is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.
“BLESSED is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:5-8
Which condition best describes you? I’m not gonna lie…many times I know I’m looking kind of desert-shrubby! But I’m so grateful God gives us example after example of men and women who trusted God 100% in the face of impossible circumstances.
Abraham left his homeland and family at God’s command, not knowing where he was going, yet he believed God’s promise of a promised land and descendants as numerous as the stars. He had to decide whether to go or stay—he couldn’t do both. Even when asked to sacrifice his long-awaited son Isaac, Abraham obeyed fully, confident that God could raise the dead if needed. (Hebrews 11:8-19)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego faced a blazing furnace rather than bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. They declared, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) They had to decide to bow to the idol or trust God—there was no half-way. Their complete trust—whether God rescued them or not—led to a miraculous deliverance and a powerful testimony.
The woman with the issue of blood had suffered twelve years with no help from doctors. Yet she pressed through the crowd, saying to herself, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (Mark 5:28) Her complete trust in Jesus brought instant healing and peace. She could have doubted and stayed back in the crowd—but she didn’t.
These examples reveal that 100% trust does not mean easy circumstances. But trusting God always brings His presence, peace, provision, and ultimate victory. Isn’t that what we all want? I sure do! So here are three practical ways to recognize when we’ve got incomplete trust—and tools to help us move into that zone of 100% full dependence.
1. Constant low-grade anxiety rules your thoughts about your future. Even after praying, your mind replays worst-case scenarios.
Tool: Practice Philippians 4:6-7 deliberately by giving God thanks for all He has done and is doing for you right now. Whenever worry arises, immediately identify the specific concern to God and thank Him specifically for His care. This replaces fear with gratitude and begins the process of allowing God’s peace to guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
2. You form plans first, then ask God to bless them. You become the research guru, polling others, and self-strategy comes before earnestly seeking the Lord and becoming 100% open to His plans even if they do not conform to your own “common sense.” This is called leaning on your own understanding.
Tool: Build the Proverbs 3:6 habit. Pause before every decision—large or small—and pray, “Lord, I acknowledge You are already in the future; You know what is best. Grieve my heart if I’m making the wrong decision; give me peace if it is Your will because I want YOU to direct my path.” Journal the situation, your prayer, and record God’s guidance. Seeing the path of His past faithfulness strengthens our wholehearted trust.
3. People, finances, or personal ability have become your true safety net. You SAY you trust God, yet relief floods in most when circumstances improve or influential help arrives.
Tool: Pray and claim Isaiah 26:3-4 for yourself daily: “Lord, You promised to “keep him in perfect peace, [the one] whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. [Help me to] Trust in [You] forever, for in [You] Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” Ask the Holy Spirit to expose any hidden idols that you are trusting more than God. Confess them, renounce dependence on them, and affirm that God alone is enough. Ask God to really change your heart and enable you to trust Him. Ask God for the desire to know Him for who He says He is instead of who you have made Him to be. The more you know about God, the more you will see the absolute sense in trusting Him more than any other “safety net.”
My friend, when we begin to entrust every area of our lives to God’s unchanging character—we experience the rest Jesus promised and our lives become pictures of His glorious peace:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
We are either resting in God or we’re not.
We either have peace or we do not.
He gives us the choice—anxiety or peace. Trusting self or trusting God is the daily, indeed, the hourly choice we have to make today.
Which will it be for you?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You are the Rock that never fails, the One whose throne is established in righteousness and whose mercy endures forever. I come before You with a grateful yet convicted heart, acknowledging the many times I have only perched anxiously on the edge of Your faithful promises while also claiming to trust You. Forgive me, Lord, for the subtle ways I lean on my own understanding, seek security in people, finances, or my own strength, and withold full surrender in hidden corners of my life.Today, I deliberately choose to trust You with all my heart. I release every worry, every self-made plan, every hidden safety net I have clutched so tightly. Fill me with Your perfect peace that surpasses an understanding of my circumstances. Keep my mind stayed on You alone. Direct my paths with clarity and wisdom. Strengthen me to bear fruit even in seasons of drought, and conform my life more fully to the image of Christ, who trusted You completely. Lord, help me trust You—not just for my own peace and joy—but that my life might glorify You and draw others to the security found only in wholehearted dependence on You. In the mighty, matchless name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Amen.
