Examine the Message: 09 of 09
Helpless in the Hands of God
Revelation: Helpless in the Hands of God
What Does It Mean to Become Helpless Before God?
The word helpless usually sounds negative.
People are taught to become independent.
Self-sufficient.
Strong.
Certain of themselves.
But God taught me something very different.
Helplessness in the Hands of God Is Not Weakness.
It is the decision to stop relying upon ourselves and become completely dependent upon Him.
It means surrendering our own will so that we can follow His Perfect Will.
First, Submit to God
Scripture gives us the order plainly:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
~ James 4:7 (KJV)
Look carefully at the order.
First:
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Then:
Resist the devil.
According to what God taught me, we cannot ignore repentance, refuse to humble ourselves before God, and then assume that we are spiritually prepared to war against Satan.
Repentance comes first.
Submission comes first.
Humility comes first.
Then we stand against the enemy from a position of dependence upon God.
Jesus Christ Is Our Example
Jesus demonstrated submission to the Father.
Before confronting the devil in the wilderness, Jesus was baptized and then entered a period of fasting.
Scripture records His temptation by Satan.
Jesus did not abandon the Father’s will in order to satisfy Himself.
That is important.
Satan attempted to appeal to what appeared desirable or immediately necessary.
But something can appear beneficial and still not be the will of God.
This is why we cannot determine God’s will merely by asking:
What do I want?
What would make my life easier?
What appears best for me?
The faithful follower must ask:
What Is the Will of the LORD?
Stop Trying to Stand Without God
One of Satan’s strategies is to encourage us to believe that we can stand independently of God.
Pride says:
I can handle this.
I know what I am doing.
I do not need anyone to tell me what to do.
I can direct my own life.
But according to what God taught me, the true Christian must remain dependent upon God.
Why?
Because He sees what we cannot see.
He knows what we do not know.
He cannot be deceived by evil.
We can.
Therefore, I would rather trust the One who sees everything than depend upon my own limited understanding.
Surrender Your Will
The world often tells us to pursue what is best for ourselves.
God taught me to seek something greater:
What Is Best According to Him?
A faithful follower of God must sometimes abandon what appears best personally in order to obey what the LORD has said.
That requires trust.
There may be times when you do not understand His instruction.
There may be times when obedience costs you something.
There may be times when God’s direction does not agree with your plans.
The question is:
Will You Still Follow Him?
I Had to Learn This for Myself
I did not learn helplessness before God merely as a theological concept.
I learned it by living with Him.
As the LORD taught me how to live, I learned increasingly to depend upon His direction.
I state in A Call From God for Change that the major work and assignments I undertook after truly falling in love with the LORD were directed by Him.
Again and again, He proved Himself faithful to me.
And through that relationship, I arrived at something very simple:
There Is No One I Would Rather Follow Than the LORD.
That is helplessness in His hands.
Not terror.
Not defeat.
Trust.
Now Return to the Beginning of This Examination
You began this journey with a question:
Which Condition Are You?
You examined the four conditions Jesus described in the Parable of the Sower.
You examined what God revealed to me concerning:
The Beginning Before the Beginning.
The Sea.
Satan’s hatred of woman.
The Holy Ghost.
Eve.
God’s Order of the Family.
Suicide and the spiritual battle surrounding our thoughts.
But examination alone is not enough.
Knowing what I say God revealed to me is not the goal.
Reading Scripture without responding to God is not the goal.
The question now becomes:
What Will You Do With What You Have Examined?
Examine Your Surrender
Ask yourself:
Have I truly repented?
Have I submitted myself to God?
Am I depending upon Him -or upon myself?
Do I obey Him only when His instructions agree with what I want?
Have I surrendered my plans, desires, reasoning and future to His Perfect Will?
Do I truly trust Him?
And perhaps the most important question:
Do I Know Him Intimately Enough to Place My Entire Life in His Hands?
Become Helpless in the Hands of God
Do not merely learn about God.
Know Him.
Do not merely quote Scripture.
Obey Him.
Do not merely say that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Follow Him.
Repent.
Humble yourself.
Submit yourself to God.
Seek His face.
Listen for His instruction.
Obey His Perfect Will.
And stop trying to live independently of the One who created you.
You do not need to become stronger than God.
You need to become willing to place yourself completely in His hands.
Surrender.
And allow the LORD to lead you.