The more time we spend with God, though fully satisfied, we also grow co-dependent on his presence, both wanting and needing it to function. An appetite that craves Christ is cultivated in the process of spending time with him. If you want to grow in both wanting and needing him, start devouring him.
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." -James 4:8
In the last blog, I discussed the importance of embracing a life of dependence on God. This clearly was demonstrated in the life of Jesus, as what he did came as an overflow of his communion with his Father. The lifestyle wasn’t one to merely preach about, it is one that is a blueprint for the Christian life that is meant to be participated in. All of us, struggle with dependence on God as our flesh makes war against us embracing this reality.
Fortunately for us, circumstances arise in our life as a means to thrust us into letting go of our independence and turning to God with a heart of reliance. Recognizing that specific seasons occur in our life as a means to draw us to God will aid in our intentionality of dependence and consequently produce practical growth in our life. Below are five simple ways we can all learn to grow in dependence on God:
1) Taking advantage of being weak and seasons of ‘infancy.’
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears and was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” – Hebrews 5:7-8
The perspective of man will always empower us to skirt and avoid weakness. However, weakness is often the perfect opportunity to propel you into a desperate desire for God’s presence and so growing in dependence upon him rather than relying on your strength. Paul articulated this over and over in his letters, as he was constantly writing that his weakness was the platform for God’s strength and was a gift, not a burden. Like Paul, our seasons of weakness may not simply be warfare that we need to attempt to immediately bind but be a divine gift that is being used to grow us in dependence on God.
I have found the more that I grow in wisdom, maturity, and favor with God, the quicker I am to realize the desperate need I have for him. Though unintentional, when growing in wisdom and stature, I quickly become independent and believe that my knowledge about God can replace being empowered by God. Thus, my maturity becomes a barrier to relying on God. Though God desires us to grow in maturity, he also loves our infancy. When we become so puffed up in knowledge, he often creates seasons to bring us back to the infancy of where it all began with him. This is all purposed for our good, as he desires our dependence so that he can fill us with his power and presence.
Jesus suffered and in weakness was crucified (2 Cor. 13:4). His suffering in weakness was a large part of his growth process listed in Luke 2:52. If it was the pathway God had paved for his most beloved Son, I can’t imagine it won’t be in part the pathway that he invites us to walk as well. Embrace seasons of weakness with joy, knowing that in these seasons, the most growth with God is about to occur.
2) Recognizing a Rebellious Will
For many reasons, our will often is hardened to God and thus rebellious and independent. An independent will is the fruit of a hard heart, and a hardened heart empowers our will to rebel rather than obey God. We first each must have an honest evaluation of where our will is if we are going to recognize our rebellion. If not, our rebellion will masquerade as wisdom and deceive us into believing our lifestyle is obedience.
When recognizing that your will is rebellious, simply repent and turn to God. Begin letting go of habitual patterns in life that are empowered by an independent will and start asking God to show you the rhythms and patterns he desires to create in your life. Active participation is critical in this process. If we claim with our mouth to have a rebellious will yet forgo becoming more dependent upon God, the fruit of our life will continue to be the result of rebellion, not obedience.
3) Let God Humble you
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11
If we are walking in an independent spirit, we should expect that God in his love will humble us. Rather than resisting these moments of rebuke, we should take note of them with sobriety, realizing that this moment is exposing that we don’t walk in as much dependence on God as we may think. Rather than resisting his rebuke, embrace it with joy. Let God humble you in his love, repent of your independence, and ultimately allow it to produce in you a greater dependence upon him. Ultimately, it is for your good that you respond to his rebuke as it will position you to humble yourself and so receive the reward God desires to give you – exaltation.
4) Cultivate an appetite that craves Christ
Like anything, the more we consume something the more dependent we become on it. For example, anyone who does drugs quickly finds out that they become dependent upon that drug to live. The more they do the drug, the more they want it and need it to function. Similarly, food addicts can experience the same thing. Though their stomachs are satisfied, food becomes the core of what they want and ultimately what they believe they need in a variety of different moments.
Similarly, the more time we spend with God, though fully satisfied, we also grow co-dependent on his presence, both wanting and needing it to function. An appetite that craves Christ is cultivated in the process of spending time with him. If you want to grow in both wanting and needing him, start devouring him.
A few easy ways to start doing this is by consecrating yourself to him. Setting apart increased amounts of time to be with him. Let go of hours on your phone, television, or computer to simply spend time with God. I promise the natural overflow of consecration will be increased dependence on him and desire for him.
5) Obey
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” - Luke 6:46-49
When a person proclaims to depend on God yet doesn’t bear the fruit of obeying God, they become a hypocrite who doesn’t believe what they say. Though they believe they depend on God, they are blinded by their religious independence. If we listen but don’t obey, we express the lack of dependence we have on God and ultimately the fragility of our life with him (Lk. 6:46-49). Unfortunately, often we become a people who listen but do not obey. This happens often in our lives, as one of Satan’s primary schemes is to make us believe we are living righteous, when in reality much of what we are doing is rebellious. When our participation with God stops at listening, we become a group of hearers, but not doers, whose faith is dead (James 2:17-18).
We must become fervent and zealous to go beyond participating within 4 walls once a week. Though our Sunday meetings are by no means wrong, if they become our measuring stick for our level of dependence on God, then attendance on Sunday, running a few programs, and being a part of a board will be what we believe is the fruit of obedience. Again, though none of these are wrong to be a part of, when we evaluate our obedience based upon a handful of things Jesus never did himself, then we have created all together the wrong evaluation of obedience. The commission for our measurement of obedience has already been stated and demonstrated in the life of Jesus, as the clear exhortation for a lifestyle of obedience is found in 1 John 2:5-6, “But if anyone keeps his word, the love of God has truly been perfected in him. By this, we know that we are in him. Whoever claims to abide in him, must walk as Jesus walked.”
We have a simple blueprint to follow, and that is this; read the life of Jesus, study what he cared about, watch what he did, and then do likewise. It is not our place to sit on a seat of judgment and determine which parts of Jesus’ life we are to follow. It is clear that we are to do what he did, and then do even greater things than him (Jn. 14:12-14).
“Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion … And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who did not obey? So, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” – Heb. 3:15, 18-19
Hearers who lack obedience express that what they say they believe, they don’t and that their hearts are hard to dependence on God because of their dependence on themselves. Our disbelief is usually expressed in what we do, not what we say. Satan schemes us to believe that words are the core of our dependence. However, obedience is the fruit of dependence, just as deeds, not words, are the fruit of faith.
“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as them. But the words they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” – Hebrews 4:2
“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
Growing in dependence on God will result as we increasingly obey him. If we are going to experience the profit of a life of dependence, prosperity, and success of the soul, we are going to have to begin evaluating our faith from the fruit of what we do, not merely what we say. Our obedience to God is both the end goal of dependence and a supplement for growth in dependence. Today, simply begin making intentional time to spend with God, responding to situations and circumstances in life with dependence on him.
