Declaration of Dependence: Pastor Paul’s Article

Paul’s weekly newsletter article – 10/28/22

9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9–10 – NASB95) 

Last Sunday we took a detour from 1 John and focused on our Declaration of Independence from the world, flesh, and devil, and our Declaration of Dependence on the LORD. Today I want to focus on how we can demonstrate our dependence on God and experience His resources for our daily battles. There are a number of ways, but this week I just want to focus on three:

1. Accept / Admit / Boast in the fact that you are weak (see verses above).

Notice that Paul says “when” I am weak, “then” I am strong. It isn’t that he is temporarily weak and then He is strong, but when he continues to be weak (his own power), he experiences God’s power in his life. When Paul faced a thorn in the flesh that would not go away, he learned to rely on God’s strength exclusively.

God’s strength is available to those who are humble and rely fully on Him (James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5; 1 Chron. 16:11; 2 Chron. 16:9; see also Ps. 18:32-34; 27:1; 28:7; 29:11; 31:24; 33:17-19; 68:35; 73:26; Is. 40:28-31; 41:10; Dan. 10:19; Phil. 4:13). 

A large number of people are relying on their own abilities, resources, 401k, etc., not on God. One of our church members, Jeanna Williams, puts F.R.O.G. after her signature in virtually every correspondence. It stands for “Fully Relying On God.” To do that consistently we must begin by humbly admitting that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). 

2. Read and meditate upon God’s Word day and night (Joshua 1:1-9; Psalm 1; 119:28).

Jesus Himself modeled a life devoted to God’s Word. He read it, memorized it, meditated upon it, obeyed it, and quoted it when tempted by the devil (Mt. 4). He quoted from Deut. 8:3, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 

Psalm 119 is all about the Word of God and how much we need it in our daily lives. There are numerous benefits to depending on God’s Word, here are a few: 

  • the Word keeps us from sin (v. 11, 133)
  • the Word keeps us from reproach and contempt (v. 22)
  • the Word gives us good counsel and brings us joy (v. 23-24)
  • the Word revives and strengthens us when we are discouraged (v. 25, 28)
  • the Word produces reverence for God (v. 38)
  • the Word makes us wise (v. 98-99, 130)
  • the Word gives us direction for life (v. 105)
  • the Word gives us peace (v. 165).

Develop the habit of being in God’s Word daily and having God’s Word richly dwell in you (Col. 3:16). Say no to things that have no eternal value so you can spend more time in the eternal riches of God’s Word. Listen to it, read it, memorize it, meditate upon it, obey it, and share it with others. Depend on it so that you can be truly successful in the sight of God in all that you do.

3. Spend much time in prayer (1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6-7; Ps. 138:3)

As God speaks to us through His Word, we speak back to Him through prayer. Prayer is one of the most tangible demonstrations of our dependence upon the LORD. People who spend little time in prayer or are too busy for prayer are proclaiming that they depend on something other than God for their strength. There is a story in Joshua 9 that is very instructive as to our need to pray about everything. The children of Israel were told not to make covenants with any people in the land (Deut. 7:1-6), but some people from inside the land pretended to be from outside the land and asked to form a covenant. Joshua 9:14 says, “So the men of Israel took some of their provisions and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.” Instead of praying they trusted their own wisdom and were deceived. Years later, when Samuel was asked by the nation to pray for them because they had sinned (1 Sam. 12), he replied in v. 23, “… far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you…” In Acts 6:1-4, the leaders of the early church delegated significant responsibilities within the church to other people saying, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 

One of the reasons we pray before every meal is to proclaim that we depend on the LORD for every meal. We are truly grateful that He provided fertile soil, rain, sunshine, productive seeds, protection from pestilence, etc. We don’t see all of that because we just run to the store and get what we want, but He was actively engaged in every step of the process. He also gave us the financial resources to purchase the food, the physical ability to prepare the food, and the digestive system to utilize the nutrients in the food to make us healthy and strong… We pray to acknowledge our utter dependence on Him and thank him for so graciously meeting our needs.

We are dependent upon the LORD for everything physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, financially, and spiritually. We depend on Him for our own spiritual growth and that of the people to whom we minister. We can’t change anyone, but God can and does. He can give spiritual life (Jn. 3:3ff), open blind eyes (Lk. 4:18), provide wisdom (James 1:5), give boldness (Acts 4:31)… 

Does your prayer life demonstrate that you are dependent on the LORD? Is prayer your first priority in your ministry? Do you have a regularly scheduled daily place and time when you are at your best to seek the Lord without distraction? I encourage you to declare your dependence upon the LORD by spending much more time in prayer to the God “who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…” (Eph. 3:20)

Next week we will look at more ways to declare our Independence from the world, flesh, and devil, and to declare our Dependence on the LORD. I pray that you will take time every day this week to boast in your weakness, and to find your strength in the Word of God and prayer. To God be the glory great things He will do!

 

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