Breaking The Chains Of Addiction
Attitudes That Keep You Prisoner
Forgetting God-Self Reliance
It is natural for man to assume that self-reliance is the key to success in life. After all, we tend to have a fairly high opinion of our ability to handle things by yourself. But self-reliance can only take you so far. Now if you were God on the other hand, self-reliance would get the job done every time. You would be indestructible. But since you and I are not God, we are neither invincible nor unstoppable. We all have limitations. We all have shortcomings. We all have sin. And this is why self-reliance is not the be-all and end-all it purports to be.
Believe it or not, self-reliance ultimately ends in defeat because there are only two possible outcomes for self. You can either "deny yourself" (Matt. 16:24) as you hand over control of your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, or you can wait until you face Jesus on Judgment Day and discover that self did nothing to provide for your eternal well-being. Self makes a very poor savior because self is unable to forgive your sins or bring you into a relationship with your Creator. You need the cross of Christ and the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins, and you need the power of the Holy Spirit to convert your soul through repentance and faith. Apart from spiritual conversion, all you have to rely upon is self. And self won't "pay the bills" so to speak when it comes to having your sins forgiven and your name written in "the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27)
Self has only two possible outcomes. It either gets "crucified" through spiritual conversion, or sent away to hell on Judgment Day. Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20) This is what happens when a soul is converted. Self gets dethroned and Christ gets exalted. Self is replaced by Christ.
If you identified the negative attitude of Forgetting God-Self Reliance in your DMI today, take some time to complete this devotional. Read each passage beginning with (Matthew 16:24).
Meditate on this verse(s). Continue with the next passage until all passages are completed. It is imperative that you allow the Holy Spirit to confront us with our sinful attitudes and character flaws, and that we take responsibility for our behavior without making excuses. This requires looking honestly at the intentions of our hearts if we are to allow God to work in these areas. Ask the Lord to reveal the truth behind these attitudes. Our hearts are deceitful and we will try to hide the true reasons behind these behaviors. Be sure to write down any revelations of the Holy Spirit, especially where they come from.
Meditate on this verse(s). Continue with the next passage until all passages are completed. It is imperative that you allow the Holy Spirit to confront us with our sinful attitudes and character flaws, and that we take responsibility for our behavior without making excuses. This requires looking honestly at the intentions of our hearts if we are to allow God to work in these areas. Ask the Lord to reveal the truth behind these attitudes. Our hearts are deceitful and we will try to hide the true reasons behind these behaviors. Be sure to write down any revelations of the Holy Spirit, especially where they come from.