A relaxing pastime my wife, Bobbi, loves to do along with our daughter, Allena, is to paint. One of her masterpieces was done into two parts (see finished project below). The lily pads and water were done at an art class at a nearby church.
Part two was initiated when Bobbi realized something more
was needed. From a suggestion of mine, the acronym FROG (Fully Rely on God) was
added as well as a tiny smiling frog in the corner of the picture. It was now
complete.
Have you ever wondered how it’s possible to move from a
cute acronym to actually relying on God completely in the reality of your own
world? Hopefully, the suggestions below can help:
1. Acts of
Service and Love: The
reason we want to overcome these adversities is to be more like Jesus, right?
It stands to reason that relying on God’s strength means following the example
set by Jesus, God in the flesh. Jesus was a servant. “The Son of Man did not come to
have others help him. But he came to help others. He came to give his life to
make many people free.” (Matthew 20:28, New Testament WE)
If we want to be like
Him, we need to work on serving. Most sin is the product of selfishness. If we
purposefully get outside of ourselves to serve others, we are letting God
attack our selfishness head on. The moment you start serving others, you are
doing the exact opposite of sin. Do something for someone else, especially if
it is someone who cannot repay you.
2. Bring the
Inside Out: When
you find your fellow traveler, learn to bring what is on the inside out. Learn
to share the secrets of your heart. The darkness in there will only dissipate
to the degree you shed light on it. “Tell your sins to each other. And pray for each
other so you may be healed. The prayer from the heart of a man right with God
has much power.” (James 5:16, NLV)We
need to find people we are willing to share these dark secrets with. Otherwise
they will simply grow and take over. When temptation hits, find someone to
share what you are thinking, what you are feeling, what you are considering.
You will be amazed at how this helps defuse the temptation and its power over
you.
3.
Conscious Contact with God through His Word: “Now I’m turning you over to God, our
marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and
give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.”
(Acts
20:32, MSG)
Don’t read the Bible like a
newspaper, Listen to God’s word for the help it is offering. Find passages that
help you in certain situations and return to them again and again as needed.
God’s Word does give life when we use it as a life-giving connection to God
instead of a dead homework assignment.
4. Cut It Off: “So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown
into hell. And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it
away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it
go into Hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30, GW)
If we keep going to the
places, hanging out with the people, and interacting with the things that have
always led us to sin, then we are relying on our own strength. We think we can
follow the same path we’ve always followed but somehow we will be strong enough
to play a different game. Relying on God’s strength means cutting off what
leads us to sin.
5. Do the Next
Right Thing: “Instead, make
your top priority God’s kingdom and his way of life and all these things will
be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NTE) Relying on God’s strength means simply doing what
He tells us to. Listen to His advice, and seek His way. Right now, my
responsibility is only to do the next right thing. I don’t have to worry about
where it is going to lead. I don’t have to get bogged down with what I’m going
to accomplish through it. I simply need to trust God to make everything work
out in the end. I don’t have to fret about what will happen tomorrow. Don’t
misunderstand that when you rely on God’s strength temptation won’t disappear. God
will win the victories (in His time).
6. Find a Fellow
Traveler: Rely
on God’s strength means depending on God’s people. Find a fellow traveler. Find
someone to walk with, talk with, share with, and confess with. Find someone who
knows where you are. “Two people are better than one,
because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other
can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because
no one is there to help.
If two lie down together, they
will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm. An enemy might defeat one
person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of
three strings is hard to break.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NCV)
7. Give Thanks: “Give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This
is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed.” (1
Thessalonians 5:18, VOICE) Because
of sin, bad things are going on and we suffer for it. Why doesn’t God allow
things to go our way? Bitterness and resentment can sometimes lead us to turn
away from God, and start relying on ourselves. When I’m taking care of me, I
always get trampled by the adversities.
One of the best pieces of advice
I have ever received is about writing a gratitude list. Start your day with
one. End your day with one. Maybe even in the middle of the day remind yourself
with one. On tough days I urge you to write your list down. What are you
thankful for today? As I unload all the blessings I have received, I begin to
realize God isn’t picking on me. I really don’t have it that bad. Lots of
things are going my way.
8. Give Up: The first practical thing you
have to do if you want to conquer your adversities is to surrender to God. “I am at peace and
even take pleasure in any weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed because when I am at my weakest,
He makes me strong.” (2
Corinthians 12:10, VOICE) Only when we recognize we can’t
win will we truly give ourselves over to God, and let Him win the victories
through us. Many times I’m relying on my strength to get me through the day. I
need to do things that will connect me to God because He is strong enough.
9. Pack the Right Bags: “But you must take the Lord Jesus Christ
into your hearts. And do not plan to do the wrong things your bodies want to
do.” (Romans
13: 14, New Testament WE) Sometimes the adversities beat us because we
rely on our own strength. The fact is if we pack our bags to travel into the
flesh, we are going to submit to the flesh. We just aren’t that strong. Rely on
God’s strength. This means packing your bags to travel with the Spirit.
Consider this example. Going to a buffet is not the same as committing
gluttony.
Can some people eat at a buffet
and not commit gluttony? Yes. What if your temptation was gluttony. Then eating
at your local Chinese buffet is going to be packing your bags to walk in the
flesh. Don’t spend all your time defending how eating there isn’t a sin. That’s
not the issue. If you keep walking into a place where gluttony beats you every
time; you are packing your bags to get beat by the adversary. Rely on God’s
strength.
10. Walk in God’s Presence: “Always keep on praying.” (1
Thessalonians 5:17, TLB) We need to take prayer to the next level.
Instead of praying because it is what you are to do, pray because you are
convinced God is right there with you listening. Envision Him as you would a
friend that is beside you. Talk with Him because He is there. When God is in
our presence and we aren’t talking to Him, it means something is wrong with our
relationship. So get up and tell God,
Tell Him anything else that is on
your mind in the morning. When you go to bed at night, tell Him, Tell Him
anything you need to unload before going to sleep. Talk with Him while you go
through your day. Ask Him to help with the decisions you are about to make.
It’s hard to do wrong things throughout your day if you first run it by God to
see what He thinks about it.[i]
 |
| The artist and her husband (Bobbi and me) |
For a long time I thought, “I've got to buck up, and be strong. I've
got to put on a brave face, and get through this near burn-out or that
discouraging time in my life.” God has really seriously changed my thinking on
this. When you take off the mask, you relate at a base level to everyone else
who has been through pain (and everyone has). Honesty promotes intimacy, and
promotes us together relying on God. True honesty is beautiful. (Rebecca St. James)
 |
| The masterpiece |
[i] Sources used:
·
“5 More Ways to Rely on God’s Strength to
Beat Your Adversities” by
·
“5 Ways to Rely on God’s Strength to Beat Your
Adversities” by Edwin Crozier
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