It was 2012 when I got tested in trusting God. I was growing in my faith like many Christians, slow and steady. But something happened in December of that year that led me to make a decision that caused my faith to skyrocket. It was one of THE most difficult times of my life.

Today, I’m going to share with you the one simple change I made to strengthen my faith, and then I’m going to tear apart some common misconceptions when it comes to trusting God and what I could have done better.

What was going on in my life that made trusting God so challenging?

I’d been an entrepreneur most of my life. For the most part, things went well, until they didn’t. 

Business wasn’t what it used to be. I was newly married. It was smack in the middle of a recession. My savings were drained. My income was down to 1/3 of what I used to make. My wonderful new husband was severely underemployed, and on top of that, he had an ex-wife who loved going to court for sport. The strain of step-parenting, preparing my daughter for college, and having a mid-life shift in a tiny two-bedroom townhome was enough to drive anyone to find solace in a cookie jar.

Needless to say, life was NOT what I hoped it would be at this stage of my life.

And suddenly God tells me it’s time to move on. 

Move on? Gladly. Whacha got for me Lord? A shiny new business opportunity? I’ll take whatever new beginnings you have for me, Lord. Move me along.

I sensed in my spirit God telling me to move on into ministry.

If silence had a sound, this would be deafening. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. 

Lord, didn’t you hear me. I’m struggling here. 

Of course, He heard me, but I wasn’t hearing him. I didn’t want to believe that leaving a love of business would turn into a life in ministry.

How did I respond? 

Truthfully, my heart was all in, but my head was hesitant. I was the breadwinner of the family and business was all I’d ever known. But now, God was not only asking me to close the business but also to go back to school, meaning I would lose income AND add expenses.

I’m no math wiz but this wasn’t adding up.

So I vacillated, I negotiated, and I contemplated. The more I did, the worse it got. God wasn’t looking for my understanding. He was looking for my trust.

So what did I do? 

I panicked. The truth is, I was used to trusting in myself. I’d done it for years. But now, I had no idea what life was going to look like, I had no idea where our next mortgage payment would come from. Nothing made sense and the worst part is, I had no control over anything.

I had a choice to make. Would I continue to rely on my own resources, or would I trust Him? 

What I realized at that moment, is that I hadn’t trusted God as much as I thought I did (as evidenced by my panic). 

So I made ONE change.

I chose to hang up any preconceived notions about what God should do for me and when. And I decided that I was just going to trust Him. Day by day, moment by moment, I put my trust in Him to work it all out.

Sounds so simple, but simple and easy aren’t the same. There are some common misconceptions about what true trust in the Lord looks like.

Misconception #1: Faith is a feeling.

We can all feel good when we hear an encouraging worship song or when we’re blessed in our circumstances, but if that same faith turns to fear the minute that your circumstances change, your trust isn’t really where you thought it was.

If you’re the type that responds by saying, “Oh, it’s only natural to react that way” then you’ve just proved my point. You’re operating in the natural, and not the supernatural.

Misconception #2: If I say the right words, I’ll have faith.

That sounds more like new-age nonsense. Yes, we should meditate on God’s word, but do it so that it penetrates the very depths of your soul. Just simply reciting a few scriptures or declaring a few positive affirmations that you don’t believe doesn’t equal faith. 

Misconception #3: Thinking positive is the same as having faith.

Simply keeping your complaints to yourself and slapping a smile on your face does not mean you have faith in the Almighty. Denying the stresses of your situation doesn’t equal faith, it equals ignorance.

Faith is not pretending your problems don’t exist. Faith is when you recognize that your situation isn’t going well but you elevate God to be higher than your problem.

What could I have done better?

In that moment of truth, where God was closing doors with me still lingering in a dark hallway, I could have responded immediately with a “Yes, Lord.” That would have shown Him that I didn’t need to have all the answers, I didn’t need understanding, and I didn’t need to know what doors would be opened next. 

True trust doesn’t control, worry, or try to figure things out. It simply rests—internally and externally—in trusting God and His mighty hand.

Want to hear about how I trusted God to deliver me from a narcissistic marriage? Watch this episode next. 

If you’re struggling in your faith or you want to grow in your faith, I want to invite you to grab a copy of your FREE 5-Day Mountain Moving Faith Devotional.