Dependence on God Must Be Developed

I have many thoughts running through my head on this topic of dependence. So then, we just might be spending the next few days here. Yesterday we just got started in talking about how dependable our God is for us and how nothing is too big for Him. Today we will look at Words of Encouragement and how our dependence on God must be developed.

How do you determine who you are going to follow, someone you can depend on?  Is it someone who flies by the seat of their pants, or someone with a proven track record? Someone with Emotional Intelligence or someone who panics and is up one day, and down the next?  Someone who is wise, or someone who is foolish?  Seems pretty simple doesn’t it?

Walkin’ the Talk

Who is going to follow you?  Are you someone who others want to model themselves after? Do they want to follow you? Are you someone they can depend on – whether it is the little thing or whether their life is at stake? You can’t model anything you haven’t consistently developed. It’s called ‘walkin’ the talk’ consistently in your everyday life! 

Remember the old Holiday Inn Express commercials? Just because someone stayed at an Express doesn’t mean you are smart, it just makes you feel smart.

Well, that was a fun clip to watch and I am sure there is a parallel there somewhere. And you have heard this one – just because you go to McDonalds it doesn’t make you a french fry. And just because someone goes to church, that doesn’t make them a Christian or someone you necessarily want praying for you.

You Do Not Want Just Anyone Praying for You

I had a friend who once said, “If you need to believe God for something, you want someone who Knows God, who walks with Jesus, and is consistent in their following after Him and depending upon Him to be the one praying for you.” You don’t want someone who has doubt to pray for you just because they had a good night’s rest.

1 John 5:14-15 AMP

¹⁴ This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that ^[a]if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.

How Developed is Your Dependency on God?

Doubt is opposite of faith. Faith comes by hearing (and reading) the word of God. Doubt comes from a lack of hearing or reading the word of God. So how dependent are you on Jesus?

Dependence on Prayer from Others

• Have you ever thought about what it means to ask a group of people to pray for you about something? 
• How do you know what they believe? 
• Have they developed their faith in believing God, and agreeing with you in prayer? 
• Or are they praying in another way that disagrees with what you are believing God for? 
• And is what you (or they) are praying for in line with God’s word?
• And is how others are praying for you in line for what you are believing? 
• Or are you just hoping that out of all those various rose colored “words” that were prayed that something is going to get through and hopefully get you an answer? 

Oh my! Now if that doesn’t have you thinking and wondering!

James 1:6-7

“⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” 

Do Not Be Caught Dead in the Water

What that means to me is that if you haven’t practiced or developed your dependence on God (who He is, what His desires are and what His will is, and what His word says), and you haven’t put it into action (James 2:17), then it’s dead in the water. Carmen dropped her cell phone in the gulf while we were kayaking once – so doubt is like Carmen’s cell phone – dead in the water! 

You must develop Dependence on God in order to model your faith in God.  Ignorance is NOT bliss.  Any area of undeveloped dependence in God (fully knowing Him), and the Enemy will jump in and kill, steal and destroy you.  “Wow Scott, I thought this was Words of Encouragement,” you might be thinking about now. 

In John 11 Jesus, who had obviously developed His dependence in His Heavenly Father, prayed so that others would hear him as he was being heard by his Father.  Jesus was modeling here – he wanted to be seen and heard for a reason.

Challenge for today – Grow your faith (yes faith can be developed) in such a way that others see Jesus through your routine and non-routine day – that every-day-walkin-around-kind-of-life.  What one thing can you do today to grow your dependence on God, AND demonstrate that dependence, so others will see you as an example to follow?  So be it!”

Side Note – I write what comes out.  Hang with me and I think this Dependence on God thing will begin to make sense in the following days.