Relying on God

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I just spent the day hiking in some of God's beautiful creation, and it occurred to me during the day that we need to rely on and trust God completely.

I knew that, but what occurred to me today that there's a subtle trap used by Satan in my life, and perhaps in others. I find that I rely on myself to make myself rely on God. In reality nothing we can do can bring us closer to God. It is only through Jesus that we are saved, and we put our faith in him when the Holy Spirit works in our lives to bring us to repentance and to trust in him.

The same applies here - We can't get 'closer' to God by relying on our own efforts. Once we are saved we are forgiven entirely and forever. We can't be any 'closer' to God than we are. Yet we can still sin and move in our walk with God - but we cannot draw ourselves back closer to God, only he can, and he has in Christ.

What I've found is that I forget in my heart that Jesus has paid it all and that I am entirely forgiven, and I start to worry about how I'm living and if I'm doing good enough, and so I focus on myself. Instead we need to focus on God, give him everything and remember that it is Jesus' sacrifice alone that saves us.

But at the same time, that doesn't mean we can live however we want. If we truly have repented of sin then we won't keep doing it. If we truly trust Jesus we won't disobey him. If we truly love God we will love to serve him. If we realise the depth of what he has done for us we will be thankful and obey out of that thanks.

Isaiah 26:4

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.