So, here we are in America celebrating 250 years as a nation. It’s been a rough 250 years. However, I believe we weathered some rough times. Spiro Agnew said, The United States is not a perfect nation, but it’s the best nation on Earth. I do believe the United States of America is still the best nation on earth.

The motto In God We Trust was originally attributed to a minister during the Civil War. He petitioned the Treasury Secretary to include a reference to God on U.S. coins to boost morale. The phrase first appeared on a two-cent coin in 1864 and was later adopted as the official motto of the United States in 1956. The fourth stanza of the U.S. national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner“, adopted from the 1814 poem “The Defence of Fort McHenry”, contains the line: “And this be our motto—’In God is our trust'” This has been around for a while but many don’t understand it even though by law it has to appear on our currency. Today we don’t see it as often because most transactions are becoming digital. Anyone have a debit or credit card with it displayed?

So I ask you, do you trust God? Do you really trust God? Do you really really trust God? I was sharing the story of David from 1 Chronicles yesterday where David took a census. Now the census wasn’t the problem. In the beginning of chapter 21 is says that Satan moved him. His purpose for taking the census was to ascertain the number of fighting men. Instead of trusting God he chose to trust in numbers. Remember the story of Gideon where God reduced the amount of fighting men so He would get the glory? David failed in his trust to God and it cost him.

So do we really trust God as a nation or as individuals? Many times we say we do but not all the way. I’ve said that when I’m passing a kidney stone that my first word is Jesus and the next is Percocet. In reality, I’m quick to reach for some kind of med. All of us have different pain tolerances just as we have different levels of faith. A minister of a large ministry told me years ago that it’s all the same faith but with more zeros. What was a stretch to believe for $100 becomes faith to believe for a million.

Which brings me to my next question. What has God done for you? And has it increased your faith. The same faith that saves us is the same faith that sustains us. We’ve all been given a measure of faith. Have we developed it and made it grow? Faith without works is dead. So is our faith alive? Whether you’re dealing with a physical need, a health challenge, or a relationship issue are we putting our full assurance in Him and His ability?

Start small and let your faith in His work see you through. Build that faith for the next encounter. Faith is not just believing but believing to the point of trust. Did you trust Him for salvation? Then let that trust grow. If you haven’t put your trust in His power then now is the time to settle the matter. He is able to save to the uttermost. That means no matter where you are or what you’ve done, He can save you and make you whole!

Make your faith statement, IN GOD I TRUST!