By Rev. Kenneth A. Fletcher

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know thus sayeth the Lord...

In this life we are often tempted to do things on our own without considering the Lord. Too often we make decisions without consulting the Holy Spirit. Many times we act independent. God's will is never to hurt or hold us down, but to bless, do good, and make us the best we can be. I’m moved to write you today about our wonderful privilege of depending on the Lord.

When I was a teenager, I thought that serving God would put a cramp on my style. The devil sold me the idea that it was not "cool" to be a Christian. I thought that Christians could not have any fun because God did not want them to. Boy, was I wrong! After following the devil for some years, I found out it was ME that ended up not having a good time.

My life became bound with destructive habits. My soul was in darkness and in despair. I had no peace though I sought for it diligently in the world. When I thought living INDEPENDENT of the Lord would bring me happiness, it only resulted in discontentment and pain.

I finally gave my life to the Lord and, oh, what a change took place. Jesus came into my life and I was born again into the family of God. For the first time, I had REAL peace and joy within my heart. Since that wonderful day, I have learned more and more that living dependent upon the Lord is the ONLY way to go!

One of my very favorite verses in the Bible is Proverbs 3: 5-6. It says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own under-standing. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

In all kinds of situations over the years I have used these verses many times. One thing that I have found out about the Lord is He requires us to live in dependency upon Him. You see, our faith rests upon God and His Word. In verse 5 of Proverbs 3, it says for us to, "Trust in the Lord". Trust means you are depending upon God--placing your life in His hands.

Dear friend, to trust God you have to believe what He has said to you. You must depend upon His Word. Becoming dependent on His Word is becoming dependent upon God. He and His Word are one.

When you trust God, you are showing Him that you are depending upon Him. It means leaning your life on God--placing the weight of your life upon God and His Word.

I often use the following illustration because it helps people understand trust. One night, years ago, I was lying flat on the floor of my office praying. After praying a good while, the Lord spoke up and said, "You need to trust me like you trust this floor!" I was shocked and surprised by His statement. I had to stop and think, "How am I trusting this floor?"

I was on the second floor in our apartment and, without any conscious thought, walked in and laid down--placing the whole of my body on the floor. Without realizing it, I became completely dependent upon the floor to hold me up. What the Lord was trying to get across to me was that I needed to COMPLETELY TRUST HIM with the whole weight of everything in my life! Just as I was depending on the floor, I needed to REST my life totally upon Him.

In Romans 14:23 it says: "...whatsoever is not of faith is sin.". Have you ever wondered why that is true? The reason is, if you’re not in faith in a certain thing, you are living INDEPENDENTLY from God in that area. When you're living in faith in a particular area, you're living in dependency upon God!

Heb. 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Faith pleases God because you are depending on Him. It thrills God to see you in faith. He is so pleased when you rest your life upon His ability.

Dependency on God is RESTING on Him. It is LEANING on HIS ability and not on your own. It is placing your confidence in God's integrity. Dependency on God brings liberty, peace, expectancy, and joy. Hallelujah!

Being dependent on God causes you to be independent of the circumstances that surround you. Dependency on God places you in His miracle realm where ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Dependency upon God brings wisdom, direction, strength, healing and health from heaven to you!

Lean on your heavenly Father. Believe, have confidence, and trust in God. You’ll certainly be blessed abundantly as you live dependent upon your wonderful Father God and His Word.    With love, KAF