Not My Job

CONSIDER
Sometimes wounded souls fall for the lie that they must pay for an offense that was done against them. For example, an adolescent may believe she must always carry the shame that was forced on her when she was molested. Or a divorced spouse may never again be happy as a result of the unfaithfulness of his partner. Or a sibling must continuously make allowances and excuses to cover up the deviance of her brother. Do not forget that Satan is the master deceiver, and he is eager to use any device to keep us from experiencing our freedom in Christ.

BIBLE TRUTH

So now, come back to your God.

Act with love and justice,
and always depend on him. (Hos. 12:6 NLT)

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
By myself I cannot withstand the onslaught of Satan, who unrelentingly attempts to persuade me that I can be solely responsible for all areas of my life. Too many times I have fallen for the lie that I am capable of fulfilling God’s job description of Savior, sustainer, and benefactor. But I am not designed to fulfill His job description any more than a two-year-old who is playing house can assume the responsibilities of a wife and mother. Satan makes it look so easy to perform God’s responsibilities, while at the same time convincing us that it is so hard to let God be in control!

We must resign from our job of playing God and allow Him to assume His rightful position. He is the only one who can forgive sin, and I must resign from my self-appointed duty of attempting to collect all the debt I believe is owed to me. Because He forgave all my sin, I must continue relying on Him to exercise His righteous justice on my behalf. Not only must I trust Him to forgive my sin, I must rely on Him to redeem me from the sins of others who have hurt me. Without the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, we are totally incapable of living the abundant life He designed for us to experience as a result of our desperately dependent relationship with Him. As we rely on Him to complete His work in our lives, we can experience all He has to offer those who allow Him to reign supreme.

PRAYER
I return, to You, my Lord and my God, for my sins have brought me down. I bring my confessions, and return to You, the Lord. Forgive all my sins and graciously receive me, so that I may offer You my praises. Help me be wise to understand these things. Let me have discernment and listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. (Hosea 14:1–2, 9)


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

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