CHRISTIAN FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Faith Is Understanding That Without God We Are Helpless…

By Paula Pinto

     Faith is the understanding that without God we are helpless. It is coming to realization that no matter how much we have or how much we lack, without Him as our portion we are barely getting by.

      I can guarantee that if you were to walk into any book store today, you will find hundreds of self-help books with thought-provoking ideas and a handful of good theories on how you can “get it all together.” Truth be told, you may learn how to manage every bill in your household, pay off debt, manage your anger, become more patient, fight your fears, overcome you addictions, but in order to “conquer” Christ must be included into the strategic plans that build a better “you.” There are no short cuts, quick fixes or good remedies that purchase the sanctification for our sins but to believe in Jesus Christ, and once we do, there is nothing that can “better” us but to remain in that power that was able to free us. While all of the helpful material may be of good use to build upon, without a connection through prayer, reading the word, and diligently seeking Him, we are sure to remain in that place where we are constantly searching…

      Even after we come to Christ, there often seems to be a constant battle with “self.” We like the part of the salvation message that gives us our eternal reward, but dying to “self” becomes a lot harder, and what I mean by “self” in this column is not the desires of the world but our wanting to remain so independent that we believe that we can walk this walk, fix our flaws, overcome the hurdles, and we can do all of that on our own because admitting that we need the Lord to help us in these areas means that we are incapable. Guess what? We are. It doesn’t matter how educated we are. How street-wise we may be. How secure in ourselves we have been. We still need Christ because deep inside of every person is something that led us to Him to begin with. I know many Christians, and I can’t name one that said that they became a believer because they wanted to go to Heaven. Most of them came to Him because at some point they realized that without him they were helpless. The problem that many of them face today is that once they get past whatever it is that brought them to the cross, whether it was tears or anger, the very thing that he delivered them from was just a symptom of something that was already there.

       Let’s take the alcoholic for example. Let’s say that after receiving Christ they were delivered from alcoholism. Whether that deliverance happened over night or it is one that took time to overcome, at some point they were set free from that addiction. Often times, there are many things that led up to that addiction, maybe it was a painful past, troubled relationships, easing their anxieties, trying to fit in i.e insecurities that made them lack better judgment, whatever it was, something made them take that first drink. Once freed, it’s easy to forget or even not recognize that these things pre-existed and need to be fixed. However, because of being “set free” from the addiction, many quickly assume that everything is okay. They may never drink a drink again, but never the less, there unquestionably other areas that need to be worked out, areas that only Christ can work out when the person is fully dependent upon Him, searching themselves to see what areas they are, and believing that God will continue to work in their lives.

        There are others that never had an addiction in their life, but the truth is, the need for Christ is just he same. The need for Him to continue working in us does not diminish, and when we realize this, the work He is doing in us, whether I is things from the past or bettering us for the future, either way He is able to work in us when we allow Him too. But in order for Him to be able to, it takes work on our part. Again, praying, reading the word, worshipping Him and being fed the word in a bible based church, helps us to grow to the full potential that we were created to. There are no short cuts or quick fixes. In order to gain muscle and be in good shape there has to be a commitment to a good diet and exercise. This too can be applied to our walk with Christ, in order for us to mature in Him and be helped we must do our part and understand that without Him we are helpless.

       I’ll end with this. Sometimes during the hardest times, when you are brought to tears and life seems all too difficult that it makes you cry out, “Lord this is just to hard. I need your help or I’m not going to be able to do this,” he meets us at that place because again, I believe that faith is realizing that without Him we are helpless. No matter how dark the valley seems, to the point where you feel like you may give up or on the contrary, if you feel like you just about have it all together, either way, you need Him just the same.

      I pray the Lord would continually encourage you, mold and shape you as you seek Him and that as you rely upon Him and the promises of His word that you would develop an even greater relationship with Him. That you would defy the norms of society which teach you that the only person you can truly reply upon is “you” and instead take hold of Him, so that you may achieve all that He has for you.

Paula Pinto is the Managing Editor and a writer for a New York newspaper. She is a member of the Christian based writing community Faith Writers, and writes a column called Christian Food For Thought, published monthly on Christian News Today.

Ms. Pinto can be contacted at pintopaula7@yahoo.com

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