Living By Faith Blog

Trusting Christ but no change?

There’s times we think we are trusting Christ, but we don’t experience any change — our hearts stay fearful, we continue gossiping, or we are still angry.

Why no change?

It’s probably because we are not really trusting Christ.

Not trusting Christ — to satisfy us

We might think we are trusting Him.  And maybe we are trusting Him for forgiveness, or trusting that He exists.

But if we are not experiencing any change, it’s probably because we are not trusting Christ to satisfy us.  And if we are honest, and search our hearts, we will discover that we are trusting something besides Christ to satisfy us.

Still gossiping?

Take gossip, for example.  When I gossip it’s because I’m trusting the pleasures of gossip to satisfy me more than I’m trusting Christ to satisfy me.

So I can try not to gossip, and pray that I would not gossip, and quote verses about gossip.  But nothing will change until I turn from trusting gossip to satisfy me, and trust Christ to satisfy me.

Because as I do that, the Spirit will enable me to feel that Jesus is my all-satisfying Treasure — and I will stop trusting gossip to satisfy me.

That’s when I will stop gossiping.

Still worried?

Or take worry about investments.  When I’m worried about investments, it’s because I’m trusting profitable investments to secure and satisfy me more than Christ.

So I can try not to worry, and pray for God to give me peace, and read Scriptures about peace.  But nothing will change until I turn from trusting investments to satisfy me, and trust Jesus to satisfy me.

Because as I do that, the Spirit will help me feel that Jesus is my all-satisfying Treasure and that He will provide everything I need.

That should not make me foolish in investing.  But it will free me from worry.

Pulling weeds

It’s just like when I used to pull weeds as a kid.

The only way to get rid of a weed, is to pull it up by the roots.  And the only way to get rid of gossip, or any other sin, is to pull it up by the roots.

The root is my trust in something besides Christ to satisfy me.  I need to turn from whatever else I am trusting to satisfy me, and trust Christ alone to satisfy me.

But it’s hard

But the moment we try to do that, we find that it’s hard.  Very hard.

The problem is that sin has blinded us to the all-satisfying glory of Jesus, so all we see is the glory of gossip, or investments, or whatever.

But God promises that if we will cry out to Him, set our minds on the truth of Jesus, and trust Him to help us see Jesus’ glory — He will.  Every time (2Cor 3:16).

He is worth it

This is a battle.  It can take excruciating effort.  But He is worth it all.

Because the joy of beholding Jesus is infinitely greater than any other joy.

And the Spirit will give you a taste of this, as you turn from whatever else you have been trusting to satisfy you, and fight to trust Jesus Christ alone to satisfy you.

The next question is: how can we tell what we are trusting to satisfy us?

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(Picture is from Microsoft Publisher Clipart.)