Depending on the Lord is the paramount thing to every Christian. He is the source of our life, He is the reason we are saved. The Lord knows the best, He has been in existence before us so He knows the right thing for us Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. We, therefore, must not depend on our own power, Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
A new life begins when we surrender everything including our life to Christ. Firstly, you should know that surrendering your life to Christ means you believe in Him for direction in life. You let the flesh step down for the new life in Christ to take over, ” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old one has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17. You used to depend on your limited powers before, but now the life you have you must depend on the Lord alone for the true direction.
In the course of depending on God, should we now be lazy not doing anything or expecting God to come down himself and do things for us? Even though God, being the Almighty, has the power to do that but still, He wants us to work and then depend on Him for a positive result James 2:26 “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” Let’s consider Joshua, he was told by God never to worry on how to lead the Israelites Joshua 1:5-9, God’s encouragement alone can make Joshua relax and hope God will come down to fight their battles while just sitting down and not strategizing. Jesus also, depending on God didn’t for that reason jump down from the top of the temple when Satan instructed him to.
If depending on God is the paramount thing for Christians and yet for the fact that you are depending on God, you must still work your way and never act in a foolish manner, then how can you depend on Him?
Surrender To Christ and Follow Him
You cannot just depend on the LORD by saying alone but by taking actions that show that you depend on Him which include surrendering to Him. You must let Him know that you have no power of your own and now you want to depend on Him for the best. You cannot deceive God by just saying you depend on Him with your mouth and not with your heart Job 13:9,“Would it turn out well if He examined you? Could you deceive Him as you might deceive a mortal?”
Dwell in Christ
After surrendering to Christ, you must remain in Him. Doing this helps to boost your trust in Him. Jesus himself said we should abide in Him always John 15:4. The reason for this is because abiding in Him means we are depending on Him for safety Psalm 91:1; Psalm 121. It is when we abide in Him that He will fulfill all He has promised in us.
Deeds and Faith.
You may be wondering why deeds has to be included. Deeds follows faith, they are together because the Bible stated that “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26. As depending on God is necessary for this Christian journey so also having faith is. If you don’t have faith in God, then you cannot depend on him. So to depend on God you must have faith in him and believe he rewards those that seek Him diligently Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
Obey His Word and Claim The Promises In It
The word of God is full of promises and also meant to correct us, it is a manual guide to us. The Scripture is God-breathed 2 Timothy 3:16 and we must read it. God ordered Joshua to read this word daily so as to have good success, He knew reading the word would make him depend on God for good success.
Watch and Pray
Prayer is a way to communicate with God, it is a connection that we must maintain. When you pray, you show that you’re depending on him for whatever you ask from Him. Jesus wants to boost our dependence on God when he said “pray continually” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. It not good enough to pray alone, that is why Jesus advised in Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This helped Jesus when he was tempted by Satan to jump from the top of the temple, if He had not watched and observed, He could have fallen for it because it is written “He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11. Jesus could have, for the sake of depending on God, fell for it but He watched.
Give Thanks in All Circumstances
In whatever situation you find yourself, don’t stop giving thanks. Thank Him for what He has done and for the ones He will do. By doing that you are depending much more on Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”