What You Depend On Determines Where You End Up
Adapted from: Dependance Determines Direction by Sam Holm
Ever shown up to the wrong address because you were so sure you knew where you were going? I did exactly that last weekend—drove my family to a graduation party at what I thought was the right house, only to discover we were completely off. Why? I trusted what I thought I knew instead of checking the invitation.
That embarrassing moment taught me something profound: what you depend on determines the direction you go in life.
Three Questions This Ancient Wisdom Answers
1. How do I make good decisions?
The book of Proverbs—an ancient collection of practical wisdom—offers this guidance: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The answer: Put your full trust in God, not just in what makes sense to you. This means depending on Him exclusively—with all your emotions, thoughts, desires, and will. Not occasionally. Not partially. Completely.
2. What should I stop doing?
The opposite of trusting God is leaning on your own understanding. When I broke my toe in college, the doctor gave me crutches with clear instructions: don't put weight on that foot. But I tried anyway, thinking I knew better. The result? My toe healed in completely the wrong position and had to be re-broken.
We do this in life all the time. We lean on our broken judgment instead of wisdom that's actually reliable. Our culture tells us to "follow your heart" and "trust yourself." But if we're honest, our track record of decisions should humble us a bit.
The answer: Stop trying to control everything yourself. Stop depending only on what you can figure out. Your understanding has limits—and that's okay.
3. What can I expect when I trust God?
Here's the promise: when you depend on God fully, He will make your paths straight.
Notice it doesn't say your life will be painless or that you'll always see where you're going. But He will guide you. As one pastor put it, "God will answer your prayers the same way you would if you knew all that He knows."
The answer: You don't have to carry a future you were never meant to control. You don't have to see the whole path—just trust the One who does. Many of us are exhausted because we're trying to manage outcomes we can't actually control.
What This Looks Like Practically
A woman in our church recently felt God leading her to quit her job and pursue art full-time. Everyone told her it wasn't safe. She wrestled with it, wanting God to work things out her way first. Finally, she took the leap.
Two weeks after resigning, she had her first art show. Friday—not great. Saturday—still struggling. Sunday—a storm destroyed all her work in a tent collapse. Everything gone.
She could have given up. Instead, she posted on social media: "I trust God anyway." That post went viral—4.5 million views, 20,000 new followers, $15,000 in art sales in one week, and a company flying her family to New York.
Not everyone's story resolves that quickly. Some of us won't see the other side of the storm for a long time. But the principle remains: dependence determines direction.
Your Next Step
So what does trusting God look like for you? It starts with depending on Jesus—the clearest picture we have of who God is and how much He loves us. It continues by letting Scripture (not just your gut feelings) inform your decisions. And it deepens through prayer—actually inviting God into every situation.
What decision are you facing right now? What are you holding back from God's control? What area of life are you trying to figure out completely on your own?
This week: Identify one decision you're wrestling with. Before taking action, specifically ask for God's direction. If you're not sure how to do that or want to explore what trusting God actually means, we'd love to talk with you. You can text TALK to 96123, and someone from our team will follow up.
You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to trust the One who does.
Want to explore more about making decisions with God's guidance? Check out our Bible reading plan at firstmckinney.com/bible or visit us on Sunday at First Baptist McKinney.
Ever shown up to the wrong address because you were so sure you knew where you were going? I did exactly that last weekend—drove my family to a graduation party at what I thought was the right house, only to discover we were completely off. Why? I trusted what I thought I knew instead of checking the invitation.
That embarrassing moment taught me something profound: what you depend on determines the direction you go in life.
Three Questions This Ancient Wisdom Answers
1. How do I make good decisions?
The book of Proverbs—an ancient collection of practical wisdom—offers this guidance: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The answer: Put your full trust in God, not just in what makes sense to you. This means depending on Him exclusively—with all your emotions, thoughts, desires, and will. Not occasionally. Not partially. Completely.
2. What should I stop doing?
The opposite of trusting God is leaning on your own understanding. When I broke my toe in college, the doctor gave me crutches with clear instructions: don't put weight on that foot. But I tried anyway, thinking I knew better. The result? My toe healed in completely the wrong position and had to be re-broken.
We do this in life all the time. We lean on our broken judgment instead of wisdom that's actually reliable. Our culture tells us to "follow your heart" and "trust yourself." But if we're honest, our track record of decisions should humble us a bit.
The answer: Stop trying to control everything yourself. Stop depending only on what you can figure out. Your understanding has limits—and that's okay.
3. What can I expect when I trust God?
Here's the promise: when you depend on God fully, He will make your paths straight.
Notice it doesn't say your life will be painless or that you'll always see where you're going. But He will guide you. As one pastor put it, "God will answer your prayers the same way you would if you knew all that He knows."
The answer: You don't have to carry a future you were never meant to control. You don't have to see the whole path—just trust the One who does. Many of us are exhausted because we're trying to manage outcomes we can't actually control.
What This Looks Like Practically
A woman in our church recently felt God leading her to quit her job and pursue art full-time. Everyone told her it wasn't safe. She wrestled with it, wanting God to work things out her way first. Finally, she took the leap.
Two weeks after resigning, she had her first art show. Friday—not great. Saturday—still struggling. Sunday—a storm destroyed all her work in a tent collapse. Everything gone.
She could have given up. Instead, she posted on social media: "I trust God anyway." That post went viral—4.5 million views, 20,000 new followers, $15,000 in art sales in one week, and a company flying her family to New York.
Not everyone's story resolves that quickly. Some of us won't see the other side of the storm for a long time. But the principle remains: dependence determines direction.
Your Next Step
So what does trusting God look like for you? It starts with depending on Jesus—the clearest picture we have of who God is and how much He loves us. It continues by letting Scripture (not just your gut feelings) inform your decisions. And it deepens through prayer—actually inviting God into every situation.
What decision are you facing right now? What are you holding back from God's control? What area of life are you trying to figure out completely on your own?
This week: Identify one decision you're wrestling with. Before taking action, specifically ask for God's direction. If you're not sure how to do that or want to explore what trusting God actually means, we'd love to talk with you. You can text TALK to 96123, and someone from our team will follow up.
You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to trust the One who does.
Want to explore more about making decisions with God's guidance? Check out our Bible reading plan at firstmckinney.com/bible or visit us on Sunday at First Baptist McKinney.
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