There is an unreliable friend of whom I have had since I realized he was there. I relied on him to guide me through adolescence, he failed. I trusted him with my most pivotal and difficult choices, and again he led me astray. He has led me down time and time again, but I always seemed to give him another chance. This person appears to be very intellectual and often makes objective sense. Countless times, he has promised never to do wrong again. Above all these things; he seems to be everybody’s friend. I am sure that you already know who I am talking about; sly, sneaky, incompetent, self-serving, arrogant, proud and ignorant: SELF-RELIANCE.
I have heard a lot of people refer to our current generation as the instant generation – agreed; but I would like to add that we are also a self-relying generation. This is a generation that says: “I want it now and I will get it without anybody’s help.” This kind of mindset is so dangerous that even the God is left out of our daily living - and for some of us; we only come back to him when we have messed everything up and we are in trouble. God then becomes one of our options of last resort when our intelligence (or rather our foolishness), friends and all that money can buy has failed us. We always want to help ourselves in every way; we totally rely on ourselves to achieve all things that we need in life. Some people even go to an extent of saying that they have every reason not to trust in God because of their great abilities, intelligence, financial and social status, etc. This is a sign of the natural rebellion that is in all of us, any man left alone will want to do what will suit only themselves and nothing that pleases God. This is evident in Adam’s sin; the promise from the snake was one that will give the human race a status. The fruit of the tree promised to give them wisdom that will make them equal to God and thus never need them in their lives. This is there reason why people live most of their lives and reject the Gospel, because their natural being tells them that they have survived long without him and do not see a need for God in their lives. Sometimes it can even be Christians who forget their Master. I work for an evangelistic organisation and I know that I need God in all that I do, but it is so easy to forget that you need him. You can get so used to preaching his word that you forget about the master of the work that you do.
I would like to believe that not acknowledging your need for the Lord; although not openly revealed, is PRIDE. The sin of Lucifer that God despises. I once said to friend that Pride was the sin of Lucifer and he said: Oooooh ok, no wonder God hates it, it reminds him of Lucifer, lol. In essence, those who do not need the Lord are those that can do all the things that he has done; can do and will do in the future.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. (Psalm 20:7-8.)
We can either rely on ourselves and fail as we always have or we can put our trust in God and receive all the promises made to those who will trust in God. The scripture speaks about a life of trusting in God and in trusting in what you have; check the outcome of both and choose which one you would like. A life of depending on God is one that acknowledges human limits and embraces the divinity and unlimited abilities of the Almighty God. I love what the Lord does to Job; it is recorded in the last chapters of the book of Job; from chapter 38-41. The Lord speaks to God from the whirlwind and asks Job very difficult questions; I will share some of them randomly. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding?”
“Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?”
“Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions?”
These are very hard questions to answer, and even though some of us will acknowledge that we cannot answer these questions, our lives with not show that. I love way that Job responded to God’s questions and I believe that is the kind of attitude that God wants from all of us; if it were not so, God would never have blessed job and given him more than he initially had. This is his response to God after all those hard questions:
Job 42:2-6. I know, LORD, that you are all-powerful; that you can do everything you want. You ask how I dare question your wisdom when I am so very ignorant. I talked about things I did not understand, about marvels too great for me to know. You told me to listen while you spoke and to try to answer your questions. In the past I knew only what others had told me, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. So I am ashamed of all I have said and repent in dust and ashes.
So what will it be? Self-Reliance of Jesus Christ, You choose!!!
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