Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 3:5 NJKV).
All Christians have a tendency to say that apart from God we can't do anything. We say it with our mouths, but unfortunately, our lives often tell a different story. I believe that a true test of our level of dependence on God can be found in how often we pray and lean on the Lord in our everyday actions and duties. Every time we head into our day or begin a significant task without stopping to pray, we demonstrate that we believe our sufficiency is in found in self, rather than God.
Consider this: how often do you plunge right into your work without stopping to pray and ask God for His help? If I'm honest with myself and others, I have to admit that stopping to pray before doing my work (whether it be writing or some other type of work) is something I don't do nearly enough. In fact, I'm ashamed to say that I realized that as I began to write this devotional, I had started writing without taking a minute to pray to ask God for His help and guidance.
The problem is, we can have some measure of "success" in what we do in life without stopping to pray before we work. And yet apart from prayer and dependence on God, any success we may seemingly have is of no lasting or eternal value.
Do you want to be really used by God? Do you want your life to be significant to such a degree that it has an impact on others for days and years to come? If so, learn to pray about everything. All of our conversations, work, and relationships will be far more powerful if we acknowledge that our sufficiency comes not from self, but from God. The best way to do that is to pray about everything. Will you join me in committing to praying more?
Lord help us to lean on You, look to You, and trust in You in every aspect of our lives and in every moment of every day. We acknowledge that truly we cannot do anything apart from You. Help us to live out that truth by praying about everything as we go through our day. Amen.
Thought: In your journal make a list of the things you do on a regular basis. Consider which items you pray about regularly. Is there room for improvement? If so, don't beat yourself up about it, but make a commitment to change. Since it is hard to make several changes all at once, if helpful, first commit to praying regularly about a specific aspect of your life. For instance, for me the area is writing, so my commitment is to pray each time I sit down to write and then pray as I write and as I conclude a specific article. Try incorporating more prayer into your life -- you'll be amazed by the difference it makes!
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