The Daily CHEW™
Moving God’s Love from Head to Heart for Christian Leaders
Last week, my client—a high-performing executive at a law firm—sat across from me, shoulders slumped, admitting that despite all his professional success, he felt his trust in God crumbling under the weight of a family crisis. “I know God loves me,” he said, “but I don’t feel like I can count on Him when it really matters.”
Maybe you’ve been there too. Maybe you’re leading teams, crushing quarterly goals, and checking all the spiritual boxes, yet finding your trust in God feels more like wishful thinking than rock-solid confidence. You know the verses about trusting in the Lord with all your heart, but when trials hit—really hit—your heart races with anxiety instead of resting in His promises.
The High-Performance Trust Paradox
Just as high-performing teams need unwavering trust to unlock their greatest potential, we need unshakeable trust in God to experience the fullness of His transforming love. Research consistently shows that trust is the foundational element that allows teams to take risks, innovate, share ideas, and recover from failures. Without it, even the most talented teams underperform and eventually fragment.
The same principle governs our spiritual lives. When our trust in God is fragile, we operate from a posture of spiritual self-protection rather than Gospel confidence. We may know intellectually that God’s love is steadfast, but our hearts remain guarded. This gap between head-knowledge and heart-trust keeps us from the abundant life Christ promises and limits our capacity to love others from overflow rather than emptiness.
The beautiful truth Scripture reveals is that God uses our worst trials—those Red Sea moments when our backs are against the wall and all hope seems lost—to build the very trust that transforms everything else.
Why Trials Are Trust’s Training Ground
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11, ESV)
The psalmist understood something profound: remembering God’s faithfulness in past trials becomes the foundation for trusting Him in present difficulties. When we CHEW on God’s love during our darkest seasons, we’re not engaging in spiritual positive thinking—we’re building a fortress of trust through experiential knowledge of His character.
Consider what Scripture teaches about trials and trust:
- Trials expose false foundations: When anxiety suffocates and circumstances overwhelm, our trials reveal where we’ve been placing our ultimate trust—in our performance, control, or circumstances rather than in God’s unchanging love.
- Trials create dependency: God uses suffering to break our self-reliance and drive us to depend wholly on Him, just as He did with David, Job, and countless others. This dependency isn’t weakness—it’s the pathway to experiencing His strength.
- Trials prove God’s faithfulness: Every time God pulls us through impossible situations, our trust in Him grows stronger. We build a history of His rescue, creating what psychologists call “earned security”—trust built through relationship rather than theory.
Biblical examples abound: Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrated trust forged through years of God’s faithfulness. David’s confidence facing Goliath stemmed from remembering how God had delivered him from bears and lions. Paul’s unshakeable peace in prison flowed from experiencing God’s sustaining grace through countless previous trials.
The CHEW Framework: From Anxiety to Trust
This is where CHEWing transforms everything. Rather than white-knuckling through trials or trying to manufacture trust through willpower, CHEW gives us a biblical pathway to receive God’s love exactly when our trust feels most fragile.
Join me. Let’s CHEW together on God’s trustworthy love right now:
CHEW in 3-5 Minutes:
- Take three deep breaths—remembering God’s love is present now, even in your uncertainty.
- Adore: “Father, You are completely trustworthy. Your love for me never wavers, even when my circumstances do.”
- Confess: “What am I actually feeling right now? What’s making me doubt Your care?” (Be honest about anxiety, fear, or the temptation to take control.)
- Hear: “What truth about God’s trustworthy love do I most need?” Consider these truths:
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5)
- “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
- “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28)
- Exchange: If I really believed God’s love is absolutely trustworthy and works all things for my good, how would that change my anxiety about this situation?
- I would exchange frantic planning for peaceful action.
- I would exchange fear-based decisions for faith-filled steps.
- I would exchange isolation for community.
- Walk: What’s one small action I’ll take as a next step, living from His trustworthy love? Perhaps asking for prayer, taking a practical next step without anxiety, or simply resting in His presence.
- Thanksgiving & Worship: “Thank You, Father, that Your love is more reliable than my feelings, stronger than my circumstances, and deeper than my fears. I worship You as the God who never fails those who trust in You.”
From Trials to Testimonies
Remember this: trust isn’t built instantly, and God doesn’t require perfect confidence—only honest return to His love. Every time you CHEW through doubt back to His trustworthy character, you’re building spiritual muscle. Like physical training, each session strengthens your capacity for the next challenge.
High-performing teams don’t avoid conflict—they learn to navigate it with trust that bonds them closer together. Similarly, mature Christians don’t avoid trials—they develop the trust that allows them to rest in God’s love even when they cannot see His plan.
The goal isn’t elimination of anxiety but cultivation of deeper trust. As your trust in God’s love grows through CHEWing, you’ll find yourself approaching challenges with Gospel confidence rather than self-protective fear. You’ll lead from secure love rather than anxious proving. You’ll love others from abundance rather than demanding they fill what only God can provide.
CHEW On This™: If I really believed God’s love is absolutely trustworthy and that He uses even my worst trials to strengthen my faith and prepare me for greater service, how would that change my response to the difficult season I’m facing now?
Community Call
Trust grows best in community. Consider sharing this CHEW process with your team, small group, or family. When we practice trusting God together—confessing doubts honestly and celebrating His faithfulness collectively—we build a culture where Gospel trust becomes contagious rather than merely individual.
Want More?
Subscribe to The Daily CHEW™ and experience daily practices that move God’s love from head to heart.
Ready for lasting transformation?
Learn how to make CHEWing a daily rhythm. Our hope is that everyone can learn to CHEW without ever needing to pay us for help.
If you have questions about CHEWing, reach out anytime at [email protected]. We’re here to help you grow!
Select Resources:
- What Are Core Beliefs: The Quiet Engine Behind Growth, Healing, and Hope
- When Fine Becomes the Most Expensive Lie in Leadership: The M.O.P. Framework for Heart-Level Honesty
- God’s Love: The Surprising Source of Sustainable Discipline and Real Change
- Scripture for Common Struggles & Growth
- 30 Characteristics of God’s Love with Verses and CHEW Questions
With you on the journey,
Ryan
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