 We were challenged in the last post to: Lean on, trust in and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight and understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths - Prov 3:5-6 Amp. Last week as the Holy Spirit continued to tug on my heart about becoming totally dependent (without Him nothing) instead of being self reliant, I couldn't help but to think about how dependent we are upon technology.
Can you remember the last time there was a day when you didn't do a Google search or ask Siri something. How is it that we are so willing to depend upon Goggle and Siri but reluctant to depend upon God? My prayer is that each time we search Goggle we are reminded to search for the Lord: And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart - Jer 29:13. And for every time we ask Siri something, we are challenged to ask God for His wisdom: If any of you lack wisdom, let Him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him - James 1:5. Are we depending upon our mobile devices more than our Sovereign God? still learning to depend, Diane  We have been taught to be strong, independent, confident and self sufficient all our lives. Yet life in Christ is not a life based upon self sufficiency; instead, it is a life that recognizes that our sufficiency is not at all in us but in Christ (Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is of God - II Cor 3:5 and, For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh - Phil 3:3). At this point on the journey, contrary to our training and as difficult as it may be, we need to make a transition from being self reliant to being completely dependent upon the Lord (...for without me ye can do nothing -St.John 15:b). We must come to the conclusion even with all of our abilities and giftedness, we need God! Recognizing our weaknesses is the first key to success: And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me - II Cor 12:9.
The Word challenges us to put our complete trust in the Lord, depending solely upon Him, and to stop relying on our own wisdom and experience, or the wisdom and experience of others (Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding - Prov 3:5 and, It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man - Ps 118:8). In other words, we must stop putting our whole weight on our own abilities and reasoning (Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord - Jer 9:23-24). Refusing to rely upon self and depending completely upon the Lord are also keys to our success . We are instructed to not only depend upon the Lord, but to also defer to Him: In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord, and depart from evil - Prov 3:6-7). Acknowledging Him in all our ways, means we consider and consult Him in every area and every situation. It means to recognize Him as the Sovereign Authority in our lives. Yes, He gets to call the shots! Acknowledging Him means to walk in obedience to His Word (This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success - Jos 1:8). Depending upon Him and deferring to Him assures us that He will direct our paths. As we trust in the Lord and acknowledge His sovereign authority over our lives in every situation, He lays out a path for us to securely navigate through life even when faced with problems and He gives us a quiet confidence to meet life's challenges. Acknowledging the Lord in all our ways is another key to our success. While we use our gifts, skills and abilities, let's remember that all that we have and accomplish is because of the grace of God. Recognizing that without Him we can't do anything is the first step. If we learn to stop relying upon self and to start depending upon the Lord, acknowledging Him in all our ways, He will not only lay out a path for us, furnish a plan, He will enable us with power needed for SUCCESS. learning to depend upon Him, Diane p.s. I don't know about you, but recognizing and acknowledging weakness is a challenge for me because I have been trained to be self reliant. This week let's work on not being so impressed with ourselves while recognizing our sufficiency is not in us but in Him. Let's acknowledge our need for Jesus even in the small things, for without Him, nothing ! Ask for His help sincerely even if think you got the situation under control! |
Archives
April 2022
Categories
All
|