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Can You Really Count on God?
By Rick Warren

“Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NCV)

For most of us, the reason we don’t trust God fully with our lives is that we really don’t know him. We usually don’t trust people we don’t know.

The same is true with God. That’s why God wants you to know the real him — not a fake version you’ve learned from popular culture. There are many popular myths about who God is that simply aren’t true.

For example, some believe he’s like:

A cosmic cop: He’s the big, bad policeman in the sky looking to catch us doing something wrong.

The celestial Santa Clause: He’s just there to give gifts. He smiles, nods, and never really pays attention to the naughty list.

The grand, old man: He’s the old, old god who isn’t much different from you. He has his own failures and faults. He doesn’t have any of the answers, either.

The Force: Like in the popular science-fiction series “Star Wars,” God is an impersonal force we can bend to our will.

If I thought God was like any of those popular misconceptions, I wouldn’t trust him either. But he’s not. The Bible paints an entirely different picture of the character of God.

The truth is God is infinitely worthy of your trust because no being in the universe is as capable of influencing the world around you as he is. The Bible says, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” (Psalm 54:4 NIV).

God has the power (and the desire) to sustain and help you through whatever you’re going through. He wants to give you his best for your life — and he can help you get there. He is the creator of the universe. He literally has all the resources in the universe that he can mobilize on your behalf as you seek to follow him.

But the key is you must trust him.

The Bible says, “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NCV). You can trust God with everything you are because he can help you succeed if you do. That doesn’t mean God will give you all the money, fame, or power you want. But if you trust him, God will help you succeed in what he has called you to do and be.

Talk It Over

Which of the misconceptions about God do you think is the most common among your friends and family? How about society?

How would someone’s life change if there was a proper understanding of what God is like?

What is one area of your life where you need to begin to fully trust God?