Who Can You Trust? - Soul Care | Week 5 | A.C. Caswell

Jul 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Princes Return to Dust

The world clamors for influencers who promise fulfillment through power, success, or innovation. Yet even the most visionary leaders—CEOs exploring space or politicians reshaping nations—cannot outrun mortality. Their breath expires like all humanity’s, their plans crumbling like ancient empires. Trust placed in temporary guides leaves souls hungry for permanence. True hope begins where human influence ends. [03:23]

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”
(Psalm 146:3–5, ESV)

Reflection: Which “prince” have you unconsciously allowed to shape your vision of the good life? How might their inevitable limitations leave you unprepared for eternity?

Day 2: The God Who Keeps Faith Forever

While human promises rust, God’s covenant with Jacob echoes through millennia. He feeds the hungry, frees prisoners, and lifts the burdened—not as a distant force but as a Father who names the stars yet tends the widow. His reign outlasts dynasties because He authored time itself. Every act of justice, every mercy shown, is a thread in His unbroken tapestry of faithfulness. [11:51]

“The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless.”
(Psalm 146:7–9, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you seen God’s enduring faithfulness in your life when human solutions failed? How does His track record invite you to release anxiety today?

Day 3: Following the Son of Man Who Conquered Graves

Jesus walked dusty roads, wept at funerals, and faced betrayal—yet death shattered at His resurrection. Unlike influencers peddling self-salvation, He entered mortality to destroy it. His scars prove He rules not from distant glory but shared suffering. To follow Him is to trade curated Instagram lives for a cross that blooms into endless dawn. [19:06]

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’”
(Luke 9:58, ESV)

Reflection: What comforts of control must you release to follow Jesus into vulnerable, eternal-purpose living? How does His humanity deepen your trust in His leadership?

Day 4: Building Kingdoms That Outlive Retirement Accounts

Eternal investments aren’t measured in followers or 401(k)s but in souls nourished, prisoners freed, and weary hearts lifted. A Monday morning email, a grocery store conversation, a quiet act of generosity—these become stones in God’s everlasting city. Every mundane moment holds potential to echo in eternity when offered to the King. [24:06]

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
(Colossians 3:1–2, ESV)

Reflection: What routine task or relationship could you reimagine today as an eternal investment? How does heaven’s timeline redefine your definition of “productivity”?

Day 5: Eternal Life Beyond the Fountain of Youth

Tech moguls chase immortality through cryogenics, while beauty gurus peddle anti-aging serums. Yet resurrection life isn’t a product—it’s a Person. Jesus offers not just prolonged existence but a reborn heart thriving in God’s presence now and forever. His empty tomb outshines every earthly substitute promising more time but no redemption. [25:16]

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:4, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly “fountain of youth” have you pursued to numb your fear of mortality? How does Christ’s resurrection redefine what it means to truly live?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 146 opens with praise and moves straight into the question underneath so much of ordinary life: who is worthy of trust? The list of cultural princes, from politicians to business leaders to entertainers and influencers, shows the kind of people that millions look to for direction, happiness, security, and the good life. David answers with a hard and honest word: “Put not your trust in princes,” because princes will perish.

Princes carry real influence, real responsibility, and real power for a moment. David knows that weight because David himself is a king. Yet David also knows his own mortality. His breath will depart, his body will return to the earth, and on that very day his plans will perish. The text does not pretend leaders have no effect. It simply refuses to give them ultimate trust. Their success is short lived, their authority is temporary, and their plans cannot save.

The search for powerful people to follow also exposes the deeper problem of trying to become the prince oneself. People pick podcasts, parties, routines, diets, jobs, and lifestyles in order to control enough of life to feel safe. The blessing of choice becomes the curse of carrying the weight of trying to save oneself. Self rule becomes worship of oneself, and the self is just as mortal as every other prince.

Psalm 146 turns from perishing princes to the God of Jacob, whose help and hope do not die. The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. The Lord keeps faith forever. The Lord executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The God who revealed himself to Moses is not another regional power or another name on the list. Yahweh is the personal God who redeems, rescues, and shows his glory over every false god.

Jesus stands as the King of kings who brings the whole Psalm into focus. The Lord opens blind eyes, lifts up the bowed down, watches over the sojourner, and upholds the widow and fatherless. Jesus does those very things with divine authority while calling himself the Son of Man. He is fully human, breathing, eating, walking, and suffering with people, yet fully God, overcoming sin, sorrow, darkness, and death through the cross and resurrection.

Jesus calls unbelief to begin now, half commitment to build consistency, and settled faith to bring the kingdom everywhere. Eternal life is better than a few followers on Instagram. Princes will perish, but God will reign forever, and Jesus gives a path into his kingdom forever.

Key Takeaways

1. Princes cannot carry salvation Princes may carry responsibility, influence, and real power, but Psalm 146 refuses to let temporary authority become ultimate trust. David’s honesty is sharp because he speaks as a king who knows kings die. Every human plan has an expiration date, and every leader eventually runs out of breath. [02:31]
2. Self rule becomes self worship The desire to control information, politics, work, money, health, and happiness often looks practical, but it can become a quiet attempt to save oneself. The self becomes the little king, selecting bits of wisdom from everywhere while avoiding surrender to God. That weight is too heavy for any mortal soul to carry. [10:22]
3. God keeps faith forever The God of Jacob does not make promises that die with a generation. The Lord creates from nothing, rules over all things, and fulfills covenant mercy over time. His glory is not borrowed influence, but the true weight and authority of the One who reigns. [11:19]
4. Jesus is the true King Jesus enters human weakness as the Son of Man, yet acts with the authority of the Lord who opens blind eyes and lifts the bowed down. His cross and resurrection answer the fear that every prince is trying to outrun: death is coming. In Christ, death does not get the last word. [19:06]
5. Kingdom life starts now Following Jesus is not only relief from guilt, though forgiveness is real and needed. Jesus calls people into a whole life shaped by worship, generosity, service, work, and witness under his reign. Eternal life begins to reorient ordinary Monday morning decisions toward the King who lives forever.

## [24:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:29] - Cultural Influencers and Trust
[02:31] - Psalm 146 and the Question of Trust
[03:23] - Princes Will Perish
[07:01] - Power Cannot Escape Death
[09:18] - The Burden of Saving Yourself
[11:19] - God Reigns in Glory
[12:34] - The God Who Rescues Israel
[14:43] - Yahweh Over Every False Power
[17:29] - Jesus the King of Kings
[21:03] - Begin Now With Faith
[22:00] - Build Consistency in the Body
[24:06] - Bring the Kingdom Everywhere
[25:36] - Communion and Repentance

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 146
“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” [02:30]

Exodus 3:14
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to you.”’”

Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Observation questions

In Psalm 146, what happens to the prince when his breath departs, and what happens to his plans?
What kinds of people or leaders are often looked to for happiness, direction, security, or the good life? [00:29]
According to Psalm 146, what specific things does the Lord do for the oppressed, hungry, prisoners, blind, bowed down, sojourners, widows, and the fatherless?
What are some everyday areas of life where people try to take control and save themselves? [09:18]

Interpretation questions

Psalm 146 does not say princes have no influence; it says they have no salvation. What is the difference between respecting human authority and placing ultimate hope in it? [05:45]
If people try to manage life through work, politics, health, money, information, or routines, why can that slowly become self-rule and even self-worship? [10:22]
Psalm 146 says the Lord “keeps faith forever.” How does God’s eternal faithfulness change the way a believer sees temporary leaders, temporary success, and temporary fear? [11:19]
Jesus called himself the “Son of Man,” yet did the works Psalm 146 says the Lord does. What does that show about who Jesus is and why he is different from every other leader? [19:06]

Application questions

Which “prince” is most tempting to trust right now—political leaders, business success, cultural voices, a favorite influencer, or even personal ability? What makes that source of trust feel so convincing? [02:21]
Many people are not mainly waiting for someone else to save them; they are trying to save themselves. Where does that show up most clearly right now—in schedule, money, health, parenting, work, relationships, or future planning? [10:54]
God’s care in Psalm 146 is directed toward the needy and overlooked. Who in everyday life might need that kind of care from this group right now—the bowed down, the lonely, the outsider, the struggling parent, the hungry, or someone under pressure? What could faithfulness look like this week?
Jesus does not only forgive sin; he calls people into life under his reign. What is one ordinary part of Monday morning that would look different if it were brought more fully under Jesus’ kingship? [24:06]
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What does present spending, saving, and giving reveal about where the heart is being pulled? Are there any changes that would help align treasure with the kingdom? [23:14]
Some need to begin now, some need to build consistency, and some need to bring the kingdom everywhere they go. Which of those three feels closest to the present season, and why? [21:03]
Eternal life is better than chasing a little more status, comfort, or applause. What lesser version of the good life is hardest to let go of right now? [25:20]

Sermon Clips

52s

#EternalLifeOverLikes

“``That's the hope that we have in Christ. That's the joy that we have in Christ, and that's the life that we have in Christ. And do we want to live that way or not? Or are we just content with with having a good retirement built up and sitting on a beach until we die? Princes will perish, but God will reign forever. And Jesus gives us a path to live with him in his kingdom forever. Eternal life seems a lot better than a few followers on Instagram. It's the beauty of the gospel. That it's not just, forgiveness so that we don't feel shame or guilt though it is that. It is a life that God calls us into by his grace and mercy and through the sacrifice of Jesus.”

36s

#JesusOvercomes

“He overcomes the darkness. He overcomes the sorrow. He overcomes the sadness. He overcomes death itself and did on the cross and in his resurrection. So we put our faith in him for salvation because he came to save us and he invites us into his kingdom. He invites us to reorient our lives to to follow him and to live by his example, to experience life as God intended in his image through him. He wants us to follow him, to put our faith in him. He is the Lord incarnate, the God with us, Emmanuel.”

45s

#GodReignsForever

“There's a God who reigns in glory. He has real weight and authority. He has power behind him. He is a God who will reign forever. This is the God that we should worship, and then this is the king that we should truly follow. He is the one. Not the people, not the princes who are fighting for their own powers, not the princes who are seeking after their own desires, not the princes who have plans that will die with them because they're just people. But the God who created them, the God who formed them, the God who loves us, the God who sees us, and the God who desires to rescue us. In him is our true salvation.”

33s

#PrincesPassAway

“And so you could look at a king, you can look at a prince, you could look at someone in this position of of power and authority and success and think that is the person that I should follow. But it's very likely that the people that are in that place now today will not be in that place ten years from now or twenty years from now or the end of your life. And the end of your life is coming too. And so these people don't have the power or the position truly to save you.”

35s

#WeCantSaveOurselves

“And so we just take a little bit of wisdom or a little bit of guidance from this person or that person or we see the list like I read and most people, you're okay with in one way or another because you like this part or that part. But ultimately, it's just because we're trying to define what's right for ourselves. And we have the blessing and the opportunity to do that and the curse now to carry the weight of trying to save ourselves. And we are just as mortal as all these other princes. our plans will perish with us.”

29s

#LiveAsCitizenOfHeaven

“And then the last thing is really where where many of us are. It's not just doing those consistently, but beginning to bring the kingdom everywhere you go. It's recognizing that now as a citizen of heaven that my life does not just end, with my death, but that I have an eternity I am building into, that my plans are his plans. And I'm trying to follow him. And as I follow him, the things that I do in this life make a difference for what I will experience forever.”

40s

#KingOfKingsAuthority

“He had the power and authority. Again, look at those verses. He had the power and authority to bring healing, to help the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk. He had the opportunity to feed the hungry and to speak and teach with authority, to bring conviction to those in sin, to to counter those with self righteousness, to to teach in ways that others had never heard before or dared try before. He had a divine authority behind him because he was also fully God. He had the bringing the branch together, right, of fully man and and fully God, the king of kings and lord of lords, the one that we could put our trust in because he is truly the king who will live for last forever.”

38s

#WhoDoYouFollow

“And the truth is every single one of us is trying to find the right people to follow. Every single one of us is trying to look to like, who is the leader that has it all together? Who is the leader that we wanna have a life like? Who is the person that has it figured out? Whether you're in this room or outside this room, we spend our days listening to podcasts and reading books and picking news channels and everything else to try to assemble like who is the person that we should follow? Who is the one that has the good life, the best life, the the life that we desire? The life that's satisfying and fulfilling? Who's figured it out?”

38s

#DeathCantBeConquered

“And then on the other hand, they need to conquer death. Because even quite literally leaving this world does not leave their own mortality. And so they they're wrestling through like medical research and new medicines and and IVs to get transfusions and diet and exercise in unique ways and special therapies and all kinds of other technological advancements that they're trying to make to try to push back the thing that's continuing to beckon on their door. Death is coming. And they're trying to use every resource they have to stop it, but it's coming for them.”

28s

#LiveHopeServeChrist

“And so the generosity that I live by, the way that I serve people, but also like how I go into my work. On Monday morning, the people that I talk to, the way that I speak to them, the way that I do my work, but also the example I set of the hope and the joy and the peace that I have in Christ. In the midst of sorrow, struggles, trials, joys, excitement. That I have a king that I serve and follow. And that he is one who live forever, and I am called to live with him.”

46s

#EvenKingsAreMortal

“The first point as we dig into this is that princes will perish. So the reality is is that while we look to find leaders to follow, to find people who have it all figured out, to look for the people with the responsibility to to oversee and to lead businesses and our governments and, our homes. The reality is is that the people are just people. What David looks at is is he is the king of Israel. He has had the authority and the responsibility to lead a mighty nation. He has seen victory in battle. He has seen success economically. He has seen prosperity for his people. He has seen so many good things. And at the same time, he recognizes his own mortality.”

49s

#GodOfGlory

“So our second point, God reigns in glory. That word glory, it's not in this text, but it's scattered throughout the old and new testament. And the the weight, the brilliance, the true power and influence of who God is. He carries it with him in his very being. His name brings a a call to to bow down, to worship, to glorify. He is the one who truly reigns. He's the creator of all things. He is the God who made things, from nothing. He's the God who made us in his image. He is the God who has the power to control and shape and move oceans and land and animals and sky.”

53s

#PowerIsTemporary

“And yet what David is saying in this Psalm is immediately, those are just people. Their life is finite. Their plans will die with them. You could trust them for a moment, but just like in Ecclesiastes, it's it's vanity. It's it's a miss. It's gone as soon as it came. Whatever successes they see, it's short lived. It's not to say that they don't have influence. They have real influence. They are people of of positions of power. They're they're princes, but they are not the ultimate power. are not the ultimate authority. And eventually, their time will end where they have no authority left. They have no life left.”

45s

#BeginNowTurnToGod

“And if you're a believer, this is an opportunity for us to repent and to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us. To be grateful for the gift we have been given for the eternal life that Jesus promises us with our faith in him as the king of kings and lord of lords. And if you're not, like I said, if you're in this like begin now stage, that's okay. Just set these aside. But turn to God and cry out to him in prayer. If you don't know what that that's like, just literally like talk to the floor. He can hear you. And ask him to to make it clear, to give you faith, to help you decide to follow him.”

59s

#PutYourFaithInJesus

“Jesus is the king of kings and the one we should follow. And how do we do that? There's three ways, sort of three seasons. And the first is this, some of you are maybe here for your first time or maybe you've been coming around, for a year or two, and you're not really sure if you believe this. You hear it, the music's fine. Tim does a great job every Sunday that you're here and so you enjoy it, but you're really not sure that you believe in Jesus. Begin now. It's time. Put it to the test. Cry out to God in prayer. Repent of your sins and put your faith in him. That's how it starts. Our prayer team will be up here. You can come down and ask them for help in that, or you could do it where you're sitting. But it's time to put your faith in Jesus as the one who will save you, the example to follow, and the king of kings who will lead you into eternity.”

58s

#JesusWasFullyHuman

“Looking at this passage, the Lord referencing over and over again. It's pointing to Jesus. Now first, in the beginning, there's no son of man that you could put your faith in except what's really crazy is that Jesus uses that more than anything to describe himself. That word son of man over and over again in his ministry and and in his teaching and talking to the disciples, he calls himself the son of man. Because he's trying to relate to us. Because he entered into this earth. He he came into this life. He breathed with us and he ate with his disciples and he he slept next to his disciples and he walked and he talked and he hugged and he embraced and and he was fully human. He experienced life in some ways as we experience it. Temptations as we experience them, yet without sin. He he experienced the pain and the sorrow of what it looks like to be in our condition.”

50s

#PromisesThatLast

“And he is the God who makes promises and actually fulfills them. Promises that transcend generations, promises that don't die with one person or the next, promises that he fulfills over time again and again and again. This is the story of Moses, where after several generations that God had made a covenant with the people of Israel, they just a group of tribes, several families had gathered in Egypt. They'd gathered, just outside the city and now had begun to grow and over generations bloomed into this immense and massive group of people where these tribes became what would be eventually be a nation. So much so that the Egyptians, especially the pharaoh became concerned about the the influence and the power that they might have as these tribes who begin to subjugate them, to make them slaves.”

39s

#MosesCalledByGod

“And Moses was a nobody. I mean, he had some opportunities that God gave him. He was born and rescued. He grew up in the pharaoh's house and then ultimately fled. And in the desert, God met him there and showed him mercy and grace and kindness, undeserved, and told him that he would lead the people in slavery in Egypt out and into a promised land flowing with milk and honey, a land of abundance, a land of grace and mercy, a land of fulfillment and satisfaction because of the Lord.”

31s

#ServeInCommunity

“It's serving on teams because God has formed you to be a part of a community with unique gifts and abilities to serve one another. It's joining a team to do that because you've experienced the grace of God. You're experiencing new life in Christ. You're experiencing that, and you want others to experience it too. And so whether it's singing on the band or serving on host team or in the kids ministry, it's an opportunity to show that love to other people. That's why you serve, and being consistent in that shapes you and has an impact on others.”

77s

#StopWorshippingSelf

“In fact, to be honest, we know that. Right? We know that they're not gonna live forever. We know that they are gonna perish. We know that that their plans and their methods and their ways are not gonna last forever. And we try to do this and we try to understand that by controlling it ourselves. So what we do is we control what we listen to. Right? We we pick some podcasts and this one's for like our exercise or our diet. We we listen to our doctor a little bit, but we also like what this person has to say or what this person wrote about. And we also think about it from a political standpoint. We want a party in a particular power so that things don't change too much or we wanna party to rise to power so that things change more. We we want just in those certain ways though because we really want our life to be more under our control. And so we want a job to be a certain way that we can control the hours and work from home or or be able to travel as much as we'd like to travel. We we really are just trying to cater to ourselves. We've made ourselves ultimately the kings, the princess. Most of us aren't living our lives too consumed by what other people are gonna do to save us. We're trying to save ourselves. We're trying to define what we think is gonna make us happy or define what we think is gonna make things right in our own eyes. We're just worshiping ourselves.”

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