3 Practical Ways to Depend on God More

 

Do you feel that you could depend on God more?  Is your default response in situations to depend upon yourself alone?   Are you more apt to depend on God in serious situations and less in every day circumstances?  If you answered yes to all of these questions, you are not alone.

Unless as small children we are raised to continuously depend on the Lord in all things and develop that habit, we will tend to want to figure things out on our own, rather than ask the Lord for help.  Sounds silly actually.  Here we have the God of the Universe, Creator of ALL things, Savior and Redeemer, yet we decide to depend on ourselves as the default response and not ask God for help?  One of the reasons we default to depending on ourselves is that we are a forgetful people.  In other respects we might feel there will be a "quicker response", and in more cases than not, it is pride.

Whatever the case, the Lord is ready and waiting for us to depend on Him.  He desires to help us in ALL things, not just the big things.  

So how can we learn to depend on God more?

What Does the Bible Say About Depending on God?

I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him.  He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated.  My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter. Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge. 

Psalm 62:5-8

This verse sums up in a perfect nutshell why we need to not only depend on God more, but always.  The Lord is our ever present help.  He is all knowing, all powerful, eternal, infinite.  He is our Creator.  He is our Savior.  He is Sovereign and in control of all circumstances.  How could we not depend on him as our first course of action?!  

The Lord cares about everything that we care about, from our smallest decision to our biggest struggle.  God created us to be in relationship with Him.  He created us to depend on Him.   

 3 Practical Ways to Depend on God More

As children, I'm sure you all learned the drill of what to do if your clothes caught on fire:  STOP, DROP AND ROLL.

We can apply those same actions as a means to practically depend on God More.

Before any decision; when your schedule is overwhelming; when you find yourself beginning to worry; when you are in a crisis:

• STOP!  Stop and take the focus off of yourself and your situation, and redirect it onto God.  Depend on Him.
• DROP  "Drop to your knees" and pray.  Ask the Lord for wisdom regarding a decision; to multiply the work of your hands when you are feeling overwhelmed or for guidance on what should stay on the schedule and what should go; for peace when anxiety is overtaking you; for help, direction, a cool head and calm spirit within a crisis.  Seek the Lord in His Word.  Spend time with Him.  Man lives by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.  Drop and depend on it!
• ROLL  In Joshua 7:10, the Lord says to Joshua, Stand Up!  What are you doing down on your face?  After we have stopped and placed our focus on God; prayed and asked for guidance, we roll forward in full dependence on the Lord.  In so doing, we extinguish any tendency of taking our eyes off of Jesus and putting them "back on the waves".  Instead, we continue to press on depending upon the strength of the Lord alone.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Benefits of Depending on God

When we depend on God, we actually do more.  When we depend on self, there is the illusion that more activity is happening, but nothing can compare to the unseen, great and mighty activity of the Lord in all things when we depend on him.

There is freedom in depending on God.  This may seem counter to what our human nature feels.  Most people prefer to depend on themselves.  Even very young children, as little as one year old or maybe even younger, want to exercise their independence and will get quite upset if you try to do something that they have determined they can do.  When we depend on ourselves, we feel in control and not bound to another person for help.  But the reality is, we are actually putting ourselves INTO bondage because we are depending upon ourselves, and that's when we feel the overwhelm, the worry, the panic.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. 

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 6:63

If you are looking for freedom in the small nuisances of life, the uncomfortableness of difficult decisions, the hecticness of packed schedules or workloads, messy life circumstances or crisis situations, depend on God and you will experience the benefit of His strength, His provision, His wisdom, His direction and most especially His Love.

For similar posts, click on the following:

Are You Relying on God's Help: 4 Reasons You Should!

5 Comforting Scripture Prayers that WILL Bring You Peace

When to Act and When to Wait on God: 3 Things to Consider

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