By Lana Leigh Wilkens

Are you trusting your gut or are you trusting your God? Your answer to this question reveals where you are in your trust level with God. Let’s explore this question together.

When You Are Trusting Your Gut

Imagine you’re walking along and then you see an open door. Do you walk through it? Walk past it? Do you peek inside? How do you choose? What resources, people or thoughts lead to your final decision?

For years I adopted what I call an Open Door Theology. Basically, I assumed that if the door was open, and I wanted to go through it, I should go for it. When I lived this way I made a decision based on how I felt and whether or not the door was open. For the most part, my life turned out okay. If I believed the ends justified the means, I’d think, “Hey, I must be doing God’s will, right?”

But life being easy doesn’t necessarily mean I’m doing God’s will. And difficulties don’t mean I’m outside of his will. Life simply doesn’t work according to that formula. I can thank God for his grace to me during those years. He protected me from many obstacles and was incredibly patient with my slow learning curve.

Trusting God More Than Your Gut

These days I have a different perspective on the open doors in my life. I don’t assume I should go through an open door, and I don’t assume I shouldn’t. Simply put, I go to Scripture.

When a door is open, I stop and ask myself different questions than I used to do. I used to ask if I wanted to do it, if it lined up with my passion or if my skill-sets matched the task. I’d make a pro/con list and decide what I wanted and then I’d go for it unless God supernaturally prevented my way. 

But now, I focus more on what God says. My feelings are still important because God can guide us through our desires, but they are ultimately subject to God’s Word. Jeremiah 17:9 says my heart is deceitful above all things, so my feelings cannot be the foundation for making decisions. 

An Example of Trusting Your Gut More Than God

Consider this hypothetical situation. What if I’m in an argument with my husband and I decide to take a break and get some coffee? Then while I’m gone to a coffee shop there’s a friendly guy who pays attention to me. The door is open for conversation. Harmless, right? I’m feeling hurt and misunderstood, so I’d like to walk through this open door. 

But what does God’s word say about faithfulness in Galatians 5:16-24? Verses 16-17 say,

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (ESV)

Later it gives a list of all the ways we can tell if we’re living by the Spirit of God in verses 22 and 23, listing faithfulness as a spiritual fruit. As I read what God says, I am reminded how affairs begin – by small compromises. They are trap doors.

What if I said no to the open door? What if the door was a test of my faithfulness? 

Walking with Jesus means “crucifying” my flesh like Galatians 5:24 says. The desires of my flesh are not to be trusted. 

Are You Trusting Your Gut Or Are You Trusting Your God?

Open doors feel exciting. But they are not all meant to be walked through. The next time you see an open door remember to seek God first. Don’t trust your gut; trust God instead.

The door is a crossroad, a point of decision, an opportunity. We can walk through the ones we want to with little regard for consequences or godly wisdom. Or, we can pause, search the Scriptures and seek out advice from other godly women. 

You’ll find that seeing if that door is an invitation from God, or a milestone for the fruit of self-control is well worth the wait and effort. You will learn that trusting God is much better than trusting your gut.

Wife Step: Ask God to show you where you have been trusting your gut more than him, then go to him for forgiveness and guidance.

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