What Will You Trust In?

Devotional

Day 1: When the Masseuse Finds the Real Source of Pain

The Holy Spirit often targets deeper heart issues rather than surface symptoms, like a masseuse pressing beyond the obvious soreness to heal the root cause. Just as tight glutes caused neck pain, financial anxiety or greed might mask a heart resisting God’s ownership. Trusting God requires letting Him expose hidden areas of control or fear. This surrender isn’t about fixing budgets but letting Him reshape our relationship with wealth. Healing begins when we stop guarding tender places and let His hands work. [03:46]

“The Lord will reign forever and ever.” (Exodus 15:18, ESV)

Reflection: What “sore muscle” have you been asking God to fix while avoiding the deeper issue He wants to address? How might your approach to money reveal where you’re resisting His ownership?

Day 2: Manna as a Test of Tomorrow’s Trust

God provided daily bread in the wilderness not to frustrate but to train hearts in dependence. Manna couldn’t be hoarded—it forced Israel to confront their fear of scarcity each morning. Like manna, modern wealth tests whether we see provision as a possession to control or a gift to steward. True security comes not from stocked pantries but from trusting the Giver’s rhythm of “enough for today.” The wilderness teaches that abundance isn’t in excess but in daily surrender. [10:33]

“When the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. […] Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.’ But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank.” (Exodus 16:14, 19–20, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you try to “store extra manna” instead of trusting God’s daily care? How might living within today’s portion free you from tomorrow’s anxiety?

Day 3: Managing the Client’s Portfolio

Stewardship flips ownership: we handle God’s resources according to His goals, not our cravings. Like a financial planner honoring a client’s wishes, believers must align spending, saving, and giving with God’s kingdom priorities. This shifts decisions from “What can I afford?” to “What honors His name?” True wealth management isn’t about net worth but faithfulness—recognizing every dollar as a tool for eternal purposes. [20:30]

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (Proverbs 3:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: If you audited your last month’s spending as God’s financial manager, what would it reveal about His priorities? What one adjustment would better align your stewardship with His will?

Day 4: The Temptation of “Is the Lord Among Us?”

Wilderness faith crumbles when we mistake uncertainty for abandonment. Israel’s doubt at Massah—“Is the Lord here?”—mirrors our fear when bills stack or jobs vanish. This temptation conflates God’s presence with visible security. Yet manna still fell, shoes still lasted. The test isn’t about outcomes but allegiance: will we resent God’s methods or rest in His proven character? Trust flourishes when we stop demanding roadmaps and embrace daily bread as proof He’s near. [24:22]

“And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7, ESV)

Reflection: When has circumstantial uncertainty made you question God’s nearness? How might daily bread—not stockpiles—become your reminder of His faithful presence?

Day 5: Tithing as the First Backward Somersault

Obedience in giving often feels as awkward as a first-time somersault—unnatural, counterintuitive, even painful. Yet like the Israelites gathering manna, tithing trains us to act before understanding. Cheerfulness follows obedience, not precedes it. Returning 10% isn’t a transaction but a declaration: “This is Yours, and I trust Your care.” Every dollar released weakens Mammon’s grip, proving God’s faithfulness in the wilderness of our doubt. [28:14]

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:10, ESV)

Reflection: What makes tithing feel risky to you right now? How might taking this “backward somersault” of obedience become a catalyst for deeper trust?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 6:19-21 puts treasure right next to the heart. Jesus is not mainly after money because the earth and everything in it already belongs to God. God is after the place where trust, attention, and dependence actually land. Money can be like that tight muscle under the shoulder blade: the pain shows up somewhere else, but the Holy Spirit puts an elbow right on the root.

The Lord’s Prayer carries the echoes of Exodus. “Our Father” recalls God calling Israel his firstborn son. “Holy is your name” recalls God freeing his people so his name would be known in all the earth. “Your kingdom come” recalls Israel calling the Lord King after the Red Sea and becoming a royal priesthood under his rule.

“Give us today our daily bread” calls back to manna in the wilderness. Manna was bread, but it was not only about bread. God gave daily provision to test whether Israel would trust him tomorrow, gather what was needed, and obey even when obedience felt risky. Jesus brings that same wilderness lens into Matthew 6: God fed Israel for forty years, clothes did not wear out, and God remained present in the in-between place.

The temptation in the wilderness was not merely hardship. Israel asked, “Is the Lord among us or not?” The temptation for a person with wealth is to say, “Who is the Lord? I have everything I need.” Mammon pulls trust away from God and teaches people to lean on their own abilities, opportunities, and wisdom. Worry can feel like control, but worry cannot add a moment to life. Faith trusts God without seeing tomorrow’s manna, because the opposite of faith is not doubt but sight.

Stewardship begins when ownership changes. God is the owner, and his people are managers carrying out his will with what he entrusts to them. Savings, work, planning, and wise counsel are good, but hoarding and reckless spending both forget whose account this really is. Proverbs asks for neither poverty nor riches, but daily bread, enough to honor God without disowning him.

Giving and tithing become acts of trust, not transactions for prosperity. Obedience comes first, and cheerfulness often follows as God proves that he is still enough. Jesus does not merely provide daily bread. Jesus is the bread of life. The wilderness call remains the same: receive him, honor him with wealth, and give him the whole heart day after day.

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Key Takeaways

1. Money reveals where trust truly rests Money is rarely just money. It exposes the deeper question of whether security rests in God or in the ability to control outcomes. The Spirit may press on financial anxiety because the root issue is often trust, dependence, and the surrender of the heart. [04:16]
2. Daily bread trains tomorrow-facing faith Manna required Israel to live without possessing tomorrow’s provision ahead of time. Daily bread teaches that God’s care is not abstract; it meets people in the actual needs of the day. Faith grows when the heart stops borrowing tomorrow’s trouble and receives today’s provision as enough. [13:39]
3. Stewards manage what God already owns Stewardship changes financial decisions because it removes the illusion of absolute ownership. God entrusts resources for living expenses, generosity, wise planning, and the carrying out of his will. A manager asks what honors the owner, not merely what serves personal appetite. [20:30]
4. Giving is obedience before it is cheerful Generosity does not need to wait until every fear disappears. Obedience can lead the heart into joy as people discover that God remains faithful and that possessions never were the true source of life. Tithing is not a strategy for getting rich; it is a concrete way of honoring God’s name. [28:14]
5. Jesus himself is the daily bread Christ does more than send provision into the wilderness. Christ becomes the bread of life for people still living between redemption and the promised land. Every financial decision finally returns to this question: is the Lord enough?

## [29:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:37] - Treasure and the Heart
[02:04] - Why God Cares About Money
[03:09] - The Holy Spirit Gets to the Root
[05:22] - What Will You Trust In?
[06:11] - The Lord’s Prayer Through Exodus
[10:03] - Daily Bread and Manna
[14:09] - Do Not Worry About Tomorrow
[17:13] - Jesus Is the Bread of Life
[20:30] - God the Owner, People the Stewards
[22:04] - Neither Poverty Nor Riches
[24:22] - Is the Lord Enough?
[25:24] - Honoring God With Wealth
[27:39] - Obedience, Generosity, and Joy
[29:18] - Communion and the Bread of Life

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [00:16] [00:20]

Matthew 6:9-13
“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” [05:48] [06:11] [09:44]

Exodus 16:4
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.’” [10:10] [10:14]

Proverbs 30:8-9
“Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” [22:07] [22:20]

Observation questions

In Matthew 6:19-21, what are the differences Jesus gives between treasure on earth and treasure in heaven? What connection does he make between treasure and the heart?
What requests come before “Give us this day our daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer, and how do those requests shape the meaning of daily bread? [07:29]
According to Exodus 16:4, what was Israel supposed to gather, how often were they to gather it, and what did God say he was testing?
Proverbs 30 names two dangers: having too much and having too little. What response to God does each danger tempt a person toward? [22:25]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus connect financial treasure so directly to the heart? What does money reveal that a person’s words may not reveal? [02:05]
How does seeing the Lord’s Prayer through the story of Exodus help explain why “daily bread” is about more than having enough food?
Exodus says manna tested whether Israel would walk in God’s instruction. In what ways can financial decisions become a test of trust and obedience for a believer today? [12:20]
Proverbs 30 asks for neither poverty nor riches. How can both financial lack and financial abundance pull a person away from honoring God? [22:37]

Application questions

When you feel financial pressure, what is usually underneath it: fear of the future, desire for control, comparison with others, a real need, or something else? What might the Lord be putting his finger on in your heart? [04:16]
Where are you most tempted to “borrow tomorrow’s trouble” right now—work, housing, debt, children, health, retirement, or another area? What would it look like to bring that concern to God as a request for today’s daily bread? [15:22]
God provides for his people, and wisdom includes planning, saving, and seeking counsel. How can you tell when planning is wise stewardship and when it has become hoarding or an attempt to control everything? [16:27]
If everything entrusted to you belongs first to God, what is one part of your finances that you would approach differently this month: spending, saving, debt, generosity, work, or lifestyle choices? [20:30]
Generosity is not a transaction to make God give more; it is an act of obedience, honor, and trust. Is there a fear that makes giving difficult for you? What might faithful obedience look like before the feeling of cheerfulness arrives? [28:29]
Jesus is not only the giver of daily bread; he is the bread of life. In a season of uncertainty or change, what would it mean for you to say, “Jesus, you are enough,” in a practical way? [29:22]

Sermon Clips

34s

“This is not a prosperity gospel message to give to God so you can get something. It's a call to obedience, to honor, and to trust God in this wilderness that we live in. We're redeemed from slavery of sin, and we're not quite to the promised land yet. We're in the wilderness. That's what this life is. Will we trust him with daily bread?”

44s

“Absolutely it is. Some of the happiest people I know on this planet are the most generous people, but it starts with daily bread obedience. I've heard people say before, well, I'm not gonna give because I'm not a cheerful giver. And it says, scripture says that I I should only give with a cheerful heart, so I'm not gonna do it. Okay? What I found though is the cheerfulness comes after the gift. It comes after, that's the reward. Because you realize it's all gods anyways and he will continue to take care of you. You can never out give him.”

41s

“This is part of our test as Christians, is will we worry? And I like to worry sometimes because it makes me feel like I'm controlling the situation. It's like, at least I'm doing something. I can't do anything but at least I'm worrying about it. At least I'm thinking about it. And he says in scripture, will that even add a day, a moment to your life? No, it won't. Will you pass this test, church? Will I pass this test? Not to worry, but trust him for my daily bread. Daily bread.”

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What Will You Trust In? | Lucy Hulme