Saturday, July 5, 2008

Happy Dependence Day

Yes, you got that right. There's no typo. Your eyes are not deceiving you. Today (okay yesterday but will explain) the country celebrates its independence from Great Britain. There will be lots of barbeques, fireworks, parties, and festivities. Along with a country lavished with freedoms, we are also a country that likes to celebrate any and all occasions (even "holidays" created by Hallmark). We indeed are extremely blessed to live in the land of the free. It is important to remember those who've given their lives for our freedom and continue to fight for our freedom. However, there is one freedom for which we never have to fight but merely ask and it will freely be given to us. We have an eternal freedom offered only in Christ.

In addition to remembering those who are fighting for our freedom, we must remember the One who gave His life for us to truly be free...free from eternal hell, free from condemnation, free from the captivity of our sins, free from death, free from our enemies. When we carry Christ in our heart, we carry freedom with us regardless of where we live, travel, or the situation we find ourselves. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Romans 6:22

To live free means to live dependent on God. The more completely we depend on God (D.O.G.), the more free we live. Did you hear that? For once, this dependence is positive; whereas, dependence on things or people can be deadly, dangerous, and destructive.

It can be obvious on what we do depend on God.

Job. Transportation. Housing. Health. Safety.

Do we depend on Him to find our lost keys? Do we depend on Him for our malfunctioning electronical gagdets? Do we seek Him on how to react to every person or situation? Do we seek Him in the little issues and depend on Him to provide the answer and the means? Do we ask and depend on him to find the time to exercise, to be in His Word daily, to pray more, to serve where He calls?

But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors. Hosea 10:13

May I propose that we take a deeper step into dependence with God? May we depend on God for all our needs and answers. Many people have expressed that it is hard to approach the Throne for those seemingly ridiculous and small concerns. However, God says to come to Him with everything in prayer. Do not be anxious about anything, but IN EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 We as humans view it as a "bother" to God. I mean, there are people dying of disease, living with no food, water, and shelter. Yet, we are supposed to ask God to find our keys so we can get to our interview on time in hopes of getting a job that will help us pay our bills and keep our house. Or are we supposed to really bother God in helping us be patient with our kids, to be courteous to our rude customers, have energy to clean our house, etc. For real? Yes, for real! For you see, not asking God shows we can do it all by ourselves. It says we can be loving to our children when they are screaming, the oven timer is dinging, the dryer is buzzing, and we're about to lose it. No, we can do it. No need to bother the Almighty who is healing the sick, feeding the poor, raising the dead.

No, there is no crisis too small for our God. The only thing too small is that BOX in which we place God. The Creator. The Almighty. The Majestic.

Going to God with everything, even those itsy bitsy issues demonstrates our TOTAL dependence on God. It demonstrates to our Father that we cannot do it all but rather we know HE can. Yes, He can find your keys. Yes, He can give you the right response on a chaotic day. Yes, He can get you there on time and accident free. Yes, He can do it all, big and small!

Consider this. If God was not concerned with the details, how come He put so much detail into all of His creation? Let us examine the vast variety of flowers and the intricate details. Let us watch the various beauty in the animals of the land and sea. Let us ponder on the very complexity of the human body. There's so much variation in our physical appearance but what about the human mind? Oh how complex it is. God is the Creator of details. God is all about the details. He is known for perfect timing. Yet, that too calls for details. Trust that God IS concerned with the details of your life.

Warm His heart. Bring Him glory. Fulfill His desires.
Depend on Him fully and all those will come to pass.

The Father is honored when we go to Him with total dependence. For parents, doesn't it bring you so much pleasure and honor when your children seek you to guide, to listen, to answer, to assist? (Okay maybe not if it's finding their underwear.) Imagine how it makes God Almighty feel when His children seek Him and rely on Him fully. God wants us to truly F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God).

So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemiesand turn my hand against their foes!" Psalm 81:12-14

Matthew Henry beautifully said "We can depend on God to fulfill His promise, even when all the roads leading to it are closed." (Streams in the Desert, July 1).

Note: The reason this post is late is because my (seven month old) computer decided to crash and burn on me. It wants a little attention so I am taking it to the Best Buy doctors (A.K.A. The Geek Squad) tomorrow. I tell ya, these things just barely beep, flash, and crash and they want a little TLC and probably want money spend on it. So, I will be praying and depending on God in hopes it is a hardware issue (under warranty) and not a software issue that will cost $60-200.

FROGin and DOGin,

24 comments:

Sheryl said...

great post. (okay, very weird, i just typed those first 2 words and i got an email notice that you commented on my blog - whoa)

ok, anyway...love what you had to say. i know i've tried on my own to do many things that i should have taken to the Lord, thinking they were manageable. i want to "depend" on Him. maybe that's why He has me where i am...

however, i do pray about lost keys, lost shoes, lost wallets (maybe because at the time it truly is a crisis!)

love,
Sheryl

much2ponder said...

I hear you sister! I have made a mess out of things by doing them my own way more times than I can count. Funny thing is for me it's not so much that I feel my requests are small, I simply don't think to ask for help until I know I need it. Not really all that funny, but such is this woman...a work in progress. I struggle with an issue, I mean a really seemingly simple thing and then after dealing with it for a little while on my own, the light goes on and I realize I need to pray about it. God is good!

From the Heart said...

A great post. What would we do without God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. He means what He says and says what He means. It has taken me many years to realize that God would help me with anything. After all he knows where those keys, pens, glasses, etc. are so why should I worry myself about it. It's amazing how quickly things can be found or how quickly problems, sickness, etc can be solved when we turn it all over to Him.
AliceE.

Lisa said...

Great perspective, Paula. Loved it!

Lisa :)

Mia said...

It is through these small, seemingly non-earthshattering requests and answers that our faith is built. I love to show my children how God works in our lives through lost keys,rude people, and all of the everyday situations.
I LOVE that I can go to Him for everything and anything.
Thanks for this post and I will be praying for your poor pc! : )

Yolanda said...

Paula,

There is a lot of MEAT in this post. May we eat it, chew on it, and swallow it down deep to NOURISH us.

FROGin and DOGin with ya,

Yolanda

Melanie said...

Love this post! It is so true that we need to depend on God more... He will carry us and meet our needs. It reminds me of a verse I shared on my blog last week..."Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave him up for us, won't he also surely give us everything else? Romans 8:32"

He cares about us so very much... it can only bring about good when we place all our dependence on Him.

Have a great week!

God Chaser said...

Great post I must admit I often forget God wants us to bring every single thing to Him- we get so wrapped up in the world's teaching of being independent we forget we are Christ-Followers and do things differently from the world. I hope to this week pay more attention to my needs and take them to God for He is able to handle the big and the small and I always say we put God in a box and I really dislike this becasue God is a very big God and I have not found a box that can hold HIm.

Joyfulsister said...

Hi Paula, Without Him I could do nothing, I need him more and more everyday. Hey sistah I'll be praying for your computer, We need you girlfriend so Lord Pweezee fix Paula computer and let it be nothing expensive to fix, besides Lord she uses it for your glory so bless it right now in Jesus name Amen!!! *smile* Hugz Lorie

Anonymous said...

I really like the point you made that if God didn't care about the details then why would He put so much detail into His creation. Beautiful! Well said!

Pamela (His maidservant) said...

Dependence Day-I love it!! Beecause that is how I celebrated the 4th this year-freedom in Chirst!! Great post!!

In His Graces~Pamela

Van said...

I am learning to depend on HIM more and more. Depending on God and knowing HE will accomplish "it" is a reason to celebrate. I love all your pics. Found you at Laura's blog.

Jenn @ Casa de Castro said...

Awesome post, Paula! I love what you said about depending on God even for the small things and little issues. Growing up, my mom used to pray (out loud so we could hear it!) asking the Lord to provide a parking space close to the door of whatever establishment she was visiting. Once my friend who was in the car with us when Mom prayed made fun of her prayer. (At least she waited until Mom wasn't around to hear it.) That bothered me, so I mentioned it to Mom later. She lovingly explained to me how much God cares about the very minute details of our lives, and because she had such difficulty walking, a parking place by the door was a big deal. (She didn't yet qualify for handicapped parking, and really, such a thing didn't exist at the time.) After that, I began to watch what happened when she would pray for the "minute details" of life, and ya know what? God answered!

I'm grateful for the early example I had of trusting God and believing Him to deliver what we need when we need it and to do so in a manner that is more that we could ask or imagine. Our God is SO good!

Lelia Chealey said...

No, there is no crisis too small for our God.

My favorite line in this post.

Jeremiah 32:17!

Blessings,
Lelia

Tracy said...

"There is no crisis too small for our God. The only thing too small is that BOX in which we place God. The Creator. The Almighty. The Majestic."

AMEN! SO very true and beautifully said. It boggles the imagination that a God like that cares about every little detail of our lives, and yet He does!

Praying that your computer repair bill won't be too high!

connie said...

Paula.
You have award waiting for you on my blog...
You are in my prayers...
Connie
GBU

LynnSC said...

Awesome post. I love the verse that you used...

Do not be anxious about anything, but IN EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

I so believe this... I have pray grease out of my son's pants before... A bicycle in a certain color for someone's birthday. God so cares about the details of our lives. I love it too. He is the most amazing, personal, giving, loving God. I so love Him. I want to love Him more too.

Thanks so much for this post.
Lynn

Tonja said...

I learned long ago that God is a God of the big and mighty as well as the small and tiny!

While I was in Savannah recently, we returned to our hotel after all day and I mean ALL DAY shopping. We were exhausted. We pulled into the motel parking lot and there was nothing. We circled around back and found nothing. If we had had to park on the street , our whole car would have to be unloaded. YUCK! So, I said, "God, we need a parking spot in the front lot. You know how tired we are, so if you don't mind, please open up something for us. Amen." We circled back through the front lot, saw nothing and as we started to pull out..the tail lights of a car came on...and sure enough, it was leaving! Not only did He answer my prayer...He gave us the best spot we could have gotten. Perfect for the night because it was close to the door and perfect for the next morning loading up the car! That God...He just loves to supply our needs, doesn't He?

Joyful said...

A Biblical oxymoron - we gain independence by dependence. Freedom comes from following.

Thanks for your writing here and for your faithful encouragement on my blog. You are a blessing!

Depending on Him,
Joy

GOD'S LADIE said...

Thanks for teaching me that nothing is too small nor too big for GOD! That HE can do anything and through HIM all things are possible. I am guilty of trying to do things on my own and GOD probably has a time laughing or shaking his head at me while I attempt to fix or resolve things. After I make a mess of things, I look back over the situation that I eventually give to GOD and laugh at myself. :)
Depending on GOD (seems easy) is something I am learning day by day.
Great is his faithfulness,
LaTonya

Laura said...

Paula,
So sorry about your 'pooter problems! It is so frustrating, isn't it, when our technology fails!
I love this post. What an amazing truth.
I read your comment on Lelia's post about Lysa's book. This chapter really spoke to me too. My past is not something that I am proud of. But, it is so hard to leave behind!
Only when I look back in faith do I have the right perspective. God has carried me through so much...
Praying for you, dear friend.

Kim said...

Your blog is simply beautiful. I found it through Sheryl. I am finding so much encouragement through the blogs that I created one myself. Your words speak volumes.
Kim from Jacksonville Fl
www.1dancingwallflower.blogspot.com

andi said...

AMEN!!! Thanks for those words of encouragement! I needed that right this minute! :)

Amy said...

Great minds must think alike....or God speaks to us in very similar ways. I had not read this post prior to posting on my blog.
I just got so tickled at God's sense of humor in using a "frog" to encourage and bless me.:)
Thank you for your cards and words of encouragement to me; as soon as I am able to sit at the computer for any length of time, I will add some pictures of the cards that were mailed to me, and tell a bit about each person. I also have some pictures that Shannon took of me at the hospital, and he is insisting that I show them.;)I'm kidding, of course, he just thinks it would be funny if I showed them.:)

I'll talk to you soon,
God bless,
Amy:)