#70 THE DELUSION OF INDEPENDENCE 9-1-26
One of the greatest delusions of life is believing that we can live without God. We may call it independence, strength, self-sufficiency, or simply being our own person. But underneath it all is the ancient temptation to say, “I can do this on my own.” From the beginning, humanity has been tempted to believe that we can determine our own way and live without depending upon our Creator. The serpent told Eve that she could be like God (Genesis 3:5), and the deception continues today.
We were never created to live independently of God. Every breath we take is a gift from Him. Every ability we possess comes from Him. Every opportunity we have ultimately rests in His providence. Paul said, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). We may think we are standing on our own, but we are standing because God has given us the strength to stand.
Jesus made the matter even clearer when He said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He did not say we could do a few things without Him. He said we can do nothing. We may build businesses, accumulate possessions, achieve success, and become respected by others, but none of those things can give us spiritual life. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot cleanse our own hearts. We cannot make ourselves right with God. We need Christ.
The world tells us to believe in ourselves. The Bible tells us to trust in God. The world tells us to follow our hearts. The Bible tells us to surrender our hearts to God. The world celebrates self-sufficiency, but the Gospel teaches dependence. The Christian life does not begin with saying, “I can handle this.” It begins with saying, “Lord, I need You.”
Dependence upon God does not mean that we become lazy, irresponsible, or unwilling to work. God expects us to use what He has given us. We should think, work, plan, serve, and make wise decisions. But we do all of these things with the humble recognition that our sufficiency is not in ourselves. “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established” (Proverbs 16:3).
Sometimes God allows us to discover the weakness of our independence by taking us through circumstances we cannot control. We discover that money cannot solve everything. People cannot fix everything. Human wisdom cannot answer every question. Our strength eventually reaches its limits. But when our strength runs out, God’s strength has not diminished. Paul learned this when he heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The strange thing about the Christian life is that the way to become stronger is not to need God less. It is to recognize that we need Him more. The more we depend upon Christ, the more we discover His strength working through us. We do not lose ourselves when we surrender to God. We finally become what He created us to be.
Independence promises freedom, but independence from God is a prison. Dependence upon God is true freedom. When we stop trying to carry what only God can carry, we find peace. When we stop trying to accomplish what only God can accomplish, we find humility. When we stop trying to control what belongs in God’s hands, we find rest.
We were never meant to walk alone. We were created by God, sustained by God, redeemed through Christ, and strengthened by His grace. The greatest freedom is not being free from God. It is being free to live completely for God.
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Lord, deliver us from the delusion that we can live without You. Forgive us for the times we have trusted our own wisdom, strength, and plans more than we have trusted You. Teach us to depend upon You in everything. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD
