Have you ever tried to follow God in a half-hearted way? You know what that means. You like the idea of God, but His perfect will for our lives also can feel restrictive.

That’s the moment you are walking along the highway of life completely alone.

Proverbs 3:5-6 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.”

Notice the precise language in these beautiful verses. We are to trust Him with all of our hearts. Don’t take your eyes off Him and follow your own choices. Be upfront that He is your peace. It’s then He picks you up, protects you, and carries you home.

Today is the day you’re thinking about all this. You’ve messed up. You’ve messed up in the most spectacular and disheartening way.

And it is exactly at this moment that God is ready to do the greatest miracle in your life. Tell him you’ve screwed up and have no idea where to turn.

There—you’re learning to completely trust Him. Commit your life to Him, and be consistent about it from now on.

Remember today: the turning point to an awesome future!

Let’s pray.

Lord, help us to reject our own flawed wisdom and rely totally on yours. Amen.

The Bible contains a huge amount of wisdom for us. It’s the Word of God, after all.

Usually, that wisdom is most valuable to us when we are living through tragedy. Those days and nights can be among the hardest we’ll ever have, because the pain seems to be too strong.

Have you ever felt like that?

Our topic this week has to do with Walking By Faith.

2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

What does this mean? Well, Scripture tells us that true faith in God is “the evidence of things not seen.” It gives us a picture of waiting for a promise from God; we haven’t yet arrived.

If you are in that place today, make a choice to believe God. He won’t fail you, not even for a second!

Let’s pray. Lord, your timing is perfect, even if we can’t see the end of the journey. Give us strength for that journey. Amen.

When Richard Winters stood in the doorway of a huge glider in the pre-dawn over Normandy, France, he thought about a lot of things. The young Army captain was preparing for the invasion of Europe, to free the continent from the Nazis.

He knew one thing first: he couldn’t survive on his own skill.

Proverbs 3:5-6 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.”

A very disciplined soldier, Winters literally took these verses to heart. Each night after the invasion, he would pray and thank God for the good things in his life, and he only asked that he survive the next day. His prayer life and the calming effect of attending church in England during his training saw him through.

When battle came and chaos was all around him, Richard Winters stayed calm.

Are you calm? Do the stresses of life’s battles overwhelm you?

Stop relying on your own ideas and wisdom! Some of it is good and some of it is bad.

God’s wisdom is good all the time. Ask Him for that wisdom in your life!

Let’s pray.

Lord, we have to stay steady in this life. Please continue to remind us that you are in charge, and you will see us through. Amen.

Are you angry at God today? Has something happened that has damaged your faith? If we live in the world long enough, it can happen to any of us.

How you respond is really important. If you’ve listened previously, you know we are talking about how to live by faith.

Having perseverance when we’re miserable is really, really hard. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re the only one.

2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Listen to the words again: “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

That’s how we are supposed to live. Not for a few hours or a day or even a season. It’s a lifelong thing. And we don’t always cling to what we can see in the short-term.

Strong faith is built over time. Think back over your life to those times when God met your needs. Big needs! Those were moments He gave to you to prove His strength is not limited.

This is how we walk by faith!

Let’s pray. Lord, life is a marathon, not a quick sprint. Help us to walk by faith, from beginning to end. Amen.

Have you ever been fooled by someone? Doesn’t feel good, does it?

But the absolute worst is when we fool ourselves. We try to manage some problem on our own, or analyze why our boss is so mean.

But the Bible has a better way of thinking about it.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

We have to do two things here: give total control to God, and de-emphasize our own judgment. Sometimes our gut is wrong. “Following our heart” often ends in heartache.

God doesn’t mess up. He doesn’t get it wrong. And he really longs to make it better for you.

Do you remember a time when you put your life in God’s hands? Maybe it was a really important career choice. Or a relationship needed healing. Maybe your body needed healing. Whatever it was, recall that situation today as you wrestle with a new problem.

Let’s pray.

Lord, every time we learn to trust you, it builds our faith a little more. You are a good God who always has our back. Thank you for that. Amen.

See the t-shirt this devotional was inspired by here