Self effort vs God

 

We love to check boxes don't we? 

✅Attend church

✅Give to church and charities

✅Try to be a good person

✅Be nice to people

✅Don't get drunk

✅Try not to swear

✅Read the Bible (reading words, but not allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us)

✅Do this

✅Do that

But if we do those things in our own efforts, we will always fail!

Why?

Because if we are not abiding, trusting and surrendering to God, those are just checked boxes and mean nothing. We must lay at His feet and give ourselves and our lives to Him. Trust Him with all things. We must have genuine faith, and faith comes from God to a surrendered heart. Get rid of those check boxes that you're trusting in. Trust in God instead and allow God to work in you by surrendering all to Him. He already is Lord of our lives, so we must submit to His Lordship. What does that mean?? A great article explains it better than I can: https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Lord.html

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

The English word, "acknowledge" means:

to recognize the rights, authority, or status of

to recognize as genuine or valid

(Definition of ACKNOWLEDGE. (n.d.). www.merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acknowledge)

What if we can't seem to trust Him with our lives? We already do trust people with our lives. How? Every time we board a plane, boat, train etc, we are trusting in the staff with our lives. Transfer that trust in humans to trust in God.