The Need of Relying on God for Christian Living
Psalm 16:3 “Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established.”
The need of relying on God for Christian living today is imperative. Because God did not create us to live independent of Him and to do for ourselves, and be successful in life. We are a part of Him, made in His image, and were created with an innate dependence on Him. Therefore, we will always need Him, without Him we are nothing, and will always fail in our life’s endeavours.
John 15:4-5, “Abide me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.”
We Were Created to Depend on God as His Children
We are children of the Father, and therefore, we rely on Him for protection, provisions, and sustenance in life; this is His will. He did not create us and leave us alone to fend for ourselves and navigate this ungodly, immoral world, with pain and suffering. He created a dependency within us, on Him. Therefore, as Christians, we have an innate dependence on Him to guide us on life’s journey.
He promised that He’d be with us, bear our burdens and carry us to the end.
Isaiah 46:4, “And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar (frozen) hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
He wants us to trust Him and depend on Him to carry us through life and deliver us in troubled times.
Throughout the Bible, you will find many promises that He made to us. When we face troubled times and need His help to get us through, we must activate those promises by going to Him in prayer. We must go to Him, in faith, humbly asking and believing in Him to fulfill those promises to us. We must also remember that:
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
On the other hand, if we lean on our own understanding and wisdom, and we pursue plans that are not within His will for us, we will fail and suffer the consequences. We will become like the foolish man, which He spoke about in His parable, found in the book of Matthew:
Matt 7:26-27, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
The Need of Relying on God Lies in the Fact That His Ways are Perfect and Everlasting
God’s ways are perfect and everlasting when He creates something. Likewise, when we commit our plans into His hands and wait patiently, to hear His voice, He will show us exactly what to do and when to do it. And it will be done perfectly with His help and will last forever. We need to trust Him with our plans.
If we go ahead, without committing our plans to Him or doing things that are not in His will for us, it will be inconsequential. It may have the potential to work, but it won’t last. If the Lord hasn’t blessed it, it will eventually fail.
Psalm 127:1 “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that built it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain.”
Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. And God doeth it, that man should fear before Him.”
For these reasons, we need God’s blessings and directions in carrying out our plans, so that they could be done right and last forever. This is the need of relying on God as Christians. Things will be done perfectly and everlasting for us with His help.
We are Inadequate and Ill-Equipped to Fight Our Battles
As Christians, we are inadequate and ill-equipped to fight Satan’s evil forces by ourselves. We definitely need Jesus’ Word to fight, as well as His divine intervention. Through the power of His Holy Spirit, He will protect us against Satan’s evil forces. If we are covered under the Blood of Jesus Christ, we will receive His protection.
“As Christians, we are inadequate and ill-equipped to fight Satan’s evil forces by ourselves.”
christian living and mental health blog
Moreover, Paul acknowledges that we are not equipped on our own to fight Satan’s evil forces on our own.
Ephesians 6:12, “put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Ephesians 6:17 “take the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the spirit – the Word of God.”
Relying on God Allows Us to Rest in His Leadership
What good is having a leader in your life who has the ability to affect change, provide for you and protect you, and you don’t rely on him for help in your times of need? Why would you want to suffer and continue fighting your own battles in life? This all means that we are depending on our own strength trying to figure out things on our own, without God’s guidance and wisdom. Wouldn’t you be relieved just to rest in God’s leadership and let Him take control of your life?
Proverbs 3:5-6, to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
He’s inviting us here to wholeheartedly trust in Him; abandon our own thoughts and ideas, and leave our plans in His hands. To allow Him to clear a path for us, with Him as the leader, and us as the followers.
All we have to do is rest in His leadership: get out of the way, yield ourselves, our problems, and plans to Him. And allow Him to take full control. We are blessed with an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present God who is happy to oblige us when we call upon Him. His ways are perfect, enduring, and everlasting. And His Word, says, “He’s the author and finisher of all things.” The “Alpha and the Omega.” So, commit all plans to Him, stand down and let Him work it out. Find rest in Him!
“All we have to do is rest in His leadership: get out of the way, yield ourselves to Him, our problems, and plans. And allow Him to take full control.”
christian living and mental health blog
Finally, to live as Christians is to live for Christ, in complete reliance on Him and in obedience to His Word. If He said we are to trust Him and acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will direct our paths, then we ought to do so. He created us with an inherent dependency on Him, much like a parent-child relationship. Only we will never get old and stop needing to rely on Him.