Posted on November 19, 2021 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters
“If we want to overcome pride in our lives, then we must turn from being self-sufficient back to being God-dependent. We must give Him the credit for everything we have and acknowledge that we are just stewards of these many blessings.” ~ Hodges
One of my many memories of our time spent in Alaska is clearing the packed snow from the driveway with Wyatt. He would have been about 3 1/2 at the time and very determined to help push the snow. The problem was that at below freezing temperatures, the snow is a solid layer that can’t be shoveled; it has to be chipped up with a 5ft steel scrapper. Wyatt gave all he had to try and lift that thing and smack it against the snow, but he could barely hold it up, let alone balance it. The boy has a stubborn streak in him that he must have picked up from the in-laws… 😉 but it wasn’t till he relented of this self-reliance and asked for my help that he was able to make any progress.
We are much like this when it comes to living our own lives. We believe we are in control… but having had two heart attacks will reveal how wrong that belief is. Life is a gift endowed by our Creator, and lived in accordance with His design. Sure you can try it on your own, many people do… to their own detriment; disconnecting from the very source of all life leaves us weak, fragile, off balance, confused, diminished, and lacking all the blessings God intended to pour into our lives; the greatest being the gift of Himself. Just imagine 3 1/2 year old Wyatt trying to manage the 5 ft steel rod and the frozen snow and you begin to get the picture of our condition. We think just dealing with the scrapper is all there is to living, when in God’s plan, there is so much more!
What keeps us from asking God for aid like Wyatt asked me? Does pride have that much power over us that we won’t even acknowledge God as our Creator, let alone as our Savior? The work of our redemption that makes possible our relationship with our Heavenly Father is done; yet we continue to endeavor at our own chipping away at frozen beliefs and desires that will never come to fruition.
God has ‘promised to dwell in us and walk among us’. He even told us how to ask for help in enjoying His promises; God told Solomon concerning His temple (which those who believe now are), “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Our ‘wicked ways’ is our choice to leave God out of our lives, a choice driven by pride. And a choice we make every day when we do not seek Him in all things.
You want to hear from Heaven? You want healing and forgiveness? Then it is crucial you turn from self-reliance to God-dependence; and that is accomplished through humility, repentance, and God-seeking prayer. The ball is in your court… Choose Wisely…
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Chronicles 7:15-16)
Praying 4 U
Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church
Think About This: “Prayers are the nerves that move the muscles of omnipotence. Prayer is not an exercise in futility because God’s will, will be done in any case; prayer is the means by which God’s will is carried out. – John MacArthur
The Daily Bible Reading: Reflection | You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
