{"id":208,"date":"2015-09-02T15:45:29","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T15:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/youcansitwithus\/?p=208"},"modified":"2015-09-02T15:45:29","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T15:45:29","slug":"dependent-or-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/youcansitwithus\/2015\/09\/dependent-or-independent.html","title":{"rendered":"Dependent or Independent?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There is such a pull between what our society says and what God&#8217;s word says\u2026 It is a constant battle that goes on with all christians. I met up with a girlfriend for coffee and we were talking about how when we get into God&#8217;s word, \u00a0everything becomes clearer, our whole perspective changes for the better. We went on to discuss how rejuvenated we feel from the living word of God. However, we both struggle to take the time to get nourished everyday from his word because of other things pulling at us. Doesn&#8217;t make much sense does it? Why do we have such a hard time gravitating towards things that we know are good for us? The answer is because we have dark spiritual forces that pull our time and attention elsewhere. Even when those things that need our attention are important, the enemy DOES NOT want us in the word of God so he will create any distraction, even ones that seem important. He does not want us depending on our creator for ALL things in our life. The enemy wants us to lean on our own understanding.. The question is does leaning on our own understanding, truly work for anyone?<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at Jesus Calling and then scripture..<\/p>\n<p><em>Living in Dependence on Me is a glorious adventure. Most people scurry around busily, trying to accomplish things through their own strength and ability. Some\u00a0succeed\u00a0enormously; while others fail miserably. Both groups miss what life is meant to be: living and working in\u00a0collaboration with ME.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>When you depend on Me continually, your whole perspective changes. You see miracles happening all around, while others see only natural\u00a0occurrences and &#8220;coincidences&#8221; You begin each day with joyful expectation, watching to see what I will do. You accept weakness as a gift from Me, knowing that my power plugs in most readily to consecrated weakness. You keep your plans tentative, knowing that my plans are far superior. You consciously live, move, and have your being in Me, desiring that I live in you. I in you, and you in Me. This is the intimate adventure I offer you-\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>But He said to me, &#8220;My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.&#8221; Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ&#8217;s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ&#8217;s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10<\/p>\n<p>For in Him we live and move and have our own being, As some of your own poets have said, &#8220;We are his off spring.&#8221; Acts 17:28<\/p>\n<p>On that day, you will realize I am your father, and you are in me and I am in you- John 14:20<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look in the book of Matthew<em>\u2026 He said to them, &#8220;Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,&#8221; Move from here to there&#8217;, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>xo<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is such a pull between what our society says and what God&#8217;s word says\u2026 It is a constant battle that goes on with all christians. I met up with a girlfriend for coffee and we were talking about how when we get into God&#8217;s word, \u00a0everything becomes clearer, our whole perspective changes for the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":594,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[40,43,41,8,19,3,42,39],"class_list":["post-208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dependence","tag-future","tag-glory","tag-god","tag-hope","tag-love","tag-miracles","tag-power"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dependent or Independent? - You Can Sit With Us<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dependent or Independent? - You Can Sit With Us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is such a pull between what our society says and what God&#8217;s word says\u2026 It is a constant battle that goes on with all christians. 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