God’s Power, or Our Own Will Power?
by Jill Southern
What is it that sustains your Christian life and walk? Is it all up to you? Is it your will power? Did you know God takes it upon Himself to maintain our covenant with Him? The promise in Jeremiah 32:40-41, our text for today, is one of the most precious promises in the whole bible. Let me encourage you to underline it in your bible or memorise it, so you know it really well. Unlike you and me, God is faithful, and 2 Timothy 2:13 says, ‘If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself’.
When we came to Christ by faith, God made promises to us, and we can bank on God’s faithfulness, not on our will power. We are united with Christ, so we can trust Him to fulfil His promises to us. We are covenant members in Christ, blood-bought children of the living God, but we cannot sustain our Christian life and walk alone. We must rely on His promises to us rather than our own will power.
The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and inspires us to trust God. When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, trust is an essential ingredient. It is impossible to have a relationship with God which does not involve trust, and we are to voluntarily make ourselves dependent on Him for our whole lives. We need to know the character of God, and then we take our hands off the controls of our lives and give them to Jesus. It can sound scary, but, in fact, it is the safest thing that we can ever do. We can trust Him for our lives now and for eternity. In 1 Thessalonians 5:24 it says, ‘The one who calls you is faithful and will do it!’
I wonder how many Christians, like Moses, never go into their promised land and taste the milk and honey on the other side of the Jordan. They live and die outside their promised land. In Jeremiah 32:40-41, God says He will assuredly plant His people in their promised land if they allow Him to lead them.
So, what is it to be for you and me, as we move into this next season with a desire to fulfil our calling and to build the kingdom? Like the people of Israel, we too can choose to totally trust in our covenant-keeping God to lead us. We too are called to follow obediently, radically, with no compromise, and allow Him to plant us where He wants us. But remember it is ultimately only possible through God’s power at work within us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to surrender afresh to You today. Thank You so much that You have chosen me and drawn me into Your love covenant. I thank You that even my ability to maintain my Christian faith is Your work in me. Help me to stop trying to do things in my own strength and to start trusting You. ‘O for grace to trust You more!’ Amen.
Jill Southern is the founder of Ellel Ministries Pierrepont and directed the work for 21 years. She has recently stood down from that role but still teaches on the NETS programme and has the passion to train and equip God`s people to fully walk in their destiny and calling. She is the Regional Director for Ellel Ministries International in South East Asia and China and is also on the Executive Leadership of the ministry.
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