Return To Dependence. 

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.’

Proverbs 3:5-6

Depend: to rely for support, maintenance, help, to put trust in. If you say that one thing depends on another, you mean that the first thing will be affected or determined by the second. If you depend on someone or something, you need them in order to be able to survive physically, financially, or emotionally. If you can depend on a person or thing, you know that they will support you or help you when you need them.

The above defines and describes what it means to depend. And even though it is tough to do, the reality is that we are ALL dependent on Him; sinner and saint alike. If God says, “world end!” The world will end in an instant. We need Him for help and He is capable of helping us. The only reason we don’t lean on Him is because we trust our ability more than His.

Yes! It is tough to hear or admit, and your first reaction is to deny it or argue but take a minute and reflect on it. Think of a baby, can they survive without a parent? If they need help and the parent is not there, do they then go do it themselves? No! But when you need help or an answer or clarity and you hear nothing from the Lord, do you do it yourself or do nothing? 

Do you try to fix your issues yourself first before you ask God? Indeed, man is most affected by their natural senses. However, God is not man and we are called to be led by the Spirit, not our senses.

In natural life, the older you get, the less dependent you are. It’s not so in our faith; the older you are in faith, the more dependent you become. You begin to see God as the source, as the vine, and you, as the branch. There is no part of you that you allow to survive away from God. Because the truth is, no part of you can survive for long away from God. 

Returning to dependence would mean that you begin to identify those places in your life where there needs to be a change. That you begin to trust God is not man or your understanding. That you go to Him even when you can solve the issue yourself. Because it is dangerous to depend on ourselves.

Exercise

Your assignment today is to take note of those areas where you need to depend on God and ask the Holy Spirit to help you become dependent on Him and less dependent on yourself.

Disclaimer, this is going to be painful. Learning to trust an outside source will break every part of your existence but as you trust in the Lord with all of your heart, you begin to see that it is the better option for you. 

God bless you. Shalom.