There are times when I rely on myself rather than God. I rely on my own wisdom rather than God’s wisdom. I rely on my own gifts rather than the Giver. In the long run, relying on oneself will lead to self-sufficiency. A state that is hated by God becomes it removes Him from the picture. It will inevitably cause us to be prideful of what we can do and who we are rather than be humble of what God can do through weak, flawed, and sinful creatures like us. And we know that God will oppose and will not give grace to a prideful person. (James 4:6)
So, what do we do when self-reliance sets in?
We remind ourselves that we are weak, flawed, foolish, and sinful people who need daily grace every day. By acknowledging our weaknesses, we seek the strength that God supplies. By acknowledging our flaws, we seek trust more in God because He alone never commits mistakes. By acknowledging our foolishness, we seek God’s wisdom. By acknowledging our sinfulness, we cling to Christ’s perfect life for our righteousness and substitutionary death for our freedom from punishment. And as our self becomes smaller and smaller, God becomes bigger and bigger. We become awestruck and we magnify God more in our lives.
We admit daily that apart from God, we can do nothing. After that, we beg for God’s help. As we practice being totally reliant on God, self-reliance is eradicated. This humble confession of inadequacy and the plea for God’s gracious help should be a daily part of our prayer life. And as God helps us throughout the day, let us not forget to give thanks for the help that God has given. We thank God for bringing back all the glory to Him as the Source of all good things, even our daily help.
Self-reliance is a sin that we should kill. That is why we should cultivate God-reliance through daily prayer and thanksgiving. One of the daily promises that I repeat to myself every day is Isaiah 41:10 which says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This verse is a daily reminder that my God is with me and because He is with me, He gives me strength, help, and upholding. What a humbling reminder that I cannot do it on my own and that I need God’s sustaining and empowering grace every day. And as the day comes to a close, I give thanks for all the strength and help, bringing back all the glory due to Him as the Giver.
By grace alone 