Trusting Your Flesh Is Distrusting God

Jeremiah 17:5–8. A Call Back to God-Dependence

Hello, I’m Felix Harcourt. Welcome to this teaching from Felix Harcourt Ministries. Today, we are addressing one of the most critical and often overlooked battles in the life of every believer: the battle of dependence.

Every day, consciously or unconsciously, your life is answering one central question:

“Will you trust God, or will you trust your flesh?”

This is not a small question. It is the dividing line between spiritual vitality and dryness, between fruitfulness and frustration, between divine results and human struggle.

The Scripture gives us a clear and powerful contrast:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh…” Jeremiah 17:5

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him…” Jeremiah 17:7

These two lives may look similar on the surface, but inwardly they are completely different. Their sources differ, so their results differ.

The Battle of Dependence

Dependence is the hidden foundation of your life. What you depend on determines how you think, how you speak, how you decide, and ultimately how you live.

Many believers say they trust God, but in practice, they depend on:

• Their education 
• Their connections 
• Their bank accounts 
• Their health systems 
• Their personal abilities 

Trust in God is not merely a confession; it is a heart posture revealed by your dependence.

The truth is simple but sobering:

Whatever you depend on the most is what you truly trust.

The Danger of Trusting in the Flesh

To trust in the flesh means more than just relying on your body; it refers to trusting human ability and natural systems as your ultimate source.

It includes:

• Relying on human strength above divine strength 
• Making decisions purely by natural reasoning 
• Trusting systems more than the Spirit 
• Looking to the world as your final answer 
• Believing solutions must come through human channels alone 

Now, understand this clearly: God is not against human systems.

He is not against:

• Doctors 
• Knowledge 
• Technology 
• Financial systems 

But He is against anything that replaces Him as your source.

The issue is not usage, it is dependence.

The Result of Flesh Dependence

Jeremiah 17:6 gives a vivid picture:

“They will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes…”

This is powerful.

It means:

• Blessings can come, but you won’t recognize them 
• Opportunities can appear, but you won’t perceive them 
• God can be speaking, but you won’t hear 

Why?

Because the flesh blinds spiritual perception.

A person trusting the flesh may be hardworking, intelligent, and even religious, but spiritually disconnected.

The tragedy is not the absence of blessing, it is the inability to see and receive it.

The flesh dries you up.
The flesh blinds you.
The flesh disconnects you.

The Power of God Dependence

Now contrast that with the one who trusts God:

“They will be like a tree planted by the water… It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.” Jeremiah 17:8

This is a picture of supernatural stability.

Notice what happens:

• Heat comes, but they are not afraid 
• Drought happens, but they remain fruitful 
• Pressure rises, but they stay steady 

Why?

Because their source is not external, it is divine.

This is the life God designed for you:

• Consistent 
• Stable 
• Fruitful 
• Spirit-led 

Not dependent on circumstances, but anchored in Him.

What You Speak Reveals What You Trust

Jesus gave us a powerful diagnostic tool:

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45

Your words expose your trust.

When a person truly trusts God:

• They speak the Word 
• They speak faith 
• They declare God’s promises 
• They align with Scripture 

But when a person trusts the flesh:

• They speak fear 
• They speak systems 
• They speak limitations 
• They speak human solutions only 

For example, in healing:

A God-dependent believer says:
“By His stripes, I am healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

A flesh-dependent believer says:
“I hope this treatment works.”

Again, tools are not wrong, but when your confidence is only in them, your trust has shifted.

The same applies to finances:

God-dependent language:

• “My God shall supply all my needs.” (Philippians 4:19) 
• “I am blessed to be a blessing.” 

Flesh-dependent language:

• “I don’t know how I will survive.” 
• “Everything depends on the economy.” 

Your words are revealing your source.

Your Heart Follows Your Treasure

Jesus said:

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

If your treasure is in:

• Money, your heart trusts money 
• Systems, your heart trusts systems 
• God, your heart trusts God 

Then Jesus added:

“The eye is the lamp of the body…” Matthew 6:22

What you focus on determines what fills your life.

• Focus on God, light 
• Focus on the world, darkness 

And then He concluded with a non-negotiable truth:

“You cannot serve both God and money.”  Matthew 6:24

You cannot trust two sources.

You cannot depend on two masters.

You must choose.

Five Reasons Not to Rely on the World System

1. It is unstable
   Economies change. Systems fail. What is reliable today may collapse tomorrow. 
2. It is limited
   Human wisdom has boundaries. It cannot solve everything. 
3. It cannot give peace.
   Even when it provides solutions, fear and anxiety remain. 
4. It promotes self-dependence
   It shifts your focus from “God did it” to “I did it.” 
5. It disconnects you from God.
   The more you trust it, the less sensitive you become to the Spirit. 

Five Reasons to Rely on God

1. God never changes 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

2. God’s supply is unlimited
   Human limitations do not restrict him. 
3. God gives peace with His provision. 

“The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22

4. God gets the glory
   Your life becomes a testimony of His goodness. 
5. God sustains you in every season.
   Even in drought, you flourish. 

The Subtle Deception of the Flesh

One of the greatest dangers of trusting the flesh is that it often looks reasonable.

It feels logical.
It seems practical.
It appears wise.

But the Scripture warns us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Your understanding is not your guide; God is.

The flesh will always try to offer alternatives to faith.

It will say:

• “Be realistic.” 
• “Be practical.” 
• “Don’t go too far.” 

But faith says:

• “God is my source.” 
• “His Word is final.” 
• “I trust Him completely.” 

Choosing the Right Source

Beloved, trust is not passive; it is a daily decision.

Every decision you make answers the question:
Who is your source?

• When pressure comes, who do you look to? 
• When a lack appears, who do you trust? 
• When sickness arises, what do you believe? 

You cannot live a victorious Christian life while trusting the flesh.

The life of the Spirit requires God-dependence.

A Call Back to God-Dependence

God is calling His people back to Him.

Not just in words, but in trust.

Not just in prayer, but in dependence.

Not just in confession, but in heart alignment.

The difference between the dry bush and the flourishing tree is not effort; it is source.

Conclusion: Choose the River

Jeremiah gives us two clear pictures:

• A dry bush in the desert 
• A green tree by the river 

The difference is not the environment; it is the connection.

The tree thrives because it is connected to the river.

And for you, that river is God.

Every day, your heart is choosing:

• Flesh or Spirit 
• World or Word 
• Self or God 

Choose life.
Choose the Word.
Choose the Spirit.
Choose God.

Because true strength, healing, provision, and peace flow from one place:

Your trust in God.

Felix Harcourt Ministries
Connecting People With Jesus Christ, Changing Lives

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)