Understanding How To Depend on God and His Faithfulness
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do……-Ephesians 2:10
All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen . . . —2 Corinthians 1:20
Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? —John 14:9
Our Lord must be repeatedly astounded at us-astounded at how “un-simple” we are. It is our own opinions that make us dense and slow to understand, but when we are simple we are never dense; we have discernment all the time. Philip expected the future revelation of a tremendous mystery, but not in Jesus, the Person he thought he already knew. The mystery of God is not in what is going to be-it is now, though we look for it to be revealed in the future in some overwhelming, momentous event. We have no reluctance to obey Jesus, but it is highly probable that we are hurting Him by what we ask-”Lord, show us the Father . . .” (John 14:8 ). His response immediately comes back to us as He says, “Can’t you see Him? He is always right here or He is nowhere to be found.” We look for God to exhibit Himself to His children, but God only exhibits Himself in His children. “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” ( 14:1, 27 ). Am I then hurting Jesus by allowing my heart to be troubled? . If I believe in Jesus and His attributes, am I living up to my belief? Am I allowing anything to disturb my heart, or am I allowing any questions to come in which are unsound or unbalanced? I have to get to the point of the absolute and unquestionable relationship that takes everything exactly as it comes from Him. God never guides us at some time in the future, but always here and now. Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom, power and spiritual abilities you receive is immediate.
Jesus’ parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 was a warning that it is possible for us to misjudge our capacities. This parable has nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities, but relates to the gift of the Holy Spirit as He was first given at Pentecost. We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, “You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us. The servant justified himself, while condemning his lord on every point, as if to say, “Your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave to me.” Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry after He has said, “But seek first the
Worrying means exactly what this servant implied—He is not trusting God. he said “I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable.” A person who is lazy in the natural realm is always critical, saying, “I haven’t had a decent chance,” and someone who is lazy in the spiritual realm is critical of God. Lazy people always strike out at others in an independent way.
Never forget that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on, the promises of God. Is God able to fulfill His promises? Our answer depends on whether or not we have received the Holy Spirit.
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2Corinthians 7:1
I can do everything through him who gives me strength….- Philippians 4:13
If you just read the first part of this verse, it would immediately sound an alarm indicating arrogance: "I can do all things." This was the spirit that attempted to build the
But the next two words in the verse take this out of the context of arrogance altogether: "through Christ." It is not a boast of self: "I can do all things." It is, I can do all things through Christ! There is a huge difference. It is one thing for someone to say, "I can do all things." It is quite different to confess, "I can do all things through Christ." To get the impact of this, stop and think about what you couldn't do without Him! You could not effectively and thoroughly know your lost condition. Without Him, you could not have adequate concepts of God. Without Him, you could realize no victory over sin. Without Him, we would all be a victim of the wrath to come. Jesus said to His disciples "without Me you can do nothing," (John. 15:5). In Ephesians 2:12 teaches outside of Christ, we have "no hope" and we are "without God in the world." So with Christ through Him; in our relationship of active faith in Him we have strength we could not have any other way! Strength to adequately evaluate ourselves. Strength to know the difference between right and wrong by faithfully applying His Word. Strength that comes through the remission of our sins. Strength in response to prayer we offer to God through Him. Strength of character as we follow His example and obey Him. This is strength in such abundance, we are able to do everything God wants us to do. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."
"Of the strength which Christ can impart, Paul had had abundant experience; and now his whole reliance was there. It was not in any native ability which he had; not in any vigor of body or of mind; not in any power which there was in his own resolutions; it was in the strength that he derived from the Redeemer. By that he was enabled to bear cold, fatigue, and hunger; by that, he met temptations and persecutions; and by that, he engaged in the performance of his arduous duties" (Barnes).
Most believers want to Trust on the Lord, Walk with Him, be used by Him to build His Kingdom. But His Scripture makes it clear. Any thing that we do for the Lord is the result of us willingly setting ourselves aside and drawing on His strength, provide to us by His Spirit that lives within us.
JOHN 6:29 & JOHN 15:5 describes it very simply…Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent….. I Am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack. Remember each day to Call – On - Jesus! Through His Spirit He will empower you to do His will!
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