Leadership Personal DevelopmentSample

DEPENDENCE ON GOD

Jeremiah draws a sharp contrast between those who depend on human strength and those who depend on the living God. He makes it clear that we cannot look to both as our supreme basis of trust; we will either put our hope in the promises and power of people, or we will look beyond human capability to the person and promises of God. When we make people the basis of our confidence, we experience rejection and disappointment again and again. But when God becomes the ultimate source of our confidence, we are never let down.

Habakkuk learned that “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4), and he was not talking about faith in others. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Those who put more confidence in themselves or in other people than in God will find bitterness and disappointment in the end. They may appear to prosper for a season, but the journey will not get them to their desired goals. But those who transfer their trust from themselves or the promises of others to the Lord discover that their lives are deeply rooted in well-watered soil. The Lord declares that “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained” (1 Samuel 2:30).

In what areas of your life (e.g., business, finances, health, family) are you depending more on yourself and others than on God?