CWW Week 22 – Day 4 – Breaking The Chain

Today our theme is breaking the chain of self reliance.

Scripture.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV):

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Resilience is a powerful attribute especially in these times of increasing troubles, and self reliance has always been seen as a positive character trait.

But we can and often go too far in relying too much on ourselves.

I was once asked about our property and where we live. A colleague was considering a move into the country to “prepare” for what was coming. He enquired about our food and water supplies. Did we have any fuel reserves and were we off the grid?

We are most of those things yes but not because we are “doomsday peepers,” it’s because its a lovely way to live and we need to reduce our travelling as we are over an hour from our nearest commercial hub.

The question that got me thinking though was “do you have any fire arms?”

I have an air rifle to discourage starlings from the fruit trees but that’s all. He went on to say that an air rifle would stop the marauding hordes from stealing our supplies!

I could never aim a gun at someone who was starving. I told him that if the world has gotten to that state then we are all in a heap of hurt.

Prepping in the material things shows me a lack of trust and faith in God. Yes the Lord wants us to prepare for all eventualities but we can go too far.

Faith in God has more currency than a high powered rifle and a bunker full of survival gear. Paranoia is a powerful motivator for this kind of self resilience. I don’t think this is a healthy way to live because it’s a breading ground for suspicion and it has the tendency to be a heart hardener.

We need to live a life where we step out in faith not fear. Who controls our life when we live as staunch doomsday preppers?

Ever fearful and awaiting catastrophe is a fertile ground for satan and he thrives on it. Cults are made in this way.

The world I live in is the same as yours. I find peace in the turmoil and serenity in the everyday. My faith in humanity is constantly tested every day and found wanting, but my faith in God is growing stronger. It’s like having two tanks interconnected that have a twenty litre capacity. There is ten litres of fluid contained within the two tanks. When one is full the other is empty.

The more my faith in humanity decreases, the more my faith in God grows.

I truly believe that God is control and I am a passenger on the train of grace. In Jesus I have no fear. As he himself has told us in scripture in John 15:5:”I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

If I can do nothing without Him, then an over reliance on self only underscores my desire to live without Him because I feel that I have no need for Him.

It’s a dangerous place to be when the fat hits the fan and you find yourself left wanting. There will come a time when it will be too late to turn to Christ. At some stage our period of probation ends and our faith has to stand on it’s own and self amounts to nothing.

In Jesus we can remain careful but live carefree. We are called on to be the watchmen on the wall and live responsibly and with compassion with a tender heart and a strong resolve.

Selflessness is the way of Jesus. He demonstrated a life of other centred love everyday He walked among us. Matthew 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” The chosen are those who live by this creed. It all boils down to a simple choice.

Real resilience comes from a deep relationship with Christ.

Think of all the R words that relate to this kind of living.

Repentance, reconciliation, revival, resurrection, restoration, remedy, reverence, and of course resilience.

I can think of no better way than total surrender to self and a life dedicated to Christ’s will and control. How about you?

Its a beautiful day.

Questions.

1. Have you noticed a decline in compassion for our fellow man as we tend to be more centred on self?
2. Is there a tendency for “I’ll be right” instead of “we’ll be right?”
3. How would it be if Jesus were the vine and you were the branch in your life as you relied on Him totally?

Prayer.

Dear Lord, Papa God

You suggest to lean not on our own understanding. My prayer today Lord is that Your will for my life be at the forefront of my prayers and that You Papa will pave the pathway ahead of me. Help me to truly understand that, yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil because Thou art with me Papa. May I always put self last that I may be first in the Kingdom is my prayer today in your precious name Jesus. Amen.

Have a great day with Jesus

Graham Hood.