"LEANING ON THE LORD
Living with confidence involves emptying myself of self-reliance. Man can never be more powerful than that on which he relies. If I rely on myself, I can only be as strong as myself. To be stronger than I am, I must rely on someone greater (Psalm 37.3). Let me suggest four steps to emptying ourselves of self-reliance:
(1) Count self's abilities as nothing (Philippians 3 & 4);
(2) Hunger for God's empowering (Philippians 3:13-14);
(3) Learn to pray effectively (Philippians 4:6-7);
(4) Trust (Philippians 4:11-12). Trust always acknowledges God's control and never leaves it to its own persuasions. Trust necessitates that I understand the meaning of true humility.
Humility involves: right perspective of God - true humility is not centered in my inadequacies, but His magnitude (Isaiah 6:5); right perspective of myself - humility is not self-degrading, but self-accepting; right perspective of others - humility will never let me exalt self by degrading others.
God will never make us more fruitful than our humility will allow (I Peter 5:5). I've listed for your study several attitudes to be considered when leaning on the Lord: Perspective - rather than concentrating on the visible, perceive the invisible (Isaiah 40:31); Direction - we commit our ways, He directs our paths (Proverbs 16:3); Obedience - moving only at His direction (Psalm 123:2); Patience - wait with assurance on Him (Luke 2, Romans 8:25); Attitude - make proper responses to pressure (Psalm 62:5,6); Confidence - know God will equip you for the task (I Samuel 21:9); Submission - know the Lord will compete His task: 'Be still and know...' (Lamentations 3:25,26); Non-defensive - don't defend your position (Proverbs 20:22); Sacrifice - giving self to fasting and prayer, begin to see as God sees (Isaiah 58:11); Faithfulness - remain faithful to your duties (Hosea 12:6; Psalm 25:5; Acts 1:4).
Learning to lean,
Ron Mehl"