Daily Devotional: Steps Toward Faith
- David A. Case
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
By David A. Case
Life Sayings:
If I only trust myself, my future will look just like my past—only worse.
My most significant life choices are my connections.
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” — Proverbs 28:26
Faith is not a single event. It is a series of steps—often slow and costly—that reshape the way we connect to God and others. For many, trust is a response to how they’ve been treated. For true transformation, trust must also become an intentional choice we make in response to truth.
Some try to “test” trust, stepping out only if the risk seems minimal. Others offer trust as a conditional gift, waiting with crossed arms to see whether the other person will fail. Both of these approaches are flawed. Trust that is given to avoid pain or to test someone’s worthiness will eventually crumble. Pain will come. Failure will happen. If trust is built on performance, the relationship will not survive.
True trust is not a performance test—it is a gift of grace. The goal is not perfection—it’s spiritual maturity. A parent doesn’t trust a child with responsibility because they’ve earned it. They do so because it’s time for them to grow. Even when the child fails, a healthy parent helps them learn, grow, and try again.
God does the same with us. He doesn’t withdraw His love when we mess up. He doesn’t take back opportunities the moment we fall short. He corrects us, comforts us, and offers another chance. That’s what love does.
If we’re going to walk in faith, we must do the same. Many of us have been wounded deeply, especially in areas we care about most. Our passions and purposes are often locked beneath pain. We can’t access them because the wounds still occupy that space. The only way forward is forgiveness.
Forgiveness opens the door for healing. But forgiveness cannot happen without trust—trust that God’s way is better, trust that letting go of pain is worth it, and trust that we won’t be abandoned in the process.
Still, letting go is not easy. It requires obedience—often starting with something small. Curfews, daily disciplines, honest conversations. These small acts of obedience prepare our hearts to let go of bigger things. Without obedience training in the small, we won’t have strength to surrender the deep.
When we do finally release the wound, we must fill that space with something better. That something is love—God’s love, received and believed. Love is what rewrites the code of the heart. Love is what restores the image of God in us.
But this, too, is a journey. Most of us will need to forgive many times before the rewrite is complete. That’s okay. We’re not aiming for perfection—we’re moving in the right direction.
Reflection Question
Where are you still holding space for woundedness that God is asking you to surrender?
Prayer
Lord, I’ve been protecting my pain as if it were a treasure. I’ve made space in my heart for wounds that You want to heal. I don’t want to live in fear or self-protection. I want to trust. I want to obey. I want to be free. Show me how to take the next step, even if it’s small. I trust that You will meet me there. Amen.
Today’s Step of Obedience
Identify one area of pain that still holds space in your heart. Write it down. Then, in prayer, release it to God. Say out loud: “This does not belong to me anymore. I give it to You.” Replace it with truth—read a promise from Scripture and ask God to fill that space with His love.
This devotional was inspired by the book Heart Change Handbook by David A. Case. If you found it helpful, please consider it for your own self-study and suggest it to your church small group or recovery community as a basis for small group study.
If this message has encouraged you to pursue deeper transformation, I invite you to continue the journey through The Heart Change Handbook. It provides a practical, biblical path for spiritual growth and is an excellent resource for church small groups and recovery communities. Consider getting your copy today and introducing it to your group as a guide toward meaningful heart change.
👉 Learn more about Small Group Resources from Heart Change U.
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