The Way in a Manger

CONSIDER
Because of the sin that was passed to us, we are unable to be in a relationship with God. Violating God’s law and usurping His authority requires a death penalty. But God still desires to be in a relationship with us. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, willingly became a human baby in order to pay the death penalty required on our behalf. Consider the sacrifice that was required to leave the throne of heaven to become a helpless baby! I cannot image reverting from an adult to an infant! How much more inconceivable to move from having all power and authority to having someone change your diapers!

BIBLE TRUTH
“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. ” (Eph. 1:6–8 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Christ’s sacrifice does not automatically bring us into a relationship with God. Who will be God of me world? You are free to make the choice to continue in your independence or to choose to live a life that is desperately dependent on God.

PRAYER
God, I am so glad that You have revealed to us Your mysterious plan regarding Christ! I know this plan fulfills Your own good pleasure! It is a wonderful plan! I praise You for the glorious grace You have poured out on us who belong to Your dear Son. You are so rich in kindness and grace that You purchased our freedom with the blood of Your Son and forgave our sins. You have showered Your kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Thank you! I look forward to the day when You will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. (Eph. 1:6–10)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Confident in the Lie

CONSIDER
Convinced God’s plan was not the best plan for her, Eve decided to elect Satan as the ruler of the world. Her subversive plan became preeminent. God had created the world and established all that is, but it seemed He was depriving her. If she followed Satan’s plan she could have more without God than she had by following God’s law. Satan instilled within Eve a heightened sense of self, and then manipulated her into thinking she was not given adequate appreciation.

BIBLE TRUTH
“The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Gen. 3:6–7 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Persuaded she was incomplete with God, Eve ate the fruit. Spiritual death resulted from the choices Adam and Eve made. Their sin broke humanity’s relationship with God, and the devastating consequences trouble us daily. As a result of the Garden encounter:
      - Humanity disconnected from truth and connected with perversion.
      - Humanity developed a distorted view of God’s image.
      - Humanity created a delusional view of themselves.
      - Humanity began exploiting others for personal empowerment.
      - Humanity altered their purpose for living.

PRAYER
God, I don’t want Satan, the god of this world, to blind me because I don’t believe. Help me to see the glorious light of the Good News. I want to know and understand the message about the glory of Christ, who is Your exact likeness. . . . (2 Cor. 4:4)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

The Deception

CONSIDER
Lucifer initiated the subversion in heaven. In the perfect environment of heaven, Lucifer was created.

“You were the model of perfection,
     full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.
You were in Eden,
     the garden of God.
Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone—
     red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone,
     blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper,
     blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—
all beautifully crafted for you
     and set in the finest gold.
They were given to you
     on the day you were created.” (Ezek. 28:12–13 NLT)

Lucifer served in God’s perfect presence.

“I ordained and anointed you
     as the mighty angelic guardian.
You had access to the holy mountain of God
     and walked among the stones of fire.” (Ezek. 28:14 NLT)

But even in the perfect environment of heaven, in God’s perfect presence, Lucifer believed he had a better plan than God.

“Your heart was filled with pride
     because of all your beauty.
Your wisdom was corrupted
     by your love of splendor.” (Ezek. 28:17 NLT)

“How you are fallen from heaven,
     O shining star, son of the morning!
You have been thrown down to the earth,
     you who destroyed the nations of the world.
For you said to yourself,
     ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.
I will preside on the mountain of the gods
     far away in the north.
I will climb to the highest heavens
     and be like the Most High.’” (Isa. 14:12–14 NLT)

Lucifer perpetrated his faulty belief system that he should be god. He convinced one third of the angels that he had a better plan than God (Rev. 12:4).

“So I banished you in disgrace
     from the mountain of God.
I expelled you, O mighty guardian,
     from your place among the stones of fire.” (Ezek. 28:16 NLT)

BIBLE TRUTH
“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Rom. 1:18–20 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Still believing he could be god, Satan devised a plan in an attempt to subvert God’s design for humanity. By distorting Eve’s view of God, the trap was laid for all humanity. Every temptation that threatens us is a temptation to live independently from God. Believing God cannot be trusted to govern our lives as we see fit, we must complete ourselves—we must be god in our lives. This idolatrous belief perpetrates arrogance and selfish ambition as we follow our own way with a distorted view of God and reality.

PRAYER
Lord, You are my Master. Every good thing I have comes from you. Troubles multiply for me when I chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices or even speak the names of their gods. Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! . . . (Psalm 16:2–6)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

The Truth about the Lie

Even before the world began there was a debate about how God should operate. Angelic beings and humans alike have contrived multiple ideas about God and how He should conduct the affairs of the universe. Similarly we erroneously contrive our own portrait of God based on how we believe He should rule the world. Convinced that we have a better idea, we envision life from our skewed perspective.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. . . . They traded the truth about God for a lie.” (Rom. 1:21–23, 25 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Reality is based in God’s absolute truth. If we don’t see the way God does, it cannot be said that we are in reality. Therefore, we are living in delusion—a lie. The only power Satan has is the power of the lie. If we can get rid of the lies, we get rid of his power. Neil Anderson states, “Satan has no authority or power over you except what you yield to him when you are deceived into believing his lies.” Few people live in reality. Most live in delusion based on lies.

PRAYER
Jesus, I know You spoke in parables so those who desired to know the truth could know the truth. I do not want to be like those seeing, but they do not see; nor like those hearing, but they do not hear or understand. I do not want the prophecy of Isaiah quoted about me that I will be ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving. Lord, help me always seek to hear Your truth, understand Your truth, and live in Your truth. . . . (Matthew 13:13–14)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Communion with God

The human soul is the temple of the Spirit where we meet with God to commune with Him personally. Each one of us possesses our own personal temple; our own personal rooms where we may, at any time, sit and encounter God in meaningful fellowship—heart to heart. Judging from the Samaritan woman’s response to meeting Jesus spiritually, we must attest to the fact that such an encounter is life changing.

BIBLE TRUTH
“The woman said, 'I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.' Then Jesus told her, 'I AM the Messiah!' . . . The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 'Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He possibly be the Messiah?'” (John 4:25–29 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Spirituality enabled this woman to see beyond Jesus’ humanity into His deity. Perhaps the reason it is so hard to experience Jesus as real and relevant is because we are not seeking Him in spirit and truth. In order to be desperately dependent on God we must confront the deception—our independence is leading us away from Him. It is essential to experience Him as relevant in every area of our lives while we apply truth concerning Jesus to the challenges of our lives. When we see Christ as relevant in our lives, we desire Him. As we desire Him, we draw into a closer love relationship with Him. Repentance is required to turn from our self-indulgence to finding our satisfaction in Christ alone. He is all we need.

PRAYER
Dear God, I don’t want to be a liar by saying I have fellowship with You but go on living in spiritual darkness; I am not practicing the truth. But I desire to live in the light as You are in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, Your Son, cleanses me from all sin. . . . (1 John 1:6–7)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

The Pursuit of Happiness

The issue of happiness is introduced in “The Blessed Man” passages of Scripture. Happiness, however, does not generally appear as the subject of these passages, but rather the adjective describing the state of those who are rightly connected to God. The truly blessed man, or the happy person, should not seek to enjoy happiness as a primary pursuit, but should rather seek to connect with God. Happiness occurs as the by-product of connecting to God. It is self-indulgence that motivates us to connect to God for the attainment of happiness. Often Christianity is billed as the elixir of life to ensure happiness. This misses the mark of Christianity’s real purpose—to experience God through the blood of Jesus Christ and to glorify Him. Encountering God produces happiness. To avoid the “What’s in it for me?” syndrome, happiness must not be held up as the ultimate virtue for the Christian.

BIBLE TRUTH
“And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires" (2 Peter 1:4 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
One may ask, “Then why would a person come to Jesus if not to gain happiness?” The Bible asserts that we were drawn to God not by the potential of happiness but by the aura of His glory and virtue. Upon being enlightened by God, His image within us attracts us to Himself. By Him we were created, through Him we consist, for Him we exist. Thus for Him we yearn. Reconciliation to God is the core need of the soul; therefore, connection to Christ becomes our deepest desire. We come to God because it is within His design that we need someone who is greater than ourselves to direct our lives. Our souls long for God and the fellowship He offers through the forgiveness of sins and the communion of His Spirit.

PRAYER
Father, it is time for me to truly worship You in spirit and in truth. I know this is the way You want me to worship You. You are Spirit, and deserve to be worshiped, so I worship You in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23–24 NLT)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

The American Dream

We want to be happy. “God wants us to be happy.” We want our spouses to be happy. We want our kids to be happy. We just want everyone to be happy. We especially want everyone to be happy with us. This is the American dream—we all deserve to be happy. But the American dream spawns the American nightmare. The pursuit of this dream leads to addiction, deviance, mental illness, and death because it is ultimately based in self-centeredness. It is accurate to proclaim that the crown and glory of all the fruit of the flesh is self-indulgence. It is the expected reward for having labored in the vineyard of self-centeredness. Happiness is the illusive prize.

BIBLE TRUTH
“The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength" (Deut. 6:4–5 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The continuous pursuit of pleasure-producing indulgences culminates in discouragement. The eventual outcome of self-indulgence is discouragement because we want what we want, but our wants are never satisfied. Then we move to a new set of desires, believing these new choices will produce the ultimate fulfillment.

Ultimately there is nothing that can impart contentment apart from Christ. We flit from bloom to bloom looking for the nectar of life, but only God is able to provide true satisfaction. The spiritual fruit of self-control is experienced through dependence on the Spirit of God so we do not have to depend on ourselves. His divine enablement leads to personal empowerment.

PRAYER
Dear God, I do not want to be dominated by my sinful nature that thinks about sinful, self-centered things. I truly desire to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and think about things that please the Spirit. I choose to avoid a dead life with my mind controlled by my sinful nature. I want an abundant life filled with peace, so please keep me aware of the Spirit’s control of my mind. (Rom. 8:5–6)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Jubilantly, biblical truth redefines happiness. Happiness, by God’s standard, is a state of well-being that is independent of all that is of this earth and dependent on all that is divine. It is the outcome of connecting to God in a manner that changes the innermost parts of our souls, giving rise to the fruit of His spirit. The happiness spoken of in the Bible exists apart from worldly endeavors. Contrary to human wisdom, we do not need the right people, the right positions, or the right possessions to be happy.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
      there is no help for you there" (Ps. 146:3 NLT).
“Then he said, 'Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own'" (Luke 12:15 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The pursuit of happiness through the avenues of life resources is sure to lead to the loss of happiness and will establish the foundation for all varieties of addiction. To independently seek happiness constitutes the surest way to become lost amid the maze of life’s self-centered options. Solomon asserts that we are to pursue truth, not happiness. Why? People are incapable of discerning what is in their best interest. Happiness is derived when we encounter God and connect with Him spiritually.

PRAYER
Lord, I desire to live in truth and never stray from it. I do not want to be impressed with my own wisdom. Instead, give me your wisdom so I may learn from your discipline, and follow your good judgement. Remind me and help me to fear you and turn away from evil. (Prov. 3:7, 23:23)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

I Want What I Want

The familiar story of Jonah illustrates the approaches employed to address the deeper problem of the nature of sin. God was seeking to save a people while salvaging a prophet. Resistance and self-sufficiency jumped to the forefront as fear, evidenced by anger, gripped Jonah’s heart at the thought that God would not judge the wicked Ninevites. Jonah’s strategy to resolve the crisis was to ensure that God would destroy the people of Nineveh. Believing he could thwart God’s plan by refusing to participate, Jonah asserted his willfulness to create his own redemptive process. Unwilling to trust God, Jonah allowed his bitterness to fester and employed his own creative solutions. The story ends with God in the process of salvaging Jonah by showing him he has no ability to independently restore control to his life, because God’s plan will prevail.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Those who worship false gods
      turn their backs on all God’s mercies" (Jonah 2:8 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Our exhausted supply of resources leaves us alienated. Loneliness invades as our thwarted efforts become evident. The emptiness of our hearts tempts us to continue the vicious cycle of seeking God-substitutes to fill the void. With continued resolve we contrive another plan of employing people, positions, and possessions for our power to live. Eventually the futility of the endeavor becomes evident through social rejection, compromised health, and a lack of personal energy to pursue the pathological dream. Alienated souls now stand stranded beside the road they thought would take them to the place of completion.
“See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
      All your idols are as empty as the wind” (Isa. 41:29 NLT).

PRAYER
LORD, I am crying out to you in my great trouble. I know you will hear and answer me. I am sinking beneath the waves and the waters are closing over me. As my life is slipping away, I am reminded of you, for my salvation comes from you alone. Therefore, I will offer sacrifices to you with the songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. (Jonah 2:1–9)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

The Unending Cycle

Independent inclinations thrust individuals further into crisis, which perpetuates an unending cycle of futility. At best, self-effort can only temporarily affect the crisis of our lives; it can do nothing to address the deeper problem of sin. In fact, self-effort exacerbates the problem, actually increasing the intensity of the nature of sin’s impact on us. Now we have, as a result of our best solutions, even more guilt, shame, and fear. We are even more alienated from God than before. We only sink deeper into the bondage of our sinfulness. Because of humanity’s depravity, we are stuck in the unending, self-perpetuating cycle. Demoting God as the authority; promoting self as the authority; and exploiting people, positions, and possessions for personal empowerment characterize self’s redemptive process.

BIBLE TRUTH
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires" (2 Peter 1:3–4 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Despite our best efforts, our plans cannot measure up to God’s design. Our feeble attempts to live independently from God result in disastrous consequences. Perversion propels us to further crisis, although God continues to assert His truth that we must be desperately dependent on Him in every area of our lives. Through Christ’s redemptive process we have a new set of options that can overcome guilt, shame, and fear with an overflow of His love, joy, and peace if we are willing to be desperately dependent.

PRAYER
Finally, Lord, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Thank you! (Ps. 32:5)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Dormant Deliverance

The nature of our sin produces continual crisis. Our current line of solutions is not working to resolve the guilt, shame, and fear inherent to the sinfulness. In an attempt to resolve our crisis produced by the nature of sin, we seek deliverance. God has designed us to live within a context of love, joy, and peace. We are not designed to live in a constant state of pressure, stress, and anxiety. But the nature of sin brings these traumatizing by-products along with the guilt, shame, and fear that are embedded in the sin nature. The craving for love, joy, and peace is a residual part of the image of God lying dormant within our souls that is searching for redemption. We cannot stay in our crisis. The need for restored control and resulting peace prompt the search. Motivated by crisis, people inevitably embrace their redemptive need. Invariably this promotes a redemptive process to meet the redemptive demand.

BIBLE TRUTH
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. . . . They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly" (2 Tim. 3:1, 5 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Although God desires His creation to seek Him for redemption, we continue to devise our own salvation strategies to dissipate the conflicts. Compelled by the redemptive need, all of humanity will either employ self’s redemptive process, or choose participation in Christ’s redemptive process. Self-effort naturally embraces the lie of the sin nature that states we can be complete apart from Christ. This perversion contradicts God’s truth that we can only be complete in Christ. Two choices are laid before us. Either we continue in our way ever seeking new remedies to meet the demands of our soul, or we seek peace through Christ. May we be willing to give up our solutions for His salvation.

PRAYER
Lord, when I refuse to confess my sin, my body wastes away, and I groan all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline is heavy on me. My strength evaporates like water in the summer heat. So, Lord, I confess my sin to you. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. (Ps. 32:3; Ps. 51:12)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

My Behaviors Are My Solutions

In spite of our best efforts, our behaviors are only our inadequate solutions aimed at resolving the deeper problem. This deeper problem cannot be resolved by our own power no matter how diligent the endeavor. The implementation of our solutions drives our lives. We utilize all our energy and try to employ others to facilitate our remedy. But as we pursue various resolutions to this deeper problem, we only add more problems to our lives. It permeates all we do.

BIBLE TRUTH
“But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me" (Rom. 7:23 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The deeper problem is best defined as the nature of sin that resides within all of us. This nature of sin is incorporated into the essence of who we are. All aspects of our being are infected, not just affected, by sin. This sin nature controls our desires and the behaviors we choose, and establishes our state of being. Because of the sin nature life is dominated by guilt, shame, fear, anger, loneliness, and a propensity to seek self-interest. Brokenness leads to Christ's redemptive process, which delivers us from the deeper problem of sin.

PRAYER
Father, I long to experience the joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, I desire to rejoice as those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! (Ps. 32:1–2)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 63 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

O God, you are my God;
     I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
     my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
     where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary
     and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
     how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
     lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
     I will praise you with songs of joy.

I lie awake thinking of you,
     meditating on you through the night.
Because you are my helper,
     I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
     your strong right hand holds me securely.

But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
     They will go down into the depths of the earth.
They will die by the sword
     and become the food of jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God.
     All who trust in him will praise him,
     while liars will be silenced.       —Ps. 63 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 111 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Praise the LORD!

I will thank the LORD with all my heart
     as I meet with his godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the LORD!
     All who delight in him should ponder them.
Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
     His righteousness never fails.
He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
     How gracious and merciful is our LORD!
He gives food to those who fear him;
     he always remembers his covenant.
He has shown his great power to his people
     by giving them the lands of other nations.
All he does is just and good,
     and all his commandments are trustworthy.
They are forever true,
     to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
He has paid a full ransom for his people.
     He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
     What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.
     All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

Praise him forever!       —Ps. 111 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 51 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Have mercy on me, O God,
     because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
     blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
     Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
     it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
     I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
     and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner—
     yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb,
     teaching me wisdom even there.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
     wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
     you have broken me—
     now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
     Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
     Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
     and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
     and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
     and they will return to you.
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
     then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
Unseal my lips, O Lord,
     that my mouth may praise you.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
     You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
     You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Look with favor on Zion and help her;
     rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
     with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
     Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.       —Ps. 51 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 143 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Hear my prayer, O LORD;
     listen to my plea!
     Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
Don’t put your servant on trial,
     for no one is innocent before you.
My enemy has chased me.
     He has knocked me to the ground
     and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.
I am losing all hope;
     I am paralyzed with fear.
I remember the days of old.
     I ponder all your great works
     and think about what you have done.
I lift my hands to you in prayer.
     I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude

Come quickly, LORD, and answer me,
     for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
     or I will die.
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
     for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
     for I give myself to you.
Rescue me from my enemies, LORD;
     I run to you to hide me.
Teach me to do your will,
     for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
     on a firm footing.
For the glory of your name, O LORD, preserve my life.
     Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.
In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies
     and destroy all my foes,
     for I am your servant.       —Ps. 143 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 142 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

I cry out to the LORD;
      I plead for the LORD’s mercy.
I pour out my complaints before him
      and tell him all my troubles.
When I am overwhelmed,
      you alone know the way I should turn.
Wherever I go,
      my enemies have set traps for me.
I look for someone to come and help me,
      but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me;
      no one cares a bit what happens to me.
Then I pray to you, O LORD.
      I say, “You are my place of refuge.
      You are all I really want in life.
Hear my cry,
      for I am very low.
Rescue me from my persecutors,
      for they are too strong for me.
Bring me out of prison
      so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me,
      for you are good to me.”       —Ps. 142 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 145 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

I will exalt you, my God and King,
     and praise your name forever and ever.
I will praise you every day;
     yes, I will praise you forever.
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!
     No one can measure his greatness.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
     let them proclaim your power.
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
     and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
     I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
     they will sing with joy about your righteousness.

The LORD is merciful and compassionate,
     slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The LORD is good to everyone.
     He showers compassion on all his creation.
All of your works will thank you, LORD
     and your faithful followers will praise you.
They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
     they will give examples of your power.
They will tell about your mighty deeds
     and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
     You rule throughout all generations.
The LORD always keeps his promises;
     he is gracious in all he does.
The LORD helps the fallen
     and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
The eyes of all look to you in hope;
     you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand,
     you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in everything he does;
     he is filled with kindness.
The LORD is close to all who call on him,
     yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
     he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
The LORD protects all those who love him,
     but he destroys the wicked.

I will praise the LORD,
     and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
     forever and ever.       —Ps. 145 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 115 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
      but to your name goes all the glory
      for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Why let the nations say,
      “Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens,
      and he does as he wishes.
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
      shaped by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
      and eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
      and noses but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel,
      and feet but cannot walk,
      and throats but cannot make a sound.
And those who make idols are just like them,
      as are all who trust in them.

O Israel, trust the LORD!
      He is your helper and your shield.
O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the LORD!
      He is your helper and your shield.
All you who fear the LORD, trust the LORD!
      He is your helper and your shield.

The LORD remembers us and will bless us.
      He will bless the people of Israel
      and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear the LORD,
      both great and lowly.

May the LORD richly bless
      both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
      who made heaven and earth.
The heavens belong to the LORD,
      but he has given the earth to all humanity.
The dead cannot sing praises to the LORD,
      for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
But we can praise the LORD
      both now and forever!
Praise the LORD!       —Ps. 115 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 139 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

O LORD, you have examined my heart
      and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
      You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
      and when I rest at home.
      You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
      even before I say it, LORD.
You go before me and follow me.
      You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
      too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
      I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
      if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
      if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
      and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
      and the light around me to become night—
      but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
      Darkness and light are the same to you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
      and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
      Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
      as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
      Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
      before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
      They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
      they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
      you are still with me!

O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
      Get out of my life, you murderers!
They blaspheme you;
      your enemies misuse your name.
O LORD, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
      Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
      for your enemies are my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
      test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
      and lead me along the path of everlasting life.       —Ps. 139 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 16 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Keep me safe, O God,
      for I have come to you for refuge.

I said to the LORD, “You are my Master!
      Every good thing I have comes from you.”
The godly people in the land
      are my true heroes!
      I take pleasure in them!
Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
      I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
      or even speak the names of their gods.

LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
      You guard all that is mine.
The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
      What a wonderful inheritance!

I will bless the LORD who guides me;
      even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the LORD is always with me.
      I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
      My body rests in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead
      or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
You will show me the way of life,
      granting me the joy of your presence
      and the pleasures of living with you forever.      —Ps. 16 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 86 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer;
      answer me, for I need your help.
Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
      Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
      You are my God.
Be merciful to me, O LORD,
      for I am calling on you constantly.
Give me happiness, O LORD,
      for I give myself to you.
O LORD, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
      so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
Listen closely to my prayer, O LORD;
      hear my urgent cry.
I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,
      and you will answer me.

No pagan god is like you, O LORD.
      None can do what you do!
All the nations you made
      will come and bow before you, LORD;
      they will praise your holy name.
For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.
      You alone are God.

Teach me your ways, O LORD,
      that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
      so that I may honor you.
With all my heart I will praise you, O LORD my God.
      I will give glory to your name forever,
for your love for me is very great.
      You have rescued me from the depths of death.

O God, insolent people rise up against me;
      a violent gang is trying to kill me.
      You mean nothing to them.
But you, O LORD,
      are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
      and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
Look down and have mercy on me.
      Give your strength to your servant;
      save me, the son of your servant.
Send me a sign of your favor.
      Then those who hate me will be put to shame,
      for you, O LORD, help and comfort me.       —Ps. 86 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Why Does God Allow People to Suffer?

The most frequently asked question by both the hurting of heart and the skeptical of soul is “Why does God allow people to suffer?” God allows people to be touched by evil because He is capable of redeeming them from it. As God’s dominion is expanded through evangelism and His interests are advanced by disciple making, the more evil will be restrained and the innocent protected. Then we will witness the fulfillment of the biblical admonition, “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” (Rom. 12:21 NLT). Scripture asserts that people suffer because this world is ruled by Satan, dominated by sin, and because sinful people do sinful things. Yet God remains ever vigilant to redeem the youngest to the oldest from this present evil world.

BIBLE TRUTH

“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:3–4 NASB).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
God’s sovereignty promises that when we encounter the evil of this world we will be encompassed by the love, mercy, and grace of God to the perfecting of our souls, the performing of God’s will, and the proclaiming of His faithfulness. Therefore, it is imperative for us to believe “ . . . that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28 NASB).

PRAYER
My Lord, I long to live in Your shelter because You are the Most High. I yearn to find rest in Your Almighty shadow. Lord, I declare that You are my refuge, my place of safety. You are my God, and I trust You. (Ps. 91:1–2)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Repentance Is...

Living in the truth is the process of divine transformation where God changes me. The permeation of God’s truth in my life alters all aspects of my being—what I believe, how I think, what I feel, how I behave, and the choices I make. I am made new. “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20 NLT ).

Our violating God’s law and usurping His authority required the death penalty. The sinless Son of God died to satisfy the justice of God. Although Christ was the one who was crucified, God views His sacrifice as satisfying His righteous demands on our behalf. Therefore what Christ has done for us, we have done through Him.

BIBLE TRUTH
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Rom. 8:1–2 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Those who choose to receive God’s truth and enter into Christ’s redemptive process will move to repentance. Repentance is that place where we turn from our philosophy of self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness. It is opting to live and do life God’s way and giving up our self-sufficiency. Those who continue in deception may attempt a ritual of repentance. With no true heart change, they may go through the motions commonly deemed consistent with repentance such as crying, revealing sinfulness, asking for forgiveness, going to the altar, making promises to be different, or even a renewed religious fervor. But as we give up our willfulness to God and relinquish ourselves unreservedly to Christ, submission to God’s authority, obedience to God’s design, and death to our selfish desires will result.

PRAYER
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving kindness. According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight. (Ps. 51:1–4)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Brokenness Is...

Christ’s redemptive process can only be participated in through the power of Christ as He addresses the nature of sin by bringing us to brokenness. The willingness to give up our willfulness to Christ in exchange for His enabling us to submit to His will, removes our resistance to entering into Christ’s redemptive process. Christ’s redemptive process is characterized by dependence on Him as we see ourselves in desperate need of Him.

Because of Christ’s satisfaction of the sin debt, He can redeem us from our sinful selves and all the crises we have created. He resolves the symptoms of the sin nature—guilt, shame, and fear—and reconciles us to fellowship with God, restoring love, joy, and peace.

BIBLE TRUTH
“He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world” (1 John 2:2 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Unfortunately, we must still contend with the nature of sin resident within us. Self-sufficiency tempts us to reenter the futile cycle dominated by the nature of sin in our lives. But gratefully, at the point of salvation, we are blessed with a new set of options. No longer are we bound by the power of sin; we may now choose from His abundant resources and allow His divine enablement to personally empower us.

PRAYER
Jesus, because I belong to You I want my flesh with its passions and desires to be nailed to the cross and crucified there. I desire to live by Your Spirit, so please guide me to follow Your Spirit’s leading in every part of my life. (Gal. 5:24–25)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

I Want Fruit!

Erroneously we believe we must contrive the fruit of the Spirit by force of our human will. When we are told we must exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, we diligently work to manufacture the formula for accomplishing that task. When we recognize that we cannot produce His fruit through our own ability, we realize it is only as we experience Christ as relevant that His fruit comes alive within us with transforming power. It is by the process of divine intervention as we submit to His Spirit that we are enabled to be more than we are. At our best we cannot be more than what we are apart from Him. Only as we depend on the Holy Spirit can we experience the fruit He has to offer. Therefore, all of our life endeavors should be fostering our connection to Him as we conform to His image.

BIBLE TRUTH
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
      and desperately wicked.
      Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the LORD, search all hearts
      and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
      according to what their actions deserve” (Jer. 17:9–10 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Some will continue to hold on to self-effort while lamenting their inability to achieve His promised fruit. “There must be some way to be spiritual my way. There must be a way I can access the riches of God through human means. Certainly God will allow me to govern my life while utilizing His power.” We want the resource of grace apart from dependence on God. The problem of most spiritual struggles is not “I can’t” but “I don’t want to.” Do you want to allow God to completely govern your life?

PRAYER
Father, I submit to your royal Son, Jesus. I don’t want You to become angry and destroy me in the midst of all my activities—for Your anger flares up in an instant. I desire the joy that comes from taking refuge in You! (Ps. 2:12)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Self-Control Is...

The presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives offers us the fruit of self-control. Self-control is the fruit that enables us to deny self. This is not the ability to control ourselves, but it is the freedom from being controlled by the desires of the flesh. Through divine enablement we are empowered to say no to our personal desires. Here, we have been granted the divine ability to fulfill the will of God by saying yes to the desires of the Spirit.

BIBLE TRUTH

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there” (Gal. 5:16–17, 24 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Self-indulgence, as counterfeiting self-control, emphasizes the putting off of personal restraint and giving in to the desires of fleshly longings. Only when the desire is certainly more painful than it is potentially pleasurable does one say no. As we submit to the Holy Spirit, we will see evidence of the Spirit’s fruit of self-control in our lives when we renounce self-indulgence that gives way to discouragement.

PRAYER
Lord, I do not want to be dominated by my sinful nature that thinks about sinful things. I desire to be controlled by Your Holy Spirit and think about things that please Your Spirit. I know that letting my sinful nature control my mind leads to death. Instead I want to let Your Spirit control my mind which leads to life and peace. (Rom. 8:5–6)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 32 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

Oh, what joy for those
      whose disobedience is forgiven,
      whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those
      whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,
      whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin,
      my body wasted away,
      and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
      My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
      and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
      And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude

Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
      that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
For you are my hiding place;
      you protect me from trouble.
      You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
      I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
      that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

Many sorrows come to the wicked,
      but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.
So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him!
      Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!       —Ps. 32 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Gentleness Is...

Gentleness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to reflect God’s grace to the world. Grace is God’s power to live that enables us to fulfill His will and be complete. The transforming presence of Christ establishes the order of our souls so we can convey God’s grace through gentleness. As God’s Spirit produces gentleness in our lives, He establishes our attitude, fashions our approach, and directs our actions with others. When we are blessed with the fruit of gentleness, His abundant supply must overflow into the lives of others.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” (James 3:13 NASB).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Without God’s grace, selfish ambition asserts, “I must be served”; “My way must be followed”; and “I am right.” Having control over life’s resources is seen as the priority and must be the object of life’s pursuit. Selfish ambition is not concerned with the welfare of others but with the power we have over our domain. We can exemplify the fruit of gentleness when we relinquish our selfish ambition and its resulting alienation. Enabled by the Spirit, I can reflect God’s grace.

PRAYER
God, enable me to gently instruct those who oppose the truth. I desire to see their hearts changed and for them to learn the truth. (2 Tim. 2:25)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Faithfulness Is...

Faithfulness is the fruit that enables us to trust Christ and rely continuously upon His truth. This fruit of faithfulness is not about our being worthy of trust, but recognizing God as being worthy of trust, which leads to a constant reliance on Him.

The faith given by the Spirit is intricately involved in connecting to God. It is essential to pleasing God and possessing His power. Through this divine fruit we can accomplish His purposes. Here we see the reciprocal relationship of divine enablement leading to personal empowerment.

BIBLE TRUTH
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 NASB).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Too often we choose to counterfeit faith when we pretend we can handle everything. A crisis quickly exposes the pretense when anxiety invades. In the midst of anxiety we give mental energy to the resolving of our own problems as opposed to trusting God to resolve our problems. Our feeble attempts are lacking without genuine trust in Christ. Trust either waits on God to provide direction or it acts on what God has already instructed. We will evidence the fruit of faithfulness when we lay aside our pretense and its resulting anxiety in exchange for trusting Christ.

PRAYER
Father, please help me to understand that it is impossible to please You without faith. I want to come to You and I believe that You exist and that You reward those who sincerely seek You. (Heb. 11:6)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Goodness Is...

Goodness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to exemplify God’s moral nature. When the Holy Spirit is resident in our lives, His qualities transform us into God’s image, enabling us to treat others with holiness. That is goodness. It can only reflect what is godly. It bears no ill will and concerns itself only with the mind and mission of God to humanity.

Because only God is good, only His Spirit can produce goodness in our lives. Goodness is a trademark of a life exhibiting the character of Christ. Apart from a relationship with Him, goodness cannot be concocted.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Phil. 2:3–4 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The fruit of the flesh equates goodness with being nice. Unaided by God’s Spirit we calculate how to behave in the most socially acceptable way to subtly access and use life resources to meet perceived needs. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, exploitation conceals itself in the disguise of being nice. We will evidence the fruit of goodness when we forgo exploitation with its resulting inadequacy in order to exemplify Christ in all that we do.

PRAYER
Lord, I don’t want to be selfish. I don’t want to try to impress others. Help me to be humble and think of others as better than myself. I don’t want to look out only for my own interests, but I want to take an interest in others too. (Phil. 2:3–4)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Kindness Is...

Kindness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to show God’s love. Since love is distinguished by how it treats others, then kindness is the essence of that treatment. When the fruit of the Spirit evidences kindness, it ministers sacrificially to the needs of others for no higher reason than to benefit another for God’s glory. It is seeking another’s best interest, not about getting what we want.

BIBLE TRUTH

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4–7 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
As a counterfeit to kindness, manipulation is the process of managing people, posturing into a position, and utilizing possessions as a means of achieving control. The objective of manipulation is to bring life resources (people, positions, possessions) under our domain of influence to promote our personal agenda, leading to what we believe will make us complete. If you find yourself experiencing the symptom of anger, consider what means of manipulation you may be employing to counterfeit God’s fruit of kindness.

PRAYER
God, because You chose me to be the holy person that You love, enable me to clothe myself with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Col. 3:12)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 138 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart;
      I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
      I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
      by all the honor of your name.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
      you encourage me by giving me strength.

Every king in all the earth will thank you, LORD,
      for all of them will hear your words.
Yes, they will sing about the LORD’s ways,
      for the glory of the LORD is very great.
Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble,
      but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Though I am surrounded by troubles,
      you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
      and the power of your right hand saves me.
The LORD will work out his plans for my life—
      for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.
      Don’t abandon me, for you made me.       —Ps. 138 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Patience Is...

Patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to persevere under pressure. Patience maintains the virtues of love, joy, and peace when faced with the pressures of wrong, mistreatment, or taxation. When pressed, patience does not retaliate but rather addresses the underlying motivations of the soul. By His fruit of patience, the Holy Spirit moves us to look to Jesus for strength, giving the ability to forbear in circumstances that would otherwise deplete our resolve.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Col. 3:12–13 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The clothes we are to put on are tailor-made to fit our lives by the Spirit. Dressed in His power we are divinely enabled to accomplish the task He asks us to undertake. We cannot create our own style of patience; instead we are to put on His personally designed and custom-fitted attire. The royal garments of the King identify our position of servitude apart from personal ambition. We exhibit patience because He empowers us to do so, not because we have created it ourselves for our purpose. If you find yourself experiencing the symptom of frustration, consider what means of control you are employing to counterfeit God’s fruit of patience.

PRAYER
Lord, I need Your help to be humble and gentle. I need the fruit of Your Spirit to enable me to be patient with others, allowing for their faults because of my love for them that comes from You. Guide me in making every effort to keep us united in Your Spirit as we bind ourselves together in peace. (Eph. 4:2–3)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Peace Is...

Peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that supplies security in Christ, who provides all that is needed for life and godliness. It is the evidence of one who is dependent on Christ to provide the ability to cope with the problems, pain, and perplexities of living. In the midst of conflict we can experience the absence of fear, dread, and impending doom as we rest in the presence of His safety, tranquility, and contentment. A continuous relationship with Jesus Christ overflows with peace that comes from entrusting every struggle to Him. There is strength in knowing that while all around us is in flux and failure, Jesus provides a spiritual stability beyond the normal boundaries of this existence. We experience peace in the presence of finding Christ relevant to our situation even when we cannot be in control.

BIBLE TRUTH

“You will keep in perfect peace
      all who trust in you,
      all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the LORD always,
      for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock” (Isa. 26:3–4 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Humanity desires a Christ-less comfort. Submission is too demanding and taxing and infringes on our sense of control. We choose rather to be at ease by creating an environment where the circumstances and situations favor us. Our relational connections to people, positions, and possessions serve to vanquish stress and strain. The pursuit of comfort most assuredly leads to all we have sought to avoid, and results in turmoil. We will evidence the fruit of peace when we cease our pursuit of comfort with its resulting turmoil and find our security through Christ instead.

PRAYER
My Lord, please help me not to worry about anything; but instead to pray about everything. I want to tell You what I need, and thank You for all You have done. I desire to experience Your peace, which exceeds anything I can understand. I know Your peace will guard my heart and mind as I live in You. (Phil. 4:6–7)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Joy Is...

Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that reflects reliance on God. Jubilantly, a soul connected to Jesus gives tribute to God’s redemptive work. When the conflicts of the heart have been resolved, joy is the result. Such a condition is simply the outward testimony that all is well within.

Joy is the expression of the trusting heart experiencing God—His power to live, His freedom from bondage, His promise of eternal fellowship. The transforming hand of God liberates a life from the prison of oppression when we yield to His design, resulting in joy.

BIBLE TRUTH

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (1 John 2:15–17 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
People seem content to counterfeit joy with pleasure. The shackles of the sensual amusements of the world, the flesh, and the devil draw us through the lust of our hearts and the vanity of our lives and bind us in strongholds.

Pleasure does not have to be blatantly sinful. Yet all pleasure becomes sinful when we seek to be complete in it. When Jesus is left out of our lives, the pain of insatiable desires results in depriving us of the hope of fulfillment—futility. We will evidence the fruit of joy when we give up our futile pursuit of pleasure and choose reliance on God.

PRAYER
Father, I pray that You, the source of hope, will fill me completely with joy and peace because I trust in You. I want to overflow with confident hope through the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Love Is...

Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to value others with the distinguishing characteristic of sacrificial giving for the best interest of another. God places within us the ability to value Him and others, producing the capability to give while expecting nothing in return. True love can be seen at the cross, where Christ willingly sacrificed everything to be in a relationship with us to fulfill the Father’s purpose. Love promotes the work of God rather than the will of the individual. It is God’s heart in action through us.

God’s fruit of love perfects our hearts with abilities that are alien to the human condition. We are not simply better versions of what we were; we are now something altogether different because of the Holy Spirit’s work that moves us to Christlikeness.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance" (1 Cor. 13:4–7 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Apart from God, the human heart has no capacity for love. Left to our own devices, we offer only a counterfeit version laden with self-interest as a means to secure our self-centered pleasures. We strive to attain value and worth through people, positions, and possessions, believing we can find fulfillment apart from Christ. This illicit love masquerades in forms that may look noble, but the chief concern is how something will impact self. The ideal of giving to another has been replaced by the idea of gaining for oneself. We will evidence the fruit of love when we resign from the self-centeredness that culminates in emptiness and then allow the Holy Spirit to enable us to value others.

PRAYER
My Father, help me to continue to love others, for I know that love comes from You. I believe that anyone who loves is a child of Yours and knows You. But anyone who does not love does not know You, for You are love. (1 John 4:7–8)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Stop! You're Doing It Wrong!

Driven by the delusion that we can attain independence, we are convinced our fulfillment can only be addressed by our creative solutions. God may have a plan, but we don’t see Him at work in our lives, so we will attempt to achieve satisfaction independently. We attach expectations for God to bring about our plans by employing all His power to accomplish our desires. Deceived, we come to the notion that God is perfectly OK with what we want. The delusion expands to accommodate the idea that our plans are equal to His will. From this perspective God exists for our gratification.

BIBLE TRUTH

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
      Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
      ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
      ‘How clumsy can you be?’”
This is what the LORD says—
      the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my children?
      Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
I am the one who made the earth
      and created people to live on it.
With my hands I stretched out the heavens.
      All the stars are at my command” (Isa. 45:9, 11–12 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Our desire for independence clashes with the truth that only God is independent. We wrestle with futility as we strive to convince God that our plan should be His plan. With dashed hopes and thwarted expectations we grow resentful of God and stand in judgment of Him, doubting His love for us. Will you give up your plan for His?

PRAYER
O Lord who rules over all, show me the blessings of trusting in you! (Ps. 84:12)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

His Terms

The nature of our problem is that we work against God’s established order and desire our independence from Him. Ultimately we want to depend on ourselves while being independent from God. We have adopted Satan’s plan to be our own authority while seeking fulfillment in our physical life, quality of life, and even our eternal life. But still we are left incomplete. Our own desires block us from completeness in Christ.

BIBLE TRUTH

“For God in all his fullness
      was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
      everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
      by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Col. 1:19–22 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
God’s design for life enables us on His terms. He requires brokenness, dependence, and obedience. Our eternal life begins at the point of salvation in a continuous relationship with God. As a result, our physical lives exist for God’s purposes. God gives us everything we need for experiencing an abundant quality of life. Are you willing to give up your willfulness for His purposes?

PRAYER
Lord, remind me that You long to be gracious to me. I don’t want to forget that You wait on high to have compassion on me. You are the God of justice. I desire to be blessed as I wait for You. (Isa. 30:18)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Arrogance

You may say that your garden thrives on neglect. Some people may look at it and say it lives independently, but that is far from the truth. Even your garden needs God to plant, to water, and to give the increase. For your plants to claim independence is arrogant. They would be taking everything for granted. Seeds cannot germinate without soil, water, and sun; and plants even need the bees and worms to do their jobs. But the bees and worms are also interdependent on the process. Without the plants, soil, water, and sun, the creatures could not survive. For a human to claim, “I can do it myself,” is the same as a beautiful plant claiming, “I can do it myself.” How absurd.

BIBLE TRUTH
“He existed before anything else,
      and he holds all creation together” (Col. 1:17 NLT).

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
God designed all creation to be dependent on Him. Humanity was designed to depend on God, and without such dependence death results. The essence of original sin was man’s asserting his willfulness to be independent from God even though God provided everything necessary. Am I willing to be dependent?

PRAYER
Lord, I want to be blessed as one who trusts in You, as one whose confidence is in You. Please make me like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. I do not want to fear when heat comes, and I long for my leaves to always be green. I don’t want to have worries in a year of drought, and I want to never fail to bear fruit. (Jer. 17:7–8)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Truly Independent

The Bible teaches we can be complete, be fulfilled, possess well-being, and enjoy quality of life only through the person of Jesus Christ as we experience Him as relevant to all areas of our lives. There can be no true happiness or healthiness apart from a desperately dependent connection with Jesus. But with all our wisdom we do not find the solutions for life’s struggles in Him. We believe we can be independent.

God is the only one who is truly independent, because independence is an attribute of deity. He does not rely on anyone or anything to complete Himself. He is not subject to control by others. Reality sets forth the fact that all that is depends on God. Nothing can exist apart from God. Everything owes its existence to God.

BIBLE TRUTH
“for through him God created everything
      in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
      and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
      Everything was created through him and for him” (Col. 1:16 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
“But the God of Israel is no idol!
      He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including his people, his own special possession.
      The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name!” (Jer. 51:19 NLT)

Humanity was designed to be in a dependent relationship. We were never intended to be independent. God’s order is for His creation to depend on Him and His sufficiency in all areas of our lives. Do you still want to be independent?

PRAYER
Lord, I want to experience the joys of those who trust in You. I have no confidence in the proud or to those who turn aside to false gods. (Ps. 40:4)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Psalms 25 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

O LORD, I give my life to you.
      I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
      or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
      but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

Show me the right path, O LORD;
      point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
      for you are the God who saves me.
      All day long I put my hope in you.
Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love,
      which you have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
      Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
      for you are merciful, O LORD.

The LORD is good and does what is right;
      he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right,
      teaching them his way.
The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
      all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
For the honor of your name, O LORD,
      forgive my many, many sins.
Who are those who fear the LORD?
      He will show them the path they should choose.
They will live in prosperity,
      and their children will inherit the land.
The LORD is a friend to those who fear him.
      He teaches them his covenant.
My eyes are always on the LORD,
      for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

Turn to me and have mercy,
      for I am alone and in deep distress.
My problems go from bad to worse.
      Oh, save me from them all!
Feel my pain and see my trouble.
      Forgive all my sins.
See how many enemies I have
      and how viciously they hate me!
Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
      Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
May integrity and honesty protect me,
      for I put my hope in you.

O God, ransom Israel
      from all its troubles.       —Ps. 25 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

I Can Be Complete

God wants me to be complete in the person of Christ, in my position as His child, and in the possession of His righteousness. But, we say, I have my own life plan that I am sure will be exactly what God wants for me, so if He would just enable me to accomplish my purposes I could be complete. I want God to empower me to not need Him. And so we travel our own path, claiming to be a Christian but refusing to be desperately dependent on Christ, who offers His portrait in place of our sketch.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Gal. 5:24–25 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
By what means are you going to choose to empower your life? Will you allow the Master to complete His self-portrait through your life by means of the fruit of His Spirit?

If you choose to live by the Spirit, the strongholds will be broken, resulting in a complete, divinely empowered life—a picture of Christ. If you are not dependent on Christ, today is the best day of the rest of your life; it will be downhill from here.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I want Your Holy Spirit to guide my life. I don’t want to do what my sinful nature craves. (Gal. 5:16)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

What Is the Solution?

If people, positions, or possessions do not offer freedom or the solution for enjoying a complete life, what is the solution? Galatians 5:16 (NIV) supplies the answer: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” We are to conduct our lives “by the Spirit.” This requires a relationship with God’s Spirit in which we dependently trust Him with all our needs. This is an astonishing assertion, “. . . you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (NASB). In the Greek text the double negative construction emphasizes, “there is no way on earth, you can ever” carry out the desires of the flesh if you are living by the Spirit. Do you like the sound of that? The catch is that brokenness is a prerequisite: we cannot depend on God without first giving up our willfulness. We must give up the right to want what we want and trade it for wanting what God wants. “But I don’t want to give up what I want,” you may whine. Then you are not ready for a desperately dependent relationship on God that results in a life that is divinely enabled. This relationship begins by giving up our self-centered lives in exchange for Christ-centered lives that result from the forgiveness of sin. Without giving up our willfulness, we cannot know the heart of God and want what He wants.

BIBLE TRUTH
“We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4–5 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
If we are to be a picture of Christ, a Christian, then we are to live as He lived—desperately dependent on God for divine enablement for personal empowerment. Thus, holiness is true healthiness—to be complete in Christ. How is this possible? We tear down strongholds through obedience to Christ.

PRAYER
Father, know my heart and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 51:10)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Trapped!

We fall into a trap if we believe a person, position, or possession other than Jesus can complete our lives. In our daily struggles we search for ways to stimulate our emotions or sedate our emotions in order to feel good. But that which makes me feel good enslaves me. The end result is bondage. What a cunning ploy Satan has devised! “This is what you need to feel good about yourself,” he asserts as he lays the net to ensnare you. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25 NIV). “An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him” (Prov. 5:22 NLT). These strongholds are fortifications that keep us imprisoned.

But if you really want something, who is going to stop you? The natural desire of the heart is self-indulgence: I want what I want! The end of all self-indulgence is bondage. The very thing we want will destroy us. Our self-centered choices lead to strongholds that result in relationship problems, emotional difficulties, physical challenges, and even a crisis of faith. And so we sit, looking at life through the portholes of our own strongholds that have imprisoned us.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14–15 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The Galatians were struggling with similar issues. Paul poses this question to them: “After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (Gal. 3:3 NLT). They had fallen into the deception that by practicing religious rites they could be made right with God. They had arrived at the solution that a relationship with Christ was not enough; they needed more. Paul pleads with them: “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Gal. 5:1 NLT).

PRAYER
My Lord, please bring me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud and the mire. Please set my feet on solid ground and steady me as I walk along. (Ps. 40:2)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)