This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of being a woman, or a Christian for that matter, we will ever encounter: we cannot do anything apart from Christ. Yes, I know you may have been told you can do anything you set your mind to; you may have been told that the world is your oyster; you may have been told nothing can stop you – but these are all lies. I’m sorry. The truth of the matter is that you and I are helpless when it comes to changing ourselves, especially when it comes to ruling over our emotions. We depend on God to transform our “natural” with His “supernatural.” When we focus on Christ, His thoughts become our thoughts, as we read in Proverbs 16:3. We may indeed teach our children to become more and more “independent” of us from the moment we begin teaching them to walk, but that is not the way God teaches us. His desire is for us to depend more and more upon Him with every passing day, with each passing breath. For God knows we can do all things only through Christ. We can be victorious over our emotions only when we abide in the Vine. In and of ourselves we are weak. Sure we can walk, feed ourselves, read, and make plans – but in God’s perfect perspective of His children, we are truly helpless. The truth is that we cannot take a single breath without God continuing our life. Our heart gains permission from its Creator before beating even once more. Our brain continues functioning only with the approval of the Lord.
Psalm 139:15 talks about not being hidden from God while we are being formed, and yet we were hidden and protected from everything else…even our mothers! Even with today’s amazing technology and 3-D sonograms, no one knows exactly what we are going to look like until we enter the light of day. In fact, even then most of us is still hidden from the world by our skin. If we have surgeries, our surgeons are able to see how we were woven together (our organs, blood vessels, veins, muscles, nerves), but even they aren’t able to perceive our personality. No one can really see what truly makes us except for the One who made us and from whom nothing is hidden. And it just so happens that when He made you and me, He made us fully dependent upon Him. Why? As D.L. Moody is credited with saying, “The world has yet to see what God will do with a man [or woman] fully consecrated to Him.”
Second Corinthians 12:9 says that God’s power shows up best in our weakness. Let that sink in, friend. You are required to allow your weaknesses to be upped by God’s strengths!
Can you grasp the beauty here? It is in our weaknesses and shortcomings that God is glorified and magnified in our lives. Only when we are surrendered to the fact that we can do nothing of ourselves can God manifest His strength in us. The very same strength and power that raised Christ from the dead are living within us and are available in us, but only when we cease striving and trying and struggling to do things on our own. The same goes with our emotions. Only a Savior can re-create, restore, and heal our broken bodies and hearts. Only Jesus can heal our emotions. Only when we surrender to Him do we have the strength available to govern our thoughts and emotions. Only then do we experience true freedom. Only then can we truly run with complete abandon and abundant joy. Only then can we give away something precious instead of dirty rags.
Watch Pat Layton this Monday on LIFE TODAY. This is an excerpt from Life Unstuck by Pat Layton. Copyright ©2015 by Patricia K. Layton. Published by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Used by permission.
