Reliance ONLY on God?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bfree1216
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bfree1216

Guest
I know this is a slightly ridiculous question, but it’s been something on my mind for a while now and it’s definitely caused me to live life in a not entirely healthy way.

I’ve been working on relying ONLY on God, which should be a good thing! But in application, this seems just ridiculous. I can’t rely on my family? My friends? My spiritual mentors? They’re obviously not God, so why should I rely on them if the goal of the Christian life is only to rely on God?

The same goes for a multitude of other things that I’ve been told should only be found in God alone: enjoyment, fulfillment, trust, confidence, and security.

All of these bring up questions that seem to make no sense in application. I can’t enjoy life? I can’t find fulfillment in my job? I can’t trust myself, have confidence in myself, and feel secure in myself?

The answer seems to be an obvious yes, that I CAN do these things, but where is God? How do I find reliance, enjoyment, fulfillment, etc. only in Him when there is so much that I can (and should) find these things in that aren’t Him? Or maybe better yet, how can I do these things without taking my eye off of God?
 
Last edited:
You can trust that God is using the poeple in your life to lead you to him
 
By seeking GOD through these things also and thanking HIM for having put them in your life.
And the pinnacle of Christianhood is when you will thank HIM even when you face adversity recognizing that HE is always behind and next to you to carry you through your travails.
Did NOT GOD made the Universe and all it contains and HE stated that it was good?
Peace.
 
Everything good comes from God. Your loving family, your talents, a job you like, the beauties of nature, and all your blessings cone ultimately from God. Thank Him and enjoy his gifts.

God also sends people their families, teachers, helpers and companions. It is fine to rely on these people with the knowledge that both you and these other people are guided by God, so you’re ultimately relying on him for everything. God even gave his own son, who was also God, two human parents, extended family, good friends, and a trade/ job. Jesus no doubt relied on all these people and on his own ability to read the Jewish scriptures, swing a hammer and saw wood, etc. He thanked his Father in Heaven for his blessings all along the way. So just do like Jesus.
 
Last edited:
Of course you can rely on others for support, but your greatest focus and reliance should be on God. Many times God gives us people like our family and friends to strengthen our relationship with Him. When we have companions to walk with us and people that we trust, we are strengthened to walk together on our individual spiritual journeys (and just our journey in life). Similarly, we have confessors and/or spiritual directors that are there to help us on our walk of Faith. It is okay to lean on others to help us, that is what they are there for. Also, it is a very good thing that you are working on relying only on God. Reliance can be a bad thing when we fill voids with sinful behaviors such as gluttony or wealth, that, is not a good reliance because we are entrusting our lives to earthly things. It is also bad when we put God on the side and ONLY rely on other people, taking out what the center focus should be, who is God.

In terms of the other multitude of a range of things, God wants us to be happy. He gives us things, people, etc. in this life to have enjoyment. Our enjoyment is found in God alone by enjoying things we like, within reason, because He gave us these things to be happy! Now for fulfillment, we must always recognize that while the things that provide us pleasure are meant to be enjoyed, we will not find fulfillment in them. So, we must fix our gaze on God knowing He is the center of our life and that our hearts were made for Him. The only complete fulfillment we will have is God- no earthly experience or thing can completely satisfy our heart. You might find fulfillment in your job, which is fine, but everything of this life is temporary. Confidence and security should be found in God alone. We must trust His will in our lives, we must trust that He is good, always guiding us and walking with us. It easy to allow things of this life to become our main focus and that is when we start to take our eye off of God. Allowing time for Him and enjoying His gifts to us in life with prudence help us to remember it is okay to enjoy these things but they are temporary, and we have hope and focus our gaze on eternal life in heaven with our Father- the complete and true fulfillment of our hearts.
This isn’t much, and I am not sure if it answers your question but I thought I would offer it. 🙂
 
Suffering. The path to eternal glory. If you suffer, God is right there with you.

Still your soul, your thoughts, your world and you can much more easily sense His presence.

You are part of Christ’s Body, correct? Look at His life! Yes, He gained followers, but most left Him. He was threatened with stoning more than once, rejected, called into question, ridiculed and finally brutally tortured and killed. It is easy to sense God in thanksgiving, or to appeal to Him for help during life’s highs and lows. What is most difficult is to identify His presence in the humdrum of daily life.

Just know that each breath you draw is a grace from God. When I make myself aware, I thank Him each time I inhale and praise Him when I exhale.
 
Ultimately, everything good comes from God.
Your friends, family, even useful inventions come from God.
As well as our brains, our problem-solving ability, etc.

But in practical application, if you have a problem, pray over it, learn everything about how to solve it, do the things you can do, then place it all in the hands of God.
 
Thank you so, so much everyone. I do a really great job of being too hard on myself sometimes, and I know much of this question stems simply from that fact. How often I forget that God is with me even if I’m not “with Him”, whether that’s through prayer, thought, or otherwise! He’s got me, and trusting in Him is truly relying on Him in the midst of all the other things that bring me enjoyment, fulfillment, and all the others. Your comments have helped so much. Today I’m praying for more trust. Please pray for me too if you would!
 
Last edited:
You can rely on other people in your life for support, I know I do. God should be your center and main source of reliance. When you can’t rely on other people, rely on Him.
 
I heard a priest on Catholic radio say the following: “God wants you to trust Him more.”
 
God gives you intelligence, the opportunity for wise advice and guidance, the abilities to take action in your life. Part of relying on God is judiciously relying on good sense and guidance, in yourself and in appropriate others.
God: “I sent you a rowboat!”
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top