The Challenge of Trusting In God

Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional – January 15, 2025

This year one of the churches I attend is declaring 2025 as a Leap Year for spiritual growth which requires dedication, discipline, and total dependency on God.

The LEAP Year Covenant

This year, I am committing to a life fully devoted to Christ! I am done with empty wishes, hollow resolutions, and vain declarations. This year, I will take a leap.

I will be driven by prayer; fueled by the word; fed by purpose; and clothed in faith. I will be committed, intentional, specific, and focused on my assignment.

I refuse to be the same old person, with the same old thoughts, in the same old place. By the grace of God, I am preparing myself for a leap year in 2025!

On Sunday, 1/12, I excitedly made the covenant with God to live fully devoted to Christ. Today is Wednesday, 1/15, and spiritually things are not going as well as I expected. Yesterday, Google Photos sent a memory reminder that I should have ignored and it triggered memories of yesteryear that were counterproductive.

This morning, I decided to volunteer without praying beforehand and a few hours later, I felt turmoil regarding the situation and asked myself, What were you thinking? So, I prayed and asked God to let the offer fall through. If not, then I will use a new-found courage to rescind my well-meaning but not God-approved offer of my services.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” —Matthew 26:41

Transparency and honesty are required when we make a covenant to fully surrender and trust God with our lives and then mess up. Self-reliance is often our initial response to appealing offers and activities, but to remain faithful to God, our focus must be on learning His plans for our lives. Love for God reveals itself through humility. Never stay on the detour of disobedience! Acknowledge, confess, repent, and reaffirm your desire to faithfully trust God from that moment forward.

To exclude God is to play the Game of Chance with our lives. We are forewarned not to trust our feelings or understanding. Not only does self-reliance oppose God’s will, but a spirit of disobedience develops, separating us from God, and placing us on the broad path that leads to destruction. Our world is in chaos, and we are living in perilous times, now is not the time to risk losing our future reward of eternal life.

Even the apostle Paul lamented over the inner turmoil of faithfully obeying God: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (Romans 7:19-20).

“The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.” —Psalm 37:23-24

“The righteous are characterized by their ability to rise after falling. This resilience is rooted in their faith and trust in God, who provides strength and guidance.”

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9

Thankfully, when we fall, our genuine confession and repentance always allow us to receive God’s forgiveness, and Jesus extends His hand of mercy and lifts us up.

1. “Pray without ceasing” [pray continuously over every aspect of your life] (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
2. “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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
3. “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).

Lord God, we are in the struggle of internal conflict and external opposition, yet, You are our Safety. We have fallen and repent for the wilful disobedience of excluding You from our lives. We desire to renew our covenant of trusting You in 2025. Hear our petition and empower us with the spiritual strength to let go of self-reliance which is enmity against You. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.

© 2025 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry