Not Ours But God’s: Relying on God’s Power

A Life lesson is only good when it is put into practice and oh, how good it is to read about life lessons gleaned and life lessons put into practice by our Genesis Bible Fellowship Youth and Young Adults (Gen. B.FY)! Be encouraged by God’s Word and their devotionals and please make sure to encourage them.

SCRIPTURE: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

In life, we must rely on God through the big and small things that come our way. That thing may be a skill, gift or talent that you perform well. It may also be a crisis that needs to be solved. When we use our gifts, skills, or talents, we may start to rely on ourselves. Why? When everything is going well, we tend to think it was all our doing. We think we did it all by our own power. When we trust in our own strength and abilities, we push God in the background and put ourselves in the forefront. We begin to rely on our own power instead of relying on God’s power.
 
From August 2023 to May 2024, I was an intern at Arbutus Middle School where I taught string orchestra, woodwinds, and percussion. As I was getting prepared to teach a lesson, I didn’t acknowledge God or pray for strength and guidance before the lesson. Instead, I relied on my own strength, which ultimately led to a bad lesson and experience. Even my mentor knew things were off when I taught the lesson. Afterwards, I realized that I should have not relied on myself but relied on God.
God reminded me that He has given me the skills, gifts, and talents that I possess. He reminded me that I am weak without Him and can achieve nothing without Him. So, saints, remember God and put Him first in everything.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to rely on You in everything I do. Guide me to seek You first in all I do. Please help me to yield to Your will and to the work You have set for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By Bro. Valarous Lingham