HOW TO BUILD TRUST

Stephen & Pam Ministries

HOW TO BUILD TRUST

6:16

 

There are some things in life that require investment. On the other hand, there are blessings like God's grace which can only be a gift. You can't earn it or deserve it, but we all desperately need His grace. At the same time, relationships require trust to function well and without it, they can't grow in quality or value. They stay shallow. An extreme example of that is when a person has a relationship with God and it remains shallow, but how could that be? No matter how great the investment of the one individual, it cannot compensate for the lack of investment of the other. Jesus gave His life for you on the cross, but if you don't trust in Him, He can't save you. He can't complete the transfer of His grace to you.

Look what happens when you trust in God in Psalm 34:8 , “Watch and see that the Lord is good and blessed, happy, fortunate to be envied is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him” When you invest trust in God, it's like indulging in His goodness. You're blessed. This isn't automatic though or just a light thing. You have to apply yourself and make it an intentional pursuit. It requires knowing God and therefore knowing  His word by studying it. You can't say that you trust someone and not know them. Our people relationships require a similar type of intentionality. Of course, no one can or should have the level of trust we give to God. Still, trust is a critically important bridge that we must build brick by brick with human relationships. Even parents with their children need to be aware of how much trust they afford to each child. You can love all four children equally, but have an awareness of the different levels of trust you give to the individual. You hopefully don't trust the use of the family car to your 12 year old, but possibly you do trust your 18 year old daughter. This is healthy. You actually discriminate within your relationships based on the quality of the trust bridge. 

Too many people ignore the weight limit sign on the side of the trust bridge before bringing life across. There are conversations that should not happen until the integrity of that bridge has reached a certain load limit.You may have a friendship that is growing with someone, but you have a personal responsibility to gauge the integrity of that bridge between you. It has everything to do with a level of trust. Do not let the load exceed the trust level. 

Jesus was sharing a parable, describing His kingdom and said this in Matthew 25:21 “you have been faithful and trustworthy over a little. I will put you in charge of much “

Spiritual socialism mistakenly and dangerously suggest that we all should get the same thing. Jesus said the opposite. In Matthew 9:29, Jesus said, “according to your faith and trust, be it done to you.” So how do we build this trust bridge? Listening is powerful. Listening to God builds trust in God. 

Did you know that waiters that listen and repeat the order back to their customer typically get up to 70% more in tips to build that trust quotient with the right people? Make an extra effort to get to know one another. It is a proven fact that people will do things willingly when they have a positive rapport with you.  When it's appropriate, exchanging personal information helps the other person to get to know you better. This is building rapport and even helps with negotiation. People want to be known but also want to know you. You can help others build a picture of you through communication as simple as email or a phone call. How can you invest your time today to build trust? The other person needs to be heard and feel like they've got something personal from you. Even God needs your ear and something from your heart. Be intentional about building trust and who you should have that bridge with. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you honestly assess the weight load limit of trust in a relationship. There may be serious issues, but at the same time you can be clear about the positive intent that you have. Guard each rapport by always gauging the level of trust.  Assume good of the other person, hear their heart and be honest, but never overload the bridge weight limit.

 Keep building trust where you have God's green light

LET’S PRAY:

Father, we trust in You with all of our heart and refuse to lean on our own understanding. We acknowledge You in all of our ways knowing You Direct our paths. We choose to taste and see how good You are and we trust  You. We are blessed because we trust in You. Help us Holy Spirit to accurately gauge our individual relationships so we can honor You with all of our communication and agreements. We see that we've put pressure on people and blame them for failures that we really set them up for. We repent of that. Help us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Help us to really listen to what's being said. Thank You Father God for sending Jesus and so loving us. Amen. 

You're on a highway of God's wisdom. As you define and refine your trust bridges. We love you and we are praying for you. Reach out on our website and give us some communication from your heart.  

You matter, so connect with us in God's love. 

Stephen