Text - Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 KJV.
Here at the City Of Hope, we've been looking at Street Theology versus bible Theology. Todays Devotional in on a very popular global ideology: Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves.
In simple terms it means, ‘Self-Help’. The basis of this ‘ideology’ is the current god of our age - individualism which excludesand makes no room for God. The belief of our age is,"If I just put the work to it, then even heaven will acknowledge and bless it".
It's a principle that seeks to remove the ultimate power of God in our lives to do things, and replace it with the power of man to do things themselves and be successful in it without God.
Recall the story of the sons of men who wanted to build the tower to reach God (Genesis 11)? They started the work, they had all the expertise and they worked unitedly, even so much that God acknowledged that they could achieve what they aimed for. However, because they had not sought the face of God over the project, nor put God in the start of their endeavor, in addition to the fact that they did not have a good motive for building the tower, their effort was wasted and brought to nothing,
God cannot share His glory with any man.
Lets consider another setting in the Bible. A young king had a building project. The difference here is that, this time God was in the project. King Solomon wanted a place that befits God and he sought God and asked for His grace. God guided him all the way; providing the resources, the people, the expertise and the project was completed to the glory of God (2 Chronicles 2).
Dear beloved, from these two instances the people worked but only one trusted in God. The other did not trust in God but thought their effort alone could do it.
Our decisions in life each day, should be taken from the point of trusting in God, not in our own wits.
When we trust in Him, we would know if he expects us to go ahead on a project or wait for Him to take the lead. It all emanates from the foundation of trust in God.
Remember that without Him, you can absolutely do nothing (John 15: 5). It's not by your strength and power, but by His Spirit that you can do all things (Zechariah 4:6, Philippians 4:13). That is why even when the world says you need to help yourself secure a job by sleeping with that recruiter or bribing him. Or that buying exam "chokes" will help you pass your exams since you have been carrying over that course. Or you need to enter false figures in the file, or join an illegal business just so you can make money and pay those debts. These are the most likely and common instances of helping yourself, instead of handing your life over to God trusting on Him to help you.
If you decide to "help" yourself by doing what God does not consent to, the result may be devastating.
Do not forget Sarah in the Bible who wanted to help her life. Though God had promised her a son, she went ahead to help herself by giving her maid to Abraham to sleep with, and the impact of such "self-help" the world has not recovered from (Genesis 16). Helping yourself this way just as Sarah did, shows that you do not trust God to help you.
So be wise dearest friend. Do not welcome the concept of helping yourself without God leading and guiding you. Seek His help and let Him lead you in the right way. His way is always best.
God bless you🥰🙏.