DAY 11 – DEEPEN MY DEPENDENCE
By: Neena Ratner
[/nectar_highlighted_text][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-book” color=”Accent-Color”]SCRIPTURE:
JOHN 15:5 ESV
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-user” color=”Accent-Color”]DEVOTIONAL:
I remember when I first shared my testimony in front of more than 100 people… stomach-turning, heart racing, hands sweating… I was so nervous! But I went for it, and I prayed, “Jesus speak! Give me the words I need! And may You be glorified.” And guess what? He did it! He came through… not just that time, but multiple times after that! He’s helped me share the words on my heart when I’ve depended on Him whole heartily to speak through me, so that’s it’s not just me sharing, but Him speaking through me.
Have you ever tried to handle a task that seemed impossible? Or have you ever felt God call you to something that you knew was way too hard to do on your own? I have good news for you. It’s not up to you to do it yourself! In fact, you CAN’T. You need Jesus to do it through you, because He CAN. He is the power you need. He’s the one who can do all things. His Word tells us that apart from Him, we can do nothing… in other words “no thing”.
We get so down on ourselves in a DIY (“Do it Yourself”) culture that we walk burdened and shamed when we realize the tasks before us are way beyond our ability to handle. Think about this emotionally and deeper spiritually… is there a temptation you are struggling to overcome? Is there a person you’re struggling to love? Or maybe there’s someone in your life who has hurt you deeply that you need to forgive, and it’s hurting you that you’re not? The only way you can overcome temptation, love the unlovable, and forgive that person and move on is by depending on Jesus to do it for you. Remember the Gospel, that He forgave us… all of our sins are covered at the cross, and because Jesus rose and overcame the grave, we are set free from our sins and can allow His forgiveness to overflow through us onto others. Remember the Proverb that says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” – Proverbs 10:12 Our worldly love is not enough… but it is the Father’s love that is sufficient, and we can rely fully on Him to see us through and do a work in us that is more powerful than what we could do on our own.
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→ Memorize Luke 18:27, “But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
→ Pray for this verse to be your “fighter verse” that you need to overcome temptation, a hard heart, forgiveness, etc.[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”fa fa-hand-paper-o” color=”Accent-Color”]PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I pray for the person reading this. I pray that whatever they are facing, they would give it whole heartily to You. Your Word says that You care for us and You are our refuge and strong tower (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 61:3) I pray they would walk in confidence that You have overcome the grave and You CAN overcome any obstacle in their life. We can fully depend on You to do the good work in us, no matter how difficult it seems. In Jesus name, amen![/text-with-icon]
