26 December 2 Corinthians 1

Completely rely on God

2 Corinthians 1:9-10(NLT) In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.From this passage, we note the following: We must stop relying on ourselves and learn to rely on God. God who rescued us before will do it again and therefore we must put our confidence in God who will rescue us again.Rely only on God instead of on ourselves: Psalm 118:8-9(NIV) It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.Isaiah 31:1(NIV) Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.God's previous and ongoing rescue: Psalm 34:17-18(NIV) The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.Psalm 91:14-15(NIV) "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.Placing confidence in God: Jeremiah 17:7(NIV) "But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.Hebrews 4:16(NIV) Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.We tend to rely on our own power, abilities, and resources, but God wants us to rely on Him alone. The moment we begin to trust in ourselves, we hinder the work of God in our lives. Our self-reliance must be replaced by absolute reliance on God. We must learn to lean not on our own understanding but to trust in the wisdom and power of God. Only then can we experience His deliverance and victory in every situation.