Our guest today on the Everyday Faith podcast is Barry Meguiar, a car enthusiast, television host of “Car Crazy”, and author of the book Ignite Your Life. His real passion is making Jesus famous every day, through faith conversations and prayer. Join us as we learn about Barry’s upbringing in God, how his faith became his own, and how he lives every day on mission, sharing the love of Jesus wherever he goes. As you read, you’ll be filled with faith, hope, courage, and excitement to share your faith and trust the Lord, no matter what season you’re in.
When Faith & Trust in God Became Real
It’s safe to say that Barry was raised as a Church kid. Whenever there was a church gathering, he was there. Every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, and every Wednesday night, Barry was in church services, learning about God and receiving His love. Because of this, Barry had a heart for the Lord from a young age. However, he experienced a transformation of faith after college, when his faith was being tested and his devotion to God became real.
Everything he learned through his education at a Christian college had the chance to be applied to his real life after graduating. His family has been in the car waxing business since 1901. Shortly after entering the workforce, Barry realized that the family business was stuck at $600,000 in sales after nearly 60 years in business. Through times of prayer and reading Proverbs 3:5, God inspired Barry to go into retail and begin selling their car wax to consumers.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5
With no real understanding of the retail market, Barry decided to trust God and take the leap of faith from what he knew to what God was calling him to. Following God’s leadership and taking one step after the other, Barry now owns the number one selling car wax on the market. His choice to follow God into the unknown and trust Him despite fear paid off big time for his family and his business.
Hear another story of God answering prayers and bringing things full circle in our blog: What to Do When You’re Waiting on God
Seeing Everyday Life as Full-Time Missions
“If you're not sharing your faith, if you're not telling people about Jesus, he's no longer your first love. Whatever you're excited about, you talk about.” - Barry Meguiar
At 83 years old, Barry has learned that sharing his faith every day is his real full-time job. Whether he’s in a season of great joy or great difficulty, he knows that sharing his faith with others is the most important part of his day. During our interview, Barry brought us through a passage in Revelation where Jesus confronts the church for neglecting their first love.
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” - Revelation 2:4
As Jesus speaks to the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2, He is encouraging them while reminding them that they have forsaken Him. God desires that to be our first love. We need to love God and receive His love, so that we can effectively love others. Some examples of ‘first loves’ that often try and take the place of God are sports, your kids, your spouse, your business, or your phone. Thankfully, it’s simple to choose God again: you just have to put Him first.
When we love God first, we can actually love our neighbor (Mark 12:30-31). But…what’s the best way to love your neighbor? To show them the love of God and to pray for their soul to meet Jesus, so that they can receive Him as Lord. As you remember and thank God for the joy of your salvation (Psalm 51:12), you are in a great place to share Jesus with others. Remember: you generally tell others about the things you like when you’re in conversation. When you like (and love!) God, you’ll be eager to share your faith wherever you go.
Have you given your life to Jesus yet? There’s no better time than now! Learn about how to surrender to God, step-by-step, in our blog: This is For You
Whether you’re a brand-new Christian or you’ve been following Jesus for years, sharing your faith is the joy and privilege of being a believer. You don’t need to have all the right words or an eloquent vocabulary to show people the love of God and win souls for Jesus. Sometimes, the Christians who bear the most fruit and bring many into the Kingdom are people who have recently given their lives to Jesus. Even though they may not know all of the Bible verses to bring someone to God, because they’re so in love with God, new believers can share their faith without fear.
You can learn to share your faith, even if you feel afraid. Learn how in our blog: How to Share Your Faith Without Fear
The love of God should be the greatest motivator to share your faith. Every day, Barry feels energized by the love and joy of God, and he can’t help but share it with others! Sharing your faith and growing in evangelism shouldn’t feel like a sales pitch. Evangelism was always meant to be an encounter with the love of God. Evangelism is not about how prepared you can be or how much scripture you know. Jesus even says in the book of Luke that:
…” The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” - Luke 12:12
Barry has seen this Bible verse play out in His life. As someone who has had hundreds of conversations with others, Barry has found that it usually takes about 5 minutes for the Holy Spirit to move and minister to the person he’s sharing his faith with. When someone discerns that your love is real, they often open up to you and share about a place where they’re hurting or struggling in life. By listening to their needs and staying in conversation with the Holy Spirit, you can share the hope that Jesus offers to their unique situation.
Sharing your faith is just another way to learn to trust God and choose to lean on Him rather than your own understanding. This is good news for those who want to grow in sharing their faith. All it takes is genuine love and faith to follow God’s leadership.
Learn more about how to grow rhythms of evangelism: How to Cultivate a Lifestyle of Evangelism
Learning to Trust God in Trials
"If I’m going to die, I’m going to lead as many people to the Lord as I can”.
Later in life, Barry learned how to trust God in a new and painful way. When he was 49 years old, he lost one of his daughters unexpectedly. It was a tragic and overwhelming loss that tested his trust in God. Through grief, Barry learned how to regain trust in God despite the sudden death of his daughter.
Shortly after this experience, Barry was admitted to the ICU in the hospital. His case was so severe that the doctors had given up hope for his recovery. A mystery virus was attacking all of his organs, and Barry knew he was dying. In this place, Barry told the Lord, “If I’m going to die, I’m going to lead as many people to the Lord as I can.” At the end of his two and a half week stay in the hospital, God made a way for Barry to have 23 spiritual conversations with doctors and nurses about the Lord. Even in our weakness, God can use us for his glory.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. - 2 Corinthians 12:9
Barry has since recovered, but he learned that trusting God in the unknown is a scary yet powerful way to grow your faith in God. Hear more about how to trust God in our interview with Brian Zimmer, a father whose daughter died at birth, but was miraculously brought back to life: How to Have Faith in the Fire
Bible Verses About Trusting the Lord
The Bible is full of scriptures about trusting God. In His kindness, God gave us Bible verses about how to trust God so we can stay close to Him even in the storm. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and He is still the same God who calms the winds and the waves with a word (Mark 4:35-41). Here are some of our favorite Bible verses about trusting God:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5
This Bible verse about trusting the Lord is one of Barry’s favorite Bible verses. From his time in college to launching his car wax business, to marriage, to his television show, this famous Bible verse about trusting God has guided him through many seasons.
You can be free from fear and trust in the Lord with all your heart, no matter what you’re going through. Learn more about trusting God even in trials in our blog: How to Overcome Fear & Experience God’s Power
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. - James 1:6-8
Barry invites our readers to be challenged by this verse. He often prays, “God, you know, I live for your purpose. Romans 8:28 gives me this promise. Work things for my good!” as a way to ignite faith and renew his mind. Praying the scriptures and meditating on the Word of God is a great way to increase your faith and drown doubt.
Learn how to renew your mind by meditating on the scriptures: How Do I Meditate on the Word as a Christian?
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.- Romans 8:28
Sometimes, as Christians, we wrestle with doubt. But pause, stop for a moment, and think: what if this Bible verse about trusting God were actually true? Thankfully, it is! Somehow, in God’s infinite wisdom and perfect kindness, even in the most difficult of circumstances, He works all things together for our good.
Want to renew your mind with a kids' song about Romans 8:28? Listen to “For My Good” by EVERYDAY Kids!
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31
Bible verses about trusting God invite us to keep it simple. While you’re waiting for a promise, waiting for a breakthrough, or are at rock bottom, Jesus commands us to love God with all we have and then to love others as we love ourselves. Barry said an awesome statement during our interview, “When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we're as concerned for their salvation as we are our own salvation. Your life is a living testimony.”
Learn more about how to love your neighbor as yourself in our blog: Front Yard Missions: How to Change Your Neighborhood
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me - John 15:4
This trusting in God Bible verse comes from John 15. This passage of scripture is a part of the Upper Room Discourse, where Jesus shares His last words and encouragement to His disciples before He goes to the cross. Bible verses about trusting in God invite us to abide in Jesus, to choose peace and joy, and to continue to share His love with others as His disciples, no matter what we’re going through.
Walking through a hard time? Learn how to have peace in every circumstance: How to Have Joy & Peace in Difficult Times
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6
This Bible verse about trusting God is essential to choosing to trust God in the storm. Instead of anxiety, you can bring your wants, cares, worries, and fears to the Lord. Through prayer and petition, you can make your requests known to God.
Learn more about the power of prayer in our free e-book: Let’s Talk About Prayer
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him - Psalm 28:7
Bible verses about trusting in God often come from the book of Psalms. In this Psalm, the writer is encouraging the reader to trust God by remembering God as a strength and a shield, who helps us in times of trouble.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
This Bible verse about trusting God can feel harsh. However, it’s actually an encouragement for Christians to choose faith and to continually come to God. Scriptures about trusting God are full of encouraging words and also tough love.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this - Psalm 37:3-5
Psalm 37 is another example of a Bible verse about trusting God that is found in the Psalms. As you delight in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart, and when you commit your way to God, He is faithful to lead you.
Conclusion
Whether you’re on the tennis court, in a sales presentation, a stay-at-home mom, or selling car wax like Barry, sharing your faith and trusting in God every day really is possible. As we finished our interview, Barry left our readers with encouraging words and pieces of wisdom to carry into their week:
1) Don’t let anyone rob you of your joy: No matter what’s happening, Barry encourages our readers not to let anyone rob you of your joy and to love others even when they hurt you. Just like Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44, praying for those and blessing those who persecute you is a great way to trust in God and let Him be your defender.
2) Use “Seek God” cards to start faith conversations: Barry has created “Seeking God” cards to help facilitate faith conversations with those around you. They’re available on his website, free of charge. You can order yours at Ignite America today.
3) Stay constant in prayer: Prayer is what paves the way for evangelism before it happens. Learning how to love prayer takes time, but it’s as simple as talking to God. Download our free e-book to grow in your prayer life and enjoy time with God!
So, what’s your next step in trusting God? You could have a conversation about Jesus with a coworker, maybe it’s about choosing joy in the middle of chaos, or maybe it’s just saying the simple prayer of, “God, I need you!” Let’s keep making Jesus famous, one faith conversation at a time.
Want to take a deeper dive into trusting God and living out your faith every day? Listen to the Everyday Faith podcast to fuel your walk with God today!
