Have you ever wondered about how to trust God completely?
As a Christian, I think it’s normal to struggle with faith during the challenging times in our lives. Have you ever wondered how do I trust God? Certainly, putting your faith and trust in God, means letting go of control. That’s a tough task, isn’t it?
It’s easy to put your faith and trust in God when things are going easy. But when times get tough, that’s when the rubber meets the road and you need to step up and let go and let God. It’s always better to work on your faith daily, and not during the hard times. But wondering about how do I trust God, truly starts with faith.
What does the Bible say about trusting God?
Whenever we talk about faith, the first place I look in the Bible is Hebrews, chapter 11. This chapter is commonly referred to as the faith chapter, because it gives example after example of Bible characters who lived by trusting God in all circumstances. They set a great example for us about how to have faith in God, even today.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This is God’s definition of faith. You can’t see it, but it’s there based on evidence. Even though you cannot see or touch God, you know that He is there. There is proof of God everywhere you look. While I’m not going to dig into How to Grow your Faith, click that post for some great tips. Then How to Get Closer to God Spiritually will elaborate on those tips.
This printable checklist will give you some activities to help you as you seek to grow closer to God.
Then in Hebrews 11, you’ll find more of what the Bible says about trusting God. You’ll find stories about Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham, just to name a few.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
So we know that faith is the beginning of trusting God completely.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
This is my favorite Scripture in Proverbs, which tells us that if we are trusting God completely, He will guide us. When we face challenges in our lives, don’t we want some guidance? Well there you go! God will direct us if we trust Him and don’t try to figure things out for ourselves. That’s the key, we cannot lean on our own understanding.
More Scriptures on trusting God KJV
Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed”.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Psalm 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
How do I fully trust God?
Before we get into the 10 ways for trusting God completely, let’s first talk about trust. We already covered Hebrews 11:1 and faith. But what about trust?
Dictionary.com defines trust as 1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. 2. confident expectation of something; hope. 3. a person on whom or thing on which one relies (ie. God is my trust.)
When faced with the idea of how to trust in God, we put our confidence in Him based on His integrity, strength, promises, and surety. The more we put our faith in Him, the more our trust grows. It grows because we see Him working in our own lives and in those around us. He proves His love toward us and that is where we learn how to trust in God.
Trusting God completely
There are a couple of things that we need to understand when it comes to successfully trusting God completely. It first starts with surrender. Surrendering means that we’re yielding to the power of God. When we give up our power, we give it all up. We must surrender with our heart, mind and words.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
In my own life, a common prayer that I have for trusting God completely, is that He will increase my faith. We know the apostles made the same request of Jesus.
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
It’s also very important that we listen when He speaks to us. Prayer is a two-way conversation. The Lord talks to us through His Word, in prayer and through the convictions of the Holy Spirit. So pay attention to His voice as it comes in reply to your prayer.
How do you trust God when it looks impossible?
First of all, remove the word “impossible” from your vocabulary. Mindset is a critical component to trust. You cannot have complete faith and doubt at the same time. We all go through challenges in our lives where our faith is questioned.
In 2011, I contracted a flesh-eating bacteria that practically took my life, put me in a coma for 3 weeks, the hospital for 3 months and resulted in the amputation of both hands and both feet. The doctors told my family there was no chance of my survival. You might think that that was an impossible situation.
But God…
With man sure, things might look impossible. But with God all things are possible. The faith of my family was strong. My husband refused to believe that I would die. And he prayed, fully believing that God would heal me. My family prayed, our church and friends prayed. People all across the country, who we have never even met, but they heard my story and they cared enough to pray.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
As you can see from this blog, I not only recovered, I am living One Exceptional Life where I’m helping anyone who needs help in overcoming their challenges. Any challenge can be overcome through faith and prayer, gratitude, kindness and positivity, because I believe wholeheartedly that “everything is overcomeable.” It all starts with faith and learning how to have faith in God completely.
The challenges we go through are sometimes designed to purify us, grow our faith and bring us closer to the Lord. Other times we’re being disciplined. But He never leaves our side. There’s never any need for fear when you’re trusting God, He will never leave us or forsake us. And never forget, that all things happen for His glory and our good. We may not understand why or how. But it will always be so. So take these steps to grow your faith and learn how to trust in God.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Roman’s 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
How do I gain faith and trust in God?
Sometimes, when things seem like they’re too much to bear, you have no choice but to give it to God. I have a very vivid memory when I was in the hospital. I was a very new quad amputee and I had every fear that you could imagine. I prayed to the Lord my favorite scripture (Proverbs 3:5-6,) which has gotten me through so many times of fear and doubt. And a wonderful peace washed over me. I recalled those Scriptures in my bed that day. I mentioned them earlier, but they’re so important, they bear repeating.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
There are far too many people preaching that leaning on self is the way to go. They encourage us to believe in ourselves because to them, it’s the only way. And maybe for them, it’s all they know. Which is why as Christians, we need to spread the Gospel now, more than ever.
But humbling ourselves and giving it to God will have a far better effect in growing our faith and trust in God.
Why do we struggle trusting God?
First of all, the struggle is natural. It’s easy to follow our worldly instincts. Thanks to Adam, we were born with a sin nature.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
It takes a conscious effort and the constant reminder to turn things over to God. Learning how to have faith in God completely means putting on the full armor of God. The full armor of God is the toolkit that God gives us to battle the enemy.
Just remember, building your faith is like building a muscle. The more you use it, the bigger it gets. So let’s look at some of the activities that you can do to learn how to trust God completely.
10 Ways for How to Trust God Completely
As we go through the following ways of learning how to trust God, keep in mind that each activity takes a conscious effort. As I said, it doesn’t come naturally to jump out of bed and choose God or avoid and repent from sin.
However, it becomes a whole lot easier when you make Him a priority. And truly, it only takes a moment to pause and ask yourself, “which way do you want me to go, Lord?” Or, to remember the old adage, “WWJD” (what would Jesus do?) But every day that you choose God, is a day closer to trusting Him completely.
Choose God daily
The bottom line is we have to put God first in our lives and make a continuous choice to trust God completely. We can’t just follow Him on the things we want and disregard His guidelines on the things that make us uncomfortable.
When it comes to trusting God, I'm sure we all struggle. Well, here are 10 great ways to learn how to #trust God completely! Which are your favorites and the easiest to do? #trustintheLordCLICK TO TWEET
We always want to take control and work things out our own way, when we’re going through challenging times. But we have to make the decision to choose God. We won’t win anyway. So why not let go and trust God. He is so much more capable of taking care of you than you are. Worrying about things while you’re trusting God doesn’t work either. You cannot worry and have faith at the same time. Remember what the Bible says about trusting God and worry?
Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
You might want to check out the rest of those bible verses in Matthew 6:25-34 for even more comfort.
Basically, worry is the opposite of faith. You can’t have both. Check out this whole page of scriptures that I found about worry and anxiety. Worry is a wasted emotion. Give it to God and rest in His abilities to take care of things for you. This Give it to God Prayer Bundle can help too.
Study His Word
When you struggle with your faith and trusting God in all circumstances, open His Holy Word. The Bible is our rule book for living and our instructions in righteousness. Remember the faith chapter, Hebrews 11? Start there and read about the reminders of God’s promises.
If you’re wondering what the Bible says about trusting God, the answer is, a lot! You simply have to search and be open and willing to accept His Word for the truth. Then put your faith to work. Whenever I need a little help in finding scriptures on trusting God KJV, I simply ask Google and it gives me a great starting point. From there, I dig into my Bible and study those scriptures out.
There are some really great Bible studies available too. I love Praying the Promises of God and Bible Study Methods: 7 Ways in 7 Days.
Remind yourself of God’s goodness
If you have cause for worry, use the scripture cards and affirmation cards from the Joyful Living through Faith and Prayer kit around the house to remind you, or click on the Inspirational Resources page for a free download. Simply cut them out and hang them in places that will help you. For instance, put them in the bathroom, near your dresser, places you hang out in your home. I would even put some in your car. Keeping the Lord in the front of your mind is great when you’re thinking, how can I trust God completely?
Redirect when you get off course
Pay attention to what you’re thinking about. If you find yourself wanting to watch a bad movie or read a book that you know you shouldn’t be reading, stop, course correct and watch or read something more appropriate. I like to say, just change the channel. When something is on TV that you don’t like, you change the channel, right? Well if you’re having trust or faith issues, change the channel in your mind. It’s all about choice, my friend. Which will you choose?
Remember that you’re not in control
I know, I know, we all want to be in control. But sometimes we run into challenges in our lives. When it comes down to a situation where you are wondering how to have faith in God in difficult times, then you have to let go and let God take over. We all know the Carrie Underwood song, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. The chorus of the song talks about not being able to do things on her own. She says, “I’m letting go, So give me one more chance, And save me from this road I’m on”.
Part of letting go is trusting God in all circumstances. Give it to God completely. It’s challenging. But the more faith you put in the Creator of this universe, the easier it gets. Just remember, if He can create this world, the oceans, the trees and human beings, with all the intricacies that are involved in us, then He can handle your problem.
Listen to God
The primary way that God speaks to us is through the Bible, His Holy Word. Let’s find out what the Bible says about trusting God. These scriptures from Proverbs 3:1-10 KJV talk about taking the Word of God and binding them on our hearts. When you read the Word, understand and then know the Word, that’s how you bind them on your heart. Open your heart and mind to receiving His Word and understanding the truth. So then when you ask for help, you’ll hear it when God answers you. You’ll also be listening when you’re reading the Bible.
Listen to the Lord when He convicts you of sin. You may feel convictions to call a friend who is sick, or who need you to share the Gospel. Those convictions are the Holy Spirit guiding you. Have you ever heard of a sin of omission? Well, not following those convictions is a sin as well. So listen to the Lord through His Word. Listen when you pray. It’s a two-way conversation. Stop to hear what the Lord has to say. And listen when you feel those nudges of which direction you should go. All that listening is helping you learn how to trust God completely
Follow God
What does it mean to follow God? Following God, first of all means to take that first step and trust Him with your eternal life. I’m going to refer you to some scriptures called the Roman Road which you will find in my How to Grow your Faith in God post. Once you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior, you have made the first step to following the Lord and trusting God completely.
From there, follow Him with a water immersion baptism as you join a true local New Testament church. The church is where you can learn all about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the church is to follow the Great Commission as Jesus instructs us here:
Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
In other words, we are to share the Gospel, baptize new followers and teach them to follow God and just how to do that.
Lastly, in order to follow God you have to have a relationship with Him. Talk to Him in prayer. Listen to Him through the teachings of the Bible, His church and the convictions of the Holy Spirit. Hang out with His people. These would be your church family and other Christians. Avoid worldly activities, which through trusting God you will find the task a whole lot easier.
And serve God and His people by sharing the Gospel with others and loving your neighbor the way that Jesus loves everybody. Easy peasy, right? All it takes is a bit of faith and willingness. You’ll never be perfect. Only Jesus was perfect. But I believe that every effort counts.
Repent and avoid sin
In the last paragraph I mentioned that nobody is perfect, except for Jesus. However, we can do our best. When you do something that you’re not supposed to be doing, stop, repent and turn back to God. For this I’m talking about what most folks would refer to as the little sins. Maybe you watched an inappropriate TV show. Then it’s easy to say, wait, no, stop! I’m sorry Lord, and change the channel.
First of all, according to God, there are no little sins. There’s no gray area. Sin is sin. In God’s eyes, a lie is the same as murder. You may disagree. Open your Bible to see what it says. I’ll get you started.
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
But remember…
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
For the more difficult sins, remember what I said earlier. You are not in control. Why try and do battle with the devil on your own? While you’re learning how to trust God completely, you really need to bring him into your challenges and let Him guide you.
What does that look like? Let’s say you have a chocolate addiction. Every time that desire hits, you could pray and let the Lord convict your heart, read your Bible, call a Christian friend, reach out and do something kind for someone else to take your mind off of the craving. Here are some ideas for spreading positivity.
Remember God’s character
If you’ve ever asked yourself, how do I trust God, you have to remember His character. I have found 15 remarkable attributes of God in this article from Bible Study Tools. This is one incredible read that will impress upon you just how great our Heavenly Father is.
To give you some idea of his attributes, according to this article, God is infinite, self-sufficient and never changes. He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (He’s everywhere). He is wise, faithful, good and just. God is also merciful, gracious, loving, holy and glorious. He is all things to everyone, everywhere. So with that in mind, trusting God completely is a no-brainer.
Pray to grow your faith and your relationship with God
We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
But how do we increase our faith? By asking, of course! This is a regular prayer of mine.
Luke 17:5-6 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Faith in your prayer is important. You have to believe that God will answer your prayers. In this case, you have to believe that God will increase your faith. For more scriptures on trusting God KJV, check out 16 Powerful Bible Verses about Faith and Trust.
Remember that your relationship with God grows through conversation. If you only talked all day to your spouse without listening to their replies, would that be a conversation? Not at all! A conversation is a 2-way talk. While you pray, take time to listen. He will answer you through thoughts that you’re given during your prayer. Pay attention!
Although you don’t have to have a perfect prayer every time, when you are really focused, a great acronym for praying is ACTS. This stands for Adoration, which is giving God praise for who He is. Confession is necessary to remove the sin in your life. Remember that God cannot look on sin, so confession applies the perfect blood of Christ to your heart so you can talk with the Lord.
Thanksgiving is showing gratitude for all of God’s wonderful blessings. Supplication is where you go before the throne of God in petition for the needs of others. Our Faith Over Fear or the individual unit, Joyful Living through Faith and Prayer offer great activities and printables to help you use the ACTS system of prayer.
Have you started a war binder yet? Follow this link for everything that you need for creating a custom war binder for a powerful prayer life.
In conclusion: How to trust God
So there you have it. 10 ways to learn how to trust God completely. Just remember that trusting God in all circumstances, gets easier with time and practice. When you trust Him, you will be able to see His guiding hand. Although sometimes, we are blinded by pain and frustration. In those situations, it might be easier to look back and see where God was working in your life in times past. Grab onto those memories and trust God to get you through the current struggles too.
During our most difficult times, those times are when God is refining and shaping us. I believe that there is always a lesson in every trial. We may not see it at the time it happens. But it will show up later, if you’re paying attention.
I have learned a lot over my life about how to trust God completely. When you go through struggles like cancer and learning to live as a quadruple amputee, I know for a fact that without leaning on and trusting God, the struggle would have been so much harder.
I would love to hear about lessons you have learned, especially how to have faith in God completely, especially during difficult times. Which scriptures helped the most? How did your relationship with Jesus adapt? Did you fight with the Lord or hand over the reins? Please share in the comments below.
In what ways have you learned how to trust God?
