The Trust Factor
A daily lesson that focuses on achieving unparalleled success in life using ancient wisdom in modern times.
We will be discussing critical concepts as they are laid out in the book Sha'ar Habitachon - The Gate of Trust. Written 1000 years ago, the author reminds us of the values and wisdom that have allowed humanity to thrive throughout history.
The concept of trusting in a higher power that exists purely for our benefit, puts us in the drivers seat with absolute confidence to achieve greatness.
Eliminate: Fear, Hatred, Anxiety, Depression, Jealousy, Greed...forever!
* Note that some terminology will be in the original Hebrew or Aramaic which I will always follow with the English translation.
The Trust Factor
Episode 65 - Are you receiving God's gifts while ignoring His requests?
What does it really mean to trust God while also fulfilling our obligations to Him? This thought-provoking exploration of the fourth principle of trust challenges us to reconsider our relationship with our Creator in profound ways.
We often receive countless blessings daily—our beating hearts, functioning lungs, shelter, opportunities—regardless of whether we're following divine commandments. Unlike human relationships where reciprocity determines continuation, God continues giving unconditionally. Yet there's a deeper paradox at work: while God provides our basic needs regardless of our behavior, the truly transformative blessings arrive when we actively align ourselves with His will.
Through a compelling friendship analogy, we examine how unreasonable it would be to expect someone to feed your dog after you've deliberately neglected their cat. Applied spiritually, this reveals our sometimes contradictory expectations of divine intervention while we ignore divine direction. This entitlement mentality, particularly prevalent in our generation, stands in stark contrast to spiritual maturity—which recognizes received goodness and asks, "What can I do in return?"
The podcast suggests a profound spiritual principle: God will always provide what we need to survive, much like parents care for dependent children. However, when we begin recognizing our role in the relationship and actively fulfilling our spiritual obligations, something extraordinary happens. The "floodgates open," and life becomes "really, really sweet" with deeper blessings flowing from this reciprocal spiritual relationship.
Ready to transform your understanding of trust and experience life's fullness? Subscribe to The Trust Factor podcast and join us on this journey toward implementing these divine, age-old teachings that can genuinely change your life.
This one we can talk a long time about. What is the fourth principle of having trust in your creator? Good morning everybody. It is Sunday. Welcome to the Trust Factor. I hope you had a spectacular Shabbat. I certainly did.
Speaker 1:This, my friends is the podcast that is going to change your life, as long as you implement the divine age-old teachings. What we are about to talk about we can talk about for a very long time, and perhaps we will. I'm not in a rush. I don't know if you guys are going anywhere, but I'm certainly not. I'm right here. So we're going to continue to talk about these beautiful, life-altering concepts as long as they continue to benefit us, which means, my friends, I'm not going to stop until I can no longer go forward.
Speaker 1:Now, the fourth fundamental principle is that one who places trust in God must, at the same time, be extremely vigilant and make great efforts to fulfill the obligations of the Creator that the Creator placed upon him in his service. He must try as much as possible to perform god's commandments, ie doing the mitzvahs, the commandments, and to avoid doing which, that which he prohibited them to do. This is an unbelievable idea, guys. This is a bit worrisome when you read it. On the surface, somebody can come with complaints and I'm sure many people have but what? What he's saying over here, suggesting? Maybe, if you read this incorrectly or if you don't go any further, you might come to think that what we're being told is that God is somehow less than a human parent, which obviously we know is not true. He's infinitely greater. So how can he be somehow only willing to do our will if we are willing to do his? You hear, that's what it's saying over here. If you want god to do your will, then you should be busy doing his commandments. So is it tit for tat? In other words, if I don't do his commandments, is it over? He's not going to do my will.
Speaker 1:And to understand that, I mean obviously it's a foolish statement, but to get a clear understanding of how foolish it is, all you need to know is that you're alive today and you're listening to this podcast, and that you've got a roof over your head and that you've got money in the bank, and that you're living in a free country and that you've got opportunities to improve, and that your heart is beating and your eyes can see and your ears can hear, and you may have kids and parents or whatever it is. You're surrounded by loved ones, friends, community. He's been giving to you, my friends, you've been receiving your entire life. I can assure you that, no matter where you are holding in life, there are many times where you are not doing his will and in fact, you are going counter to his will. You're busy occupying yourself many times with the things he doesn't want you to do. Not only you're not doing the things he wants you to do. You hear, and yet here you are, listening to this podcast. Your ears are working, my friends. Not everybody's ears are working. If your ears are working, look up to the heavens and say thank you, because are you necessarily deserving of perfect hearing or perfect eyesight, or having all of your senses, your heart beating and your lungs filling with oxygen, and your ability to walk and having 10 fingers and 10 toes and all the other things that we can be grateful for? Not to mention the fact that we're living in a free country and that we have money in the bank and all the other wonderful things we keep talking about? When we contemplate all the wonderful goodness that he's given to us, obviously he's much better than a parent, let alone a friend or a community member or a boss or whoever it may be who has no obligation to you. And even if they have an obligation to you, when you go against that individual's will. Let's say, for example, now you go to a friend and you say I really need you to do A, b or C for me. Right, and now you've begun to put your faith and trust in that individual. But at the same time you are also busy either not doing the thing that they asked you to do in return, or you are doing something that directly harms them.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's try and think of a scenario. You say to an individual listen, I'm going to the cottage for the weekend and I need somebody to feed the dog on Sunday. Do you mind coming over and feeding the dog on Sunday? And your friend says you know what? It's amazing, I would love to do that for you. At the same time I'm going away on Monday, or I'm going away on the Friday before. Can you do me a favor and stop by and feed my cat, for lack of a better example. And what you do on Friday is completely ignore that individual's request and you don't go and feed their cat and you somehow think that they are still going to come by on the weekend and feed your dog, right? That's a simple example to illustrate the outcome over here.
Speaker 1:The outcome is that if you don't do what your friend often asks you to do, why should they do the things that you ask them to do? Right? Number one? Number two if you're busy going and doing things that your friend will be hurt from, you're going to do the things that hurt your friends. So, whatever it may be, your friend tells you that he's looking for work, he's in dire need of a job and he's qualified for the job, but you go and you hire somebody else, specifically because you didn't want your friend to get the job. Obviously, you're not much of a friend, and yet you're going to come and ask for this person to do something for you. What motivates that person? What motivation should they have to do and to fulfill your request?
Speaker 1:When they ask you for requests, you go exactly opposite. You hire somebody who's less qualified to do the job than them, who are very qualified, never mind the fact that they are friends and they need an income and they need help, and you could easily be there to help them. You go and choose somebody who's less qualified, specifically because you don't want to give your friend the income. And then you have the gall to go and ask them to do something and you think you dilute yourself to think that this person is going to do it. If they did it for you, they would be a fool. You know who does that for you all the time your creator. He's busy doing your will, while we're busy going against him.
Speaker 1:Not only are we sitting every day going, what else can I do for him? I recognize all the things that he does for me. I recognize my heart, I recognize my lungs, I recognize my feet, I recognize my brain, I recognize the money in the bank and the family and the health and the opportunities and all these wonderful things he's been showering upon me for 20, 40, 60, 80 years, whatever it is. Not only am I not sitting around thinking what else can I do for him, which would be the right response, the right response for somebody who's constantly on the receiving end of goodness. At one point, you get to a mature point in your life when you say wait a second. I acknowledge that he's doing spectacular things for me, even though I'm undeserving. Let me at least investigate to see what it is that I can do for him.
Speaker 1:That is a normal human response, that we should sit and sometimes contemplate what can I do in return for all the goodness that's being done for me? If you're not thinking that way, my friend, it's time to start thinking that way, because we're living in a generation that doesn't. We're living in a generation of entitled people. We know this. This isn't news to you guys. At least it shouldn't be. We are living in a generation of entitled individuals. They don't want to work for what they're going to get. Somehow. They feel that the government or their parents or whoever it is, needs to shower them with money and opportunities and that they don't need to make big efforts. So everything that we're talking about over here flies counter to the generation that we're in right now.
Speaker 1:But normal human response should be that when somebody does good for you in your appreciation for them, you should want to do something in return. Doesn't mean that you have to. It's not always tit for tat. Sometimes people do just out of pure love and it's not conditional, which is the best way to do it right. When you do something for somebody, it should not be conditional, but the receiving person should think to himself what am I? Why should I be entitled? They probably also have an area in their life where they're lacking. I should want to try and do something in return for that individual. That should be your normal response.
Speaker 1:Understand your young life. When you're growing up, you don't have resources available to you. You don't have, maybe, specific things that older, more established people have that are doing for you. So that's hard for you to reciprocate. So you're on the receiving end. I get it.
Speaker 1:But, my friends, at one point in our lives we grow up. At one point in our lives we become self-sufficient. We have our own means and our own resources and if somebody's doing for us at that time, then it's incumbent upon us. We have an obligation, a duty, to return the favor. Otherwise you become a type of person that few people want to be around. Then you wonder I don't have anybody to rely on. Of course you don't have anybody to rely on. Not only have you not built and cemented firm relationships by doing their will, but you've been sometimes going against them and then you want them to do for you. The same principle over here, my friends.
Speaker 1:Similar concept, only the difference is that God constantly gives you, even when you go against him entirely, 180 degrees, you do the exact opposite of the things that he demands of you or requests of you. And then you still expect and you say God, where are you? How come you're not doing this for me? You're not doing that for me? I've asked so many times, I've prayed so many times, yet you haven't moved forward one inch. And so we're going to talk about this, but suffice it to say for now that the basics you're going to get.
Speaker 1:Just like a parent gives to a child when that child is so small, they have nothing to reciprocate with, they have no resources of their own. Their parent continues to give. So too, god will continue to give, but he's going to give you the things that he needs to give you in order to give you the opportunity to start to do his will. Once you've shown him that you recognize what's going on and you start to do his will, then, my friends, the floodgates open up. Then, my friends, the real stuff, the real good stuff, starts to follow, and that's when life opens up for you. That's when life starts to become really, really sweet. We're going to talk about this some more tomorrow, my friends. In the meantime, enjoy what's left of your weekend. Have an amazing day.
