This podcast covers Lesson 4 of Healthy Living Bible Study by Melanie Newton.
Reject the Self-Sufficiency Infection
What is the Self-Sufficiency infection?
- The Self-Sufficiency infection tells you that you can be strong on your own. You can take complete care of yourself. You don’t need to depend on anyone or anything else to be successful in life.
- The areas of your life where you can be infected by self-sufficiency are in your areas of strength—your skills and abilities.
- You must unlearn what you’ve learned. And, then learn a new way.
Christianity is Christ in you
“Jesus Christ laid down his life for you so that he could give his life to you so that he could live his life through you.” That is the gospel! (Ian Thomas, The Saving Life of Christ)
- Christianity is about Christ—you’re saved by Him, reconciled to God through Him, placed under His authority and protection as He is Lord over all. And, it is about “Christ in you.”
- Christ in you is being fused with Christ. Romans 6:5
- Christ in you is your power to live a life that pleases God.
- Christ in you is the source of all those marvelous treasures that Paul described in Colossians 1 and 2 because the Lord Jesus Christ who is Lord over all is in you.
- Christ in you will teach you how to live dependently on God more than on yourself.
Christ in you teaches you how to live dependently on God more than on yourself
- In his humanity, Jesus demonstrated for us the way we should live in dependence on God.
- He laid down his life for you so that he could give his life to you so that he could live that same kind of life through you.
- Many Christians do not enjoy this kind of Christ-directed life because they have a lack of understanding of two vital truths that are completely opposite of self-sufficiency:
Vital truth #1: Christ’s finished work on the cross to secure our complete acceptance before God.
Vital truth #2: “Christ in you” as the dynamic of daily Christian living.
Christ in you as the dynamic of daily Christian living.
- Because of its dependent life, a baby in the womb could say, "For me, to live is Mom." In the same way, we can say, "For me, to live is Christ."
- To live dependently on Christ is relying on His power in you more than on yourself to achieve the purposes of God in your life. Reject self-sufficiency. Accept God-dependency.
“But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9a)
What does this God-dependency look like?
- God wants you to become a God-dependent woman who will grow and mature in your thinking and behavior, follow His leading and guidance, and submit your strengths and your weaknesses to Him for His purposes in your life.
- Dependent living is how God grows His children. Human parents rear their children to be less dependent on them and more independent. But, God grows His children to be less independent of Him and more dependent on Him.
- God allows things into our lives that force us to live dependently on Him. And, whether we like it or not, whatever He brings into our lives that makes us more dependent upon Him is good for us.
- God gives you more than you can handle so that you will learn to depend on Him more than on yourself. Christ’s power in you is like dynamite in you (Colossians 1:29), so much greater than your own.
Dependent Living is not weakness.
- Dependent living is being stronger and having more influence, more success, and more satisfaction than you could ever have through your own efforts.
- Dependent living is acting in obedience to the Word of God, depending on Jesus Christ for the power to do that, and trusting Him with the results.
- Dependent living will satisfy your need to be stronger and more effective in life.
The Self-Sufficiency infection is an illusion. When you get too confident in your own abilities, you miss out on all the treasure you have because of Christ in you. You set yourself up for failure when you can’t perform. You miss out on the joys of growing fully mature in Christ with all the freedom that brings. Reject the self-sufficiency infection by becoming a God-dependent woman instead.
Let Jesus satisfy your heart needs with His truth and His love so you can get well and stay well.
Joyful Walk Bible Studies by Melanie Newton are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.