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Reading: 1 Peter
5:6,7
Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety
upon Him, because He cares for you.
Several weeks
after one of my conferences, a friend shared with me the story of
a dear Christian woman who had attended. She had lived in a deep
depression for several years. She "survived" by leaning
on her friends, three counseling sessions a week, and a variety of
prescription drugs.
During the conference, this woman realized that her support system
included everybody and everything but God. She had not cast her
anxiety on Christ and she was anything but dependent on Him. She
took her conference syllabus home and began focusing on her
identity in Christ and expressing confidence in Him to meet her
daily needs. She radically threw off all her other supports (a
practice I do not recommend) and decided to trust in Christ alone
to relieve her depression. She began living by faith in God,
rather than men, and renewing her mind according to Scripture.
After only one month, she was a completely different person. The
support of a caring community can become a poor substitute for our
own personal relationship with God.
Persons who want to move forward in Christian maturity can
certainly benefit from the discipling of others. And those who
seek freedom from their past can be helped through the counseling
of others. But ultimately every Christian is responsible for his
or her own maturity and freedom in Christ. Nobody can make you
grow. That's your decision and daily responsibility. We absolutely
need God, and we also need the support of one another.
Thankfully, none of us walks through the disciplines of personal
maturity and freedom alone. The indwelling Christ is eagerly
willing to walk with us each step of the way.
Lord, I affirm my total dependence on You for daily growth,
victory and freedom.
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