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Bible Question: Where
in the Bible can we find, "God helps those who
help themselves?" Inferring that we need to
help ourselves and not depend totally on Him to provide
our total earthly/human existence?
Bible Answer: There
is no such verse in the Bible. The principle behind the
statement does not exist in scripture. Scripture actually
says the opposite . . .
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Come
now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow,
we shall go to such and such a city,
and spend a year there and engage in
business and make a profit." Yet
you do not know what your life will be
like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that
appears for a little while and then vanishes
away. Instead, you ought to say, "If
the Lord wills, we shall live and also
do this or that." But as it is,
you boast in your arrogance; all such
boasting is evil. (NASB) James 4:13-16 |
Here God says that it is arrogant, boastful and evil
to plan your own life without depending on Him. We should
never plan to do something without depending on Him.
We need to seek His
will in our life and follow it. The
Word of God provides guidance. How often we ignore God!
We need to listen to Him and trust Him.
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Passage |
Basic
Idea |
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Hebrews
10:38 |
Live
by faith in God |
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Galatians
5:25 |
Live
by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit |
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2
Corinthians 5:7 |
Live
by faith not by sight |
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Yet
this does not mean we are to be lazy and just wait around for God to give us
a holy zap to give us direction and get us going. God has given us a mind for
a reason. Listen to God's words in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy,
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For
we hear that some among you are leading
an undisciplined life, doing no work
at all, but acting like busybodies. Now
such persons we command and exhort in
the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet
fashion and eat their own bread. (NASB)
1 Thessalonians 3:11-12
But if anyone does not provide for his own,
and especially for those of his household,
he has denied the faith, and is worse than
an unbeliever. (NASB) 1 Timothy 5:8
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These passages imply we are to work. We are to feed ourselves
and our family, but we are to depend on Him in all that
we do.
Conclusion: God
wants us to be totally dependent on Him. He wants to
us to do His will. |
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