UNPACK This...Opting to Trust GodSample

Who Do You Believe In?

Every year during the NFL season, our beliefs and opinions change from week to week. As the matchups switch and the circumstances are different, teams cause us to question everything we thought about them the week before.

Just when we start believing a quarterback is turning the corner, the following week he falls apart. Right when we start thinking a player should be benched, he rushes for over 100 yards.

How we feel about teams and players seems to change every Monday.

If we aren’t careful, we can do the same thing when it comes to what we believe about God’s character. We can allow circumstances to alter what we think about His goodness and His power.

When things are going well, we can think He’s great. When life gets tough, we can start believing He doesn’t care about us.

The difference between our sports opinions and our faith in God is the rootedness of our beliefs. Our NFL thoughts are rooted in what we’ve seen recently, which are temporary and constantly changing.

However, when we place our trust in Jesus, our hope is rooted in the One who doesn’t change. Hebrews 13:8 confirms that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Our “matchups” might change from week to week, but the character of Who we believe in doesn’t. God is always good, always loving, and always powerful.

Psalm 18:30 says, “This God—His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.”

Isaiah 40:28 declares, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.”

If doubts start to creep in or we begin to question what we believe, we must shift our attention back to Who we believe in. Today, let's trust that His character hasn’t changed…only our focus.

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray that my beliefs will be rooted in who You are and not in my circumstances. I know You never change and You’re always good – even when life doesn’t make sense to me. I pray my focus will be on Jesus. It’s in His name I pray, Amen.