Dependent on God

Learning to Trust God, Not Man

I was taking to several ladies from our women's group, and I asked them this question:  

"What is one thing you would have a difficult time giving up for a week?  A day?  A month?"

Most of us said it would be difficult to give up our cell phones, computers, necessities such as water, clothes and a car.  But one thing I didn't even think of when I was answering this question myself was if it would be difficult to give up my BIBLE!   

Now some of us might think, "But I have my Bible on my cell phone, so I didn't include that."  That was my excuse.  Although, the reality was, I hadn't even given thought to not having my Bible.  How did I become so dependent on so many other things in my life and not dependent on my Father God?!

I found several Scriptures to help on this journey of becoming more and more dependent on God, His provision for me and my family, my health, etc.

• Micah 5:7   "The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man."
• Jeremiah 17:7-8  "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its rots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
• Psalm 20:7   "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
• Joel 2:26   You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed."
• Micah 7:18-19   Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."

These verses are meant to help build up your dependence on the Lord!  Read them; memorize them, if you'd like, but keep them in front of you.

I saw a post on social media once that said, "My job is to not get ahead of God and be obedient and follow the path HE created for my life (Diane Cunningham)."  I think that is what I tend to do all too often:  Take matters into my own hands!

I make up my mind to turn a situation over to the Lord, but then take it back and try to hash out a solution on my own.  Isn't that what Jonah did?  God told him to go to Ninevah and preach, but Jonah didn't want to.  So he made excuses, ran, tried to hide only to be tossed overboard in a storm and sat in the belly of a whale for three days contemplating his situation.  He certainly couldn't get himself out of that mess!   He had to finally depend on God for the answer.

Just like Jonah, I had to make a decision to be obedient to what the Lord was telling me to do in my calling.  We all have to make that choice.  We can't say, "I'm open to whatever God wants me to do." Being open also gives us the option of saying, "I don't think I want to do that."  We can't allow the word NO to be used when being willing to be used of God!

This week, replace the ideas of being dependent on daily things with being dependent on the Lord.  Replace "I'm open" with "I'm willing to do anything."

Blessings!!