As Christians receiving our salvation by grace through faith alone, we must realise that we should grow in our dependence in the Lord.
Do you want to grow more dependent in the Lord and fully reliant on the grace that He supplies? Here are some ways to help you grow.
1. Trust God to Provide All That You Will Need
This isn't an excuse to be lazy and wait for God to throw down money bags from heaven, complete with a note that says, "Here's what you prayed for. Love, Jesus." Rather, this is a call for us to rely on the Lord for strength to earn, favour to have a source of income, and the capacity to work for a living.
The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 8:18, "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."
God is the one who gives us the power to get wealth. Astounding, right? Many of us rely on our own capacity to earn, but when we rely on God to help us earn, we'll be surprised to find that He does provide more than what we can work for!
God doesn't only give us the strength to work; He also gives us the air, water, warmth, and everything else that we need to live. He also connects us to the right jobs. In short, He sustains us.
2. Trust God to Help You in Your Relationships
It's quite easy to trust God to provide for our needs, simply because He promised to provide (see Philippians 4:19).
One area that we might find it hard to ask His help for is the area of relationships.
We can fully trust God to help us handle our relationships – how to love our spouses, how to raise our kids, how to extend grace to extended family members, how to set boundaries for other relationships, and many more. He gives us wisdom so that we can make the best decisions (see Proverbs 1:7, 9:10; Psalm 111:10; James 1:5-6).
3. Trust God to Help You Become Like Christ
God wants all of His children to become like Christ, and all Christians must make that their life passion, whatever their field of expertise or lack of it. Yet despite all the effort we could put into it, the fact remains that it's a God-sized job: only He could make us like Christ.
As such, we must learn to fully rely on God for our sanctification. We will find ourselves fighting against sin and the flesh on a daily and moment-by-moment basis, and if we fight this in our own strength we will always find ourselves failing. There's only one way to win: through the finished work of Christ. (see Romans 7:24)
We must fully put our trust in Christ's finished work on the cross. He has won the victory over our sins, and wants to empower us to live victorious lives. The question is, do we rely on His strength or in ours?
