to depend on God, not ourselves
- Kyle Snyder: Live on Purpose
- February 25, 2019
- 1145
“If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look “little” or “big.” — Elisabeth Elliot.
Most of the time when I fail, I didn’t depend on God to see me through whatever is going on. I let the lie from the enemy creep in and tell me I don’t need God’s help; I can do it all by myself.
I can’t even breathe on my own yet alone do anything more than that. Everything I do as far as breathing, walking, talking or writing this column is all due to God’s grace and not by my own will.
We actually can use what God gave us for sin. We can chew people out, use bad language or make an inappropriate gesture with our figures to somebody we should love. It’s sad we use what God gave us to hurt one another.
Things like walking, talking and more are so easy that we do it without thinking. No wonder we forget we need to depend on God. When we do something all of the time or on a daily basis, we forget it is all because of God’s will that our body works the way it does.
I know people who woke up one day and lost the ability to walk. One man went on to live the last 50 years of his life in a wheelchair. I’m not saying God did that, but he allowed it to happen.
Depending on God is turning our rights over to God and letting him call the shots in our life, letting go of what we want and going with what God wants. Doing what God wants never gets old; it’s an adventure.
It’s very easy to think we have something better in mind, but doing what God wants for our life will fulfill us. We might have good things in mind for us, but God has our purpose in mind.
God made us for a purpose, but it is up to God to tell us what our purpose is. We can’t determine what our purpose is going to be, and therefore we must depend on God to tell us how to best carry out our purpose.
We are only here to fulfill God’s purpose in our life and nothing else. Even though we can want to fulfill God’s purpose for us, we may still think we can do it on our own. If we must rely on God to tell us what our purpose is, we must also rely on him to carry it out.
I know if I don’t ask God for his help writing this column and anything else I write, I am doomed. It is him who gave me the talent to write. He is the one who called me to write, so I feel if I don’t ask him what he wants me to write, it is doomed to failure. So many times when I just write what I want, it never comes out right, and I have to start again.
If you want to know why something is not working out, simply ask if God is in it. It might be God’s will, but that doesn’t mean we invited God to have his way. God may allow us to fail even if it is his will so we will learn to trust him. He cares more about our relationship with him than what we are doing for him. If we don’t let him lead us and guide us, then are we really doing it for him or for ourselves?
When we let go and let him take over, things will come together. Maybe not right away, maybe it will take some time, but if it is his will, it will come together.
So what is our job? Just to ask, trust and obey. Be open to his leading by praising him, worshiping him, and talking to him about everything and every move. If we get it wrong, and we will from time to time, ask for forgiveness and where to go from there. He will show us. Just depend on him, and he will show you the way.