July 5, 2026 | "In God We Trust," Rev. Dr. Jamaar Trumane Jones

Devotional

Day 1: Stunted Shrubs in Salted Wastelands

When trust shifts from God to human strength, life becomes barren wilderness. Like desert shrubs with shallow roots, reliance on systems, money, or political power leaves souls brittle and unproductive. Heat scorches. Drought parches. Yet God’s warning through Jeremiah isn’t about punishment—it’s about the natural consequence of misplaced trust. The cursed life isn’t God’s vengeance but the inevitable withering of hearts turned from living water. Where does your resilience truly come from? [46:56]

“This is what the Lord says: Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness in an uninhabited salty land.” (Jeremiah 17:5-6, NIV)

Reflection: What “human strength” have you leaned into this week—a paycheck, a leader’s promise, your own hustle—that left your soul feeling dry? How might you reorient that trust today?

Day 2: Hands Off the Wheel at the Carwash

Surrender isn’t passive resignation but active positioning. Like a carwash requiring neutral gear and released steering, trust means letting God navigate what you cannot control. The kings of Judah gripped power, alliances, and armies—yet collapsed. True confidence thrives when palms face upward, not clenched around false reins. What systems, plans, or anxieties are you white-knuckling that God asks you to release? [56:14]

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

Reflection: Where are you still “steering” instead of surrendering? What one situation this week can you place in neutral, trusting God to move you through it?

Day 3: Roots Deep in Unseen Waters

Blessedness grows underground. The riverbank tree in Jeremiah thrives because its roots drink deeply from hidden streams. Heat still comes. Droughts still threaten. But nourishment flows from a source beyond surface conditions. Trust isn’t immunity from struggle—it’s sustained vitality amid it. How are you cultivating roots that tap into God’s faithfulness when visible resources fail? [54:39]

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:3, NIV)

Reflection: What “surface soil” (appearances, bank balances, others’ opinions) have you relied on lately? How can you sink roots deeper into God’s promises this season?

Day 4: When National Mottos Mask Idols

“In God We Trust” rings hollow when stamped on systems exploiting the vulnerable. Judah’s kings plastered God’s name on policies that served their power. Yet true trust dismantles idols—whether greed, nationalism, or comfort. God’s economy prioritizes the marginalized, not the mighty. Where do you see faith co-opted by culture? How does your trust challenge or conform to oppressive norms? [33:24]

“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” (Psalm 146:3-5, NIV)

Reflection: When has aligning with power (political, social, or religious) tempted you to compromise God’s heart for justice? How will you actively resist this week?

Day 5: Green Leaves in Drought’s Fury

Fruitfulness isn’t seasonal for the God-rooted. Jeremiah’s thriving tree isn’t spared heat but sustained through it. Trust transforms survival into testimony—leaves stay green to declare God’s faithfulness amid barrenness. Your endurance isn’t about grit but about source. What fruit (patience, courage, joy) can you nurture today that defies your circumstances? [54:14]

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NLT)

Reflection: What current “drought” feels overwhelming? How might this struggle become soil for fruit that points others to God’s sustaining power?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah sets the contrast straight. The Lord says cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away, and blessed are those who trust in the Lord and make him their confidence. The image lands hard. Trust in human strength makes a life like a stunted shrub in the desert, dry and unproductive. Trust in the Lord plants a life like a tree by the river, roots deep, leaves green, fruit steady even in heat and drought.

The phrase in God we trust gets put on money, carved into chambers, sung into an anthem, and used in protest, but the text forces a different reading. The motto on a bill can be cover for idolatry when money acts like god. Activists are right to say the motto and the practice do not match when children are shot, immigrants are harmed, and lies are blessed. If America’s gods are money, power, greed, control, sex, and popularity, then “in God we trust” has to mean something else for the church. God is not a mascot for the rich and elite. God is Lord over all and rich to all who call, welcoming without respect to gender, sexuality, skin color, party, or paycheck.

Jeremiah’s ministry shows how trust drifts. Five kings in Judah ignored a steady word. They chased armies, advisors, and personal agendas, and it cost them. The warning is plain. Be careful whose voice is in the ear. A word from God usually leans toward the right thing when the flesh wants the wrong thing, and it often comes through the same faithful voices that have been saying it over and over. Stubborn hearts hear last when danger stands at the door. Trust in God from day one.

Cursed means cut off from the life God intended, not because people can never be trusted, but because trusting people and stuff replaced trusting God. The desert makes that swap feel real. Dry. Lonely. Options gone. By contrast, blessed does not mean a pile of cash. Money is a tool and Scripture even says it answers many things, but it makes a terrible god. When the card declines and the account is empty, God is not. The tree by the river stays green because it is sourced by God, not by seasons. That is the shepherd’s care. Needs met. Fruit still coming. The car wash picture makes it simple. Take the foot off the brake. Put it in neutral. Hands off the wheel. Trust positions a life for God to carry it through.

Key Takeaways

1. Trust in God, not human strength Trust placed in human power eventually dries a soul out. The Lord calls that swap a curse because it turns the heart away from the Giver of strength. Real confidence is not in muscle, clout, or crowd size but in the One who gives breath. The text ties blessing to the Name, not to numbers. [46:22]
2. Familiar voices may carry God A word from God often sounds like the person who has been saying the same true thing for years. The flesh resists that steady call because it cuts across comfort and impulse. Wisdom learns to recognize the right-leaning word even when the heart wants left. Stubbornness delays what obedience would spare. [42:55]
3. Money is tool, not master Scripture can call money an answer and still forbid it as a savior. Resources are necessary and good, yet they run out, decline, and disappoint. When funds finish, God’s faithfulness does not, and many have learned that provision is bigger than a paycheck. Gratitude for money grows when it no longer sits on the throne. [52:04]
4. Trees thrive by hidden sourcing The blessed life is rooted, not flashy. Deep roots into God’s life keep leaves green when heat blazes and drought lingers. Fruitfulness continues because the source is steady even when the season is not. What eyes cannot see under the surface keeps the whole tree alive. [54:14]
5. Surrender positions God to carry Trust looks like release. Foot off the brake, gear in neutral, hands off the wheel, and let the track pull through. That posture is not passivity, it is faith that God’s grip is better than anxiety’s grasp. Surrender becomes the lane where God’s guidance moves a life forward. [56:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:39] - Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-8
[30:17] - In God We Trust, reexamined
[31:47] - Motto history and protest
[33:24] - National hypocrisy called out
[36:15] - America’s false gods named
[38:49] - Judah’s five kings and drift
[42:10] - Which voice is steering you
[45:18] - What cursed really means
[46:56] - Shrub in the desert image
[49:15] - Blessed beyond money and stuff
[52:32] - When money runs out, God doesn’t
[53:59] - Tree by the river, sourced
[56:14] - Car wash picture of trust
[60:01] - Invitation to trust Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Observation questions

What two contrasting images does Jeremiah use to describe those who trust in human strength versus those who trust in God?
According to the sermon, how did the five kings of Judah exemplify misplaced trust? [38:49]
What practical analogy (like a car wash) was used to illustrate surrendering control to God? [56:14]
How does the sermon define “cursed” in the context of trusting in human power? [45:18]

Interpretation questions

Why does trusting in human strength lead to a life described as a “stunted shrub in the desert”? How does this contrast with the imagery of a tree by water?
The sermon mentions that God’s word often comes through “familiar voices” repeating the same message. Why might stubbornness delay obedience even when those voices persist? [42:55]
How does the car wash analogy redefine what it means to actively trust God rather than passively wait? [56:14]
The sermon argues that money is a tool, not a master. How does Ecclesiastes 10:19 (“money answers everything”) coexist with the warning against idolizing wealth? [52:04]

Application questions

What areas of your life (e.g., finances, relationships, health) do you tend to rely on human solutions more than God? What would it look like to shift that trust?
Is there a “familiar voice” (friend, family member, scripture) you’ve been resisting because it challenges your comfort? How might you lean into that message this week? [42:55]
Reflect on a time when money or resources ran out. How did that experience reveal God’s faithfulness beyond material provision? [52:32]
The car wash analogy urges releasing control (hands off the wheel, foot off the brake). What practical step could you take this week to surrender a specific worry or plan to God? [56:14]
How can you cultivate “deep roots” in God during a current “heat” or “drought” season? What spiritual habits would help you stay connected to His life source?
In what ways might the phrase “In God We Trust” clash with your daily priorities or cultural values? How can you realign your actions with this truth?

Sermon Clips

54s

#TrustGodFirst

“``Cursed means you are cut off from living your life the way that God intended you to live it because you have failed to put your trust in God. Now there are times that we have to trust people. We trust doctors for our health. We trust lawyers to advocate for us. We trust our spouses to be faithful. We trust our pastor to preach. We trust babysitters with our children. We trust our jobs to pay us. This text is not telling us to never trust in people. This text is cautioning us to not let trusting in people replace trusting in God.”

67s

#RelyOnGodNotHumans

“For when you start to rely on people more than God, you're in trouble. When you start to rely on your stuff more than God, you're in trouble. When you start to rely on money and power and fame more than God, you are cursed. Cut off from living a life that pleases God because your heart is turned away from God and turned toward human strength. How are you gonna put more trust in human strength and not the God who gave humans their strength? Look at what the text says. Jeremiah says, the person who puts their trust in mere humans and human strength and not God is like a stunted shrub in the desert. No hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness in an uninhabited salty land.”

78s

#ListenToGodsWord

“Well, how do I know when it's a word from God? Here it is. If it leans toward the right thing when you still wanna do the wrong thing, then it's probably a word from God. If it challenges what your flesh wants to do as opposed to what your flesh doesn't wanna do, then it's probably a word from God. If the word comes through somebody who's been telling you the same thing over and over and over again and they have not changed the word that they are giving you, then it's probably a word from God. Many of us claim to have never heard God's voice because you're waiting to hear a voice that you've never heard before. But sometimes speaks to us through familiar voices that have been telling us the same thing over and over again, but we refuse to listen because we're so bullheaded and stubborn and wanna do what we wanna do.”

53s

#GodWithYouAlways

“I know somebody saying, well pastor, I put my trust in God and sometimes I feel the same way. But there's still a difference because when you have problems in life and trust God at the same time, God is there with you. But when you stop trusting in God and you face problems, you have run out of options. People will show you very quickly how long they last trying to stick it out with you Because before long, they're gonna start saying, well, how long are you gonna be sad? How long are you gonna stay depressed? What else you need now? And that's why you need to keep putting your trust in God because his word says, I'll never leave you or forsake you. I'll be with you always.”

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First Baptist Church East End, Newport News This sermon · AI assistant

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July 5, 2026 | "In God We Trust," Rev. Dr. Jamaar Trumane Jones

Devotional

Day 1: Stunted Shrubs in Salted Wastelands

Day 2: Hands Off the Wheel at the Carwash

Day 3: Roots Deep in Unseen Waters

Day 4: When National Mottos Mask Idols

Day 5: Green Leaves in Drought’s Fury

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

July 5, 2026 | "In God We Trust," Rev. Dr. Jamaar Trumane Jones

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