Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

So it is the eve of Valentine’s Day and ironically enough I want to discuss trust issues. I find in my own life that as much as I want to say I don’t have trust issues, my lifestyle shows differently. From making new friends, entering into a courtship, joining a new church, and even in my relationship with God, it has been displayed that I have a tendency to question everything and everyone. From as long as I can remember, I always said people had to earn my trust and even after earning it, I could never trust someone 100 percent. Now, some of you may say there is nothing wrong with not fully trusting someone, but we always have to check our motives behind how we operate and make decisions. It’s one thing to not trust people fully due to knowing man is imperfect. However, to link past experiences to present relationships is totally wrong and that’s where my trust issues reared its ugly head. What made it even messier was when I began to connect what people have done to me to Who God is to me.

As of recently, I have been led in my conversations with my Dad to trust Him more. There has been great emphasis placed on a job, money, and my own strength regarding how certain things will work out in my life. Yes, some of it was Pride, but another great part of it was me holding myself hostage. The Marissa I am yet becoming is unable to bloom if I am hanging on to what was done to me. God separates my old self from the new creation He started. Even when I may make the same poor decisions, His Grace covers every bad decision I make now being in the Freedom of Jesus Christ. God recognizes that even though it is the same action, it is not from the same person because this is not the same relationship. Whereas I was just apart of His creation, I am now apart of His Kingdom. This revelation is what sparked me to give up my way of treating friendships and relationships I know God has sent into my life. When I feel as though someone has hurt me or the moment I start to over analyze what someone does towards me, I now will consider that even though the action may be similar the person is not! I have to now apply that same Grace and not allow my trust issues with people that are no longer in my life to dictate how I develop present and future relationships. The key is to know exactly who you are dealing with and act accordingly. What I am learning is how to separate people like that from the people God has strategically placed in my life.

Let me be clear, there are what I like to call, “repeat offenders”, who are not sent by God. These are the ones who our enemy, the devil, sends to keep us distracted, in bondage, and in cycles. Those I advise not to trust, apply godly wisdom, and to ask God where can He get glory out of this? I say that because Jesus knew about Judas, yet Judas walked with Him for a specific time. So if that is the case, pray about God’s Will for you regarding how to love and live with your Judas. That’s a whole other post. Getting back to my point, the ones I know that are sent by God, I must show Grace and Mercy and actively work on understanding the difference. Flashbacks can be a major downfall to new relationships. I am also working on casting down imaginations through prayer once they appear so that it won’t take root in my mind and in my heart. The Bible teaches us to guard our hearts and we must understand that involves what we allow to enter and dwell in our minds.

To tie all of this back to scripture, it is my ultimate plan to trust God more and more each day that I am given. Even in the natural realm, we know there is not much of a relationship without trust. He says to commit our ways to Him first which speaks to our surrender. It shows that we must be of a sound mind and not double-minded before we make the decision to trust Him. Makes sense, because it would be terribly hard to trust without being totally decided first. So then we trust. We have faith.

Our faith can be as big as we make it as long as we have at least a mustard seed of it. The tiniest bit can produce a bountiful harvest of miracles, signs, and wonders. I am learning to trust God more which means to also trust the people He has placed in my life. Not so much expecting them to be perfect, but trusting the plan He has for my life that involves them. Trusting that their mess-ups don’t disqualify what they have to offer me because that is the Love of Christ. Period! Haha alright, I hope this helped you and if you are struggling to trust God and/or people talk to Him. Know that He desires for us to not only grow in our relationship with Him but also with others. Let’s leave this mental prison of our past and live in the liberty of our present in Jesus. It is time to be free!

Be sure to mozy on over to the Tag You’re It and Prayer Tab:) Until next time, PEACE!