In this article, we’ll be examining God's words together and we'll be sharing on something I believe that is important. It's something that you and I know to be very true and important to us. And it's about depending on the Lord, I believe we will all agree that it's important to depend on God. It is important to rely on Him because the arm of flesh will fail, it will always fail: but the Lord is Faithful; He is a Faithful God and that's why we can depend on Him. We're not going to go into so much on why it's important for us to depend on God because I believe that we have come to that common understanding that it is important we depend on God.
We're going to be looking on “How to Depend Solely on God.” And you will agree with me that we often acknowledge that it is important to depend on God. But how do we know the how to depend solely on God? That's what the conversation that the Holy Spirit will be having with us, is all about. Many people depend on God, but many people find it difficult to depend solely on God. What does it mean to depend solely on God? It means that God is the first and the only: if you are depending solely on a person, you are saying, that there is no other one anywhere; no alternative, only God. So, how can we make our lives to be only about God, to depend on God is to rely on God, to depend on God is to lean on God. So, when we are talking about depending on God, it is to rely on God and to lean on Him. So, how do we rely on God solely? Depending on God solely is having only Him; no alternative.
When the children of Israel were led out by God out of Egypt, out of slavery, out of bondage, they were used to leaning on their task masters. They depended on Pharaoh and his institution for provision and support. So, for God to change their orientation, to change their mindset, God had to introduce Himself to them. And you see this Deuteronomy chapter 6:4-9, See what the LORD was saying to them, and what He says to one, He says to all. “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” Where you were coming from, you were accustomed to the gods of Egypt. There were several of them, so, if the sun god fails, they will turn to the god of thunder. If that one fails to show up, they will turn to the god of fire; they had alternatives, but God had to change their orientation to help them understand that when you are dealing with Me (God), you are dealing with one God. And some people will say is that not risky. For the gods of Egypt, there are alternatives. But with God is solely and that's why what we're conversing about is not how to depend on God, because many people do. God is one of their alternatives; but the focus is how to depend solely on God: no alternative.
So, he said, “hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One! no alternative only Him. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Verse 6, and these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. Verse 8, You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
God is saying to them, how important this is; what I am commanding you is not something that you will just throw by the wayside, it is not just something that you will treat with levity: this is the crux of the matter, this is what will change your life, this is what will keep you from generation to generation. So, He said you must teach your children. How to depend solely on God has become something that is scarce in our generation, because mothers and fathers are not teaching their children. They are teaching them alternatives. But see the instruction of God, you shall teach it to your children diligently. It will look as if they are not getting it but you must continue. What are you teaching them? You are teaching them that the Lord God is one and that you must love Him. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
I want us to see Matthew chapter 22:36-40, it says; “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, ‘you shall love the LORD your God. Jesus was repeating what God said in Deuteronomy chapter six. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and He also called it; great commandment. This is the first and great commandment and He said the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” So, Jesus will not bother repeating all because on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets, whatever God is ever going to say to you, whatever God is going to be to you will be premised on this commandment, that you love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with your mind. So how can we solely depend on God? How can we solely depend on God, having Him as our one and only without any alternative? It is by loving Him.
The way we can depend on God is by loving Him. You cannot love someone and will not trust the person, and you can’t trust someone and not rely on the person. So, God is saying to His people that you shall love the LORD your God. The password, the entryway to depending on Me is that you love Me. And how do you love Me? You love Me with all your heart, you love Me with all your mind, you love Me with all your soul, and you love Me with all your strength. So, when all is taken, what's left? There is nothing left. So, because you have given all to Him, you don't have an alternative. If you have given all to a person, is there anything left? No! The reason we don't solely depend on God is because we don't love with all.
We're going to break down that Scripture in Mark chapter 12:29-31, “Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is: hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Because the LORD is one, it is not fragmented. Your love for Him must be whole; all. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart. So, the components of your entire being that must be in operation is loving God is the same component of your entire being that must be in operation in Faith; if it is going to be deployed. He said and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart. How is Faith communicated? You believe in your heart and you confess with your mouth and the Bible says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So, we are talking about a two-way traffic; and you shall love the LORD with all your heart: so, I want us to dwell on that. Your dependency on God solely is expressed in the following ways;
Number One: You depend on Him with all your heart. What does that mean? So, if we're going to X-ray ourselves, do I solely depend on God; number one litmus tests? Do I depend on Him with all my heart? Psalm chapter 27:13-14, says; “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the LORD!” Depend on God with all your heart. What was David saying here? I would have lost heart, I would have lost my passion, I would have lost hope, I would have lost Faith, unless that I had believed. You believe with your heart, depend on Him with all your heart. Where is your heart, have you lost it? Or do you have Faith in God? Do you believe? Another word we can use here is, all your belief is in God. Depending on God solely means all your belief is in God, because believe and your heart are like Siamese twins. What you believe is not in your head, it is in your heart.
Do you believe God with all your heart? That's the question, that's the first litmus tests. Over your health, do you believe God with all your heart? If your answer is yes, that means you depend solely on God for your health. Concerning your children, do you believe God with all your heart; that means you depend solely on God for your children. Whatever you believe God for, (God only) that shows where you rely on. Who you rely on is who you have Faith in. If you have Faith in the government of your country, then you rely on the government of your country. If you believe in your heart, or have Faith, only in your father, then you depend on that your father. So, if we as children of God, solely depend on God, then we have Faith only in Him. That's the first litmus test. Whatever in your life, that you don't trust God only for, you don't depend on Him for.
How do you love God? Do you love God with the whole of your heart? Because the reflection of your love for God is a reflection of your Faith. How do you love Him? Is it partially or wholly? You know, some of us; it is easy for us to profess our love for God when in the midst of people; we enjoy corporate anointing. We can trust God for big things once we are in the midst of people, we will pray and do spiritual gymnastics but when you are alone, all that has gone away. Then your true nature starts coming out. Where your love is, is where your Faith will be. Jesus was saying, He said, where your treasure is, that's where your heart will be. Your treasure is something you love. Your heart will always go for what you love. That's how your heart goes for who you love. Do you love God? If you love God, your heart will go for Him. And that same direction is where your Faith will be. So, number one; depend on Him with all your heart.
I want to show us a Scripture in Proverbs chapter 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart” (Do we see ‘all’ just like in Deuteronomy chapter six that we read in verse four to nine: Love the LORD your God with all your heart.) because you cannot love God with all your heart and not trust Him with all your heart. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Let not one tiny bit be based on your own understanding. Don't depend on your own understanding. He said in all your ways (not some but all) acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Verse 7, Do not be wise in your own eyes; you know what happens to us most of the time, we want to be wise in our eyes: I don't know whether God will come through, let me have alternative in case I pray and God does not show up; do you know that you are not dependent on God solely.
It is different from when you prayed and God led your heart to someone, not that as you are praying you already have Plan B. That after I finish praying in case God does not hear me, I will go; that's why he said, do not be wise in your own eyes; because our wisdom is foolishness. When you refuse to solely rest on God, you are playing catch up with God, and God will be looking at you. When you have come to your wit end: come! Let's talk. When you have exhausted your options, God will now show you your foolishness. Do not be wise in your own eyes. What should you do? You should fear God, fear the LORD, and not that kind of fear that brings torment, it is to revere Him, love Him. Love God, fear the LORD and depart from evil. Trust with all your heart; not some of it. So, for us to have the kind of answers, possibilities, realities of God; it is premised on our love for Him and our dependence on Him.
The men that see great happenings of God in their lives; they are men that solely rely on God. When Elijah was calling fire down, was he thinking that in case God does not show up he will go and carry the gas in his house? Or he will look for one explosive device somewhere and come and show? Is either God shows up or He shows up; that’s depending solely on God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when they refuse to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar, did they say excuse us, please let us go and wear fire resistant jackets in case God does not show up or he's going to delay? At least we'll stay in the fire safe for some time. Is that what they did? No! They said, even if our God will not deliver us, we will not bow and they went into that fire: three of them. They were bound when they went into the fire. God opened the eyes of the king and saw them freemen with Jesus in their midst: the fourth Man in the fire. Why? They depended solely on God in their heart, no alternative; their Faith was unwavering.
What gave birth to the dependence on God; it is the love for God. If Elijah did not love God, he will not trust God to bring down fire, so that the children of Israel will know that is a living God. If Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not love God, they will not depend on God so much that they said, they will not bow to that image, and will step into the fire. What is your love for God like? Is He all, is He whole or partial? Do you love God small? Or you love Him completely? It will show on how you depend on Him. First Peter chapter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. This is the posture of depending on God, the posture you take what you depend on God is that you humble yourself under is mighty hand, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care; is it some of them? Casting all your care. Some will say, I believe God that He can help me in my marriage, but you see, in my finances, I'm not sure. Let me take care of that one, God should take care of marriage.
That means you are casting some of your care. You can't cast some of your care and love Him completely; because everything is in your heart. You can't give part of your heart. He said casting all your cares upon Him. Why should you cast all your cares upon Him? You cast all your cares upon Him because you love Him and you trust Him. Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. And God is not a man that He will lie, nor the Son of Man that He will repent. You rely on God by depending on Him with all your heart.
Number Two, depend on Him with all your mind. We're taking reference from Mark chapter 12:29-31, that we read earlier. Depend on Him with all your mind. What does this mean? It means that when you are loving God, trusting God, relying on God, you are doing it with your thoughts and understanding; with all of your intelligence, you trust Him, that when God is saying something to you, you are not trying to analyze it by saying, I trust God but this one you have said it can't work. What are you doing? You are not trusting Him with all your mind. That’s why we read First Peter chapter 5:6, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, when you're humbling yourself, you are humbling your heart, you are humbling your mind. You are saying God, you are able to take the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, debase things of this world to confound the mighty.
Let your will be done; I might not totally understand how You are working it and what You are doing, but I believe you. That’s depending on Him with all your mind, not that your mind is being analytical of God, not that you are carrying your logic into it. Look at that man when Prophet Elisha said, by this time tomorrow, there had been famine in the land, people have been killing their children; that's the extent of the famine: it was a deep one. Then the Prophet said, by this time tomorrow, a barley of wheat will be sold for such a ridiculous amount. The man that could not depend on God with his mind, he said, see, let us bring our logic into play, even if God will open the windows of heaven: Prophet, what are you saying, don't deceive people, and he thought he was doing a good thing. Even if God will open the windows of heavens, how will these things be; it can’t happen. And the Prophet said to him, you will only see it with your eyes, so that you will see that it's true, you will not partake of it. And that's why many of us are not partaking of the greatness of God, because we don't believe. We don't depend on God with all of our mind. Jesus was saying, He said, if you will have Faith in God like little children, who are little children? Little children are men and women; it's not just talking about infants; little children are men and women that are able to depend on God with their mind. That it does not make sense, but because God, you said it, I believe.
Mary said, how will these things be, seeing that I know no man, let it be unto me, according to your word. I've never seen in my life where somebody will get pregnant without a man but since God said it is possible, I believe. What did Mary do? She depended on God with all her mind; in her mind since she was born, it has never happened, but God said it, I believe it; that settles it: that is how to rely solely on God with all your mind. I know you have many thoughts; you have many understandings. God said in Isaiah chapter 55, your ways are not My ways saith the LORD, your thoughts are not My thoughts. As the heaven is high above the earth, so are My thought higher than your thought. So, when God’s thought is higher than your thoughts, what do you do? You submit your own thought that is low under is high thought; that's wisdom. And that's why in Proverbs chapter 3:7, do not be wise in your own eyes, fear God. Fear God that can cause a man that was dead for four days, stinking, buried, wrapped to walk out of the tomb alive, fear God! Suspend your thoughts and understanding, believe in the possibilities of God. That’s how to solely depend on Him.
I want us to see an expression of David in Psalm chapter 56:3-4, “Whenever I'm afraid, I will trust in You. (My mind will tell me to be afraid: this is dangerous.) That's why David was saying in Psalm 23, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death: reality based on my thoughts and understanding; this is the valley of the shadow of death, but because I rely and depend on Him with all my mind, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. See what he said in Psalm 56:3-4, he said when I am afraid, I will trust in You, in God (I will praise His word). In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? But you have seen people boiled in hot oil, you have seen people sword into two; these things did not happen in films, you saw them real.
There was the kind of Faith that Stephen had, he was been stoned and Stephen did not count what they were doing against him; he said Father forgive them. In his mind, how can people be stoning you and you’ll be praying for them. Does it add up? Why did he pray for them? He trusted God with all his mind, that even though they slay me, yet, I will praise Him. He said, count it not against them, Lord, for they don’t know what they're doing. And he saw the Lord Jesus standing up for him. He did not count it as something that was terrifying, because he had subjected his mind, his thoughts, his understanding to God. This is the second litmus test: how do you depend on Him? Do you depend on Him with all your mind? Or your mind is always active, ready to analyze, ready to go logical? You can't depend solely on God like that. To depend solely on God, you must depend on Him with all your mind. Your thoughts are focused on Him; your thought become His thought, you step up your thoughts, to the realm of His thought. That's how to depend on God. That God said it, I believe and that settles; as He has said it, I believe.
Isaiah chapter 26:3-4, says; “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you.” You don't understand the realm of perfect peace; the realm of perfect peace is that there's no trouble, even though you hear that there is trouble everywhere, he said He will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. And God said I am your peace. He said My peace I give you and My Peace I leave with you; not as the world gives. Because God said, I am your peace, you go to bed and you sleep; because He said it, not because there are no gun shots in your community, not because things are not happening because they didn't kidnap somebody last week. You sleep well because God said to me, He is my peace. David received a great revelation, he said that if the LORD does not build a house, those that build it, they build in vain. If the Lord does not watch over the city, the watchmen stay awake in vain; we must depend solely on God. Depending solely on God is that your mind is stayed on Him. You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you. Do you trust God? Trust in the LORD forever, for in Yah the LORD is everlasting strength: not strength for a time, but strength without end.
Number three: Depend on Him with all your soul. How do you depend solely on God? You depend on Him with all your soul. What does it mean to depend on God with all your soul? You depend on Him with all your life. I want us to see Luke chapter 12:22-28, “Then He said to His disciples, therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life.” When you depend on God with all your soul, you will not worry about your life. He said, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about the body what you will put on. Life is more than food and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither store house nor barn and God feeds them. Of how much value are you than the birds? Verse 25, and which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his statue? Now what Jesus is saying here is that, which of you by not trusting and depending on God with all your soul can achieve anything. In your soul, you have the seat of emotion; where moodiness is been expressed and the person begins to worry. What are you worrying about? When you worry, it shows you are not solely depending on God.
When you get into that kind of mood, that you are just sad and you don’t know the reason, but you are just sad. Why should you be sad when you have God? Bible says rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice; it is a command. Not that there are things that will not make you worry, but what you should switch to immediately that comes is your dependence on God. That even though I don't understand why I'm feeling like this, I choose to trust God. I trust in the Lord with all my heart, I lean not on my own understanding because if you sit down and start thinking, there are too many things to think about. If you sit down and start worrying, you can worry all your life and Jesus said, which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his life? He's not asking you to answer the question. It means no, it is not possible. So, you can sit down and choose to worry, it is a choice. Life is a choice. You can choose to depend on God or depend on yourself or depend on people; it is a choice. You use your free will to choose God by depending on Him. So, Jesus was saying here, which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature, if you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Why are you anxious? Consider the lilies how they grow, they neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you, even Solomon in all of his glory have not arrayed like one of these.
If then, God so cloth the grass which today is in the field and tomorrow it is thrown into the oven, how much more will He cloth you, O you of little Faith. When you have little Faith, that means your trust have issues. We must depend on God with all our soul. I might not see the wind, I might not see the rain, but I know the valleys are being filled. Jesus said, blessed is he that does not see, yet believes. It is important to practice it; when worry wants to set in, go into the presence of the Lord with praise: declaring and acknowledging that you depend on Him, and you will see that moods don't last. Our moods are not permanent. You can switch, it is a choice. You can choose to be joyful and you can choose to mourn; it is a choice.
Number Four: Depend on Him with all your strength. What does this mean? It means all of your energy. Don't devote all your energy, your strength in worrying: devote all of your energy in trusting God. And how will these things come to play? (After you have finished worrying: you've counted all the square boxes in your ceiling. Now you say, maybe I should just study now, then you start studying and you start hitting your head on the table. You have wasted your strength.) Trust on in Him with all your strength, with all your energy. I want us to see a Scripture in Psalm chapter 37:39-40, “But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.” Not from man. David said, I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help; he didn’t say my help will come from Pharaoh, he didn’t say my help will come from my wife, he didn’t say my help will come from my children; he said, my help comes from the Lord. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, solely the Lord, not a lord. He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they trust in Him. You make God to be without expression in your life, when you don't trust Him. There is so much God can do for us only if we trust Him. And there is so much we will not see in our lives if we don't trust Him. Are you ready to depend on God? Are you ready to trust Him? Are you ready to love Him?
As we step into a new year, this should be our one resolution. This should be our singular focus, this should be our one desire, this is my desire; to love you, to trust you, to depend on you. The limitation of the things we could not experience or why we were limited this year, it is because we were limited in our trust, limited in our love, limited in our Faith. When Faith is little, it is limited. Faith will be little when love is little. When you have extravagant love for God, you will have extravagant Faith in God. And you will see God do much more than you can think or imagine. For the Bible says, God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask or think. Let’s see Jeremiah chapter 17:7-8, “Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be (it is definite.) like a tree planted by the waters which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes but its leaf will be green. And will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruits.” Do we see how beautiful it is to trust in the Lord? Blessed is that man, blessed is that woman who trusts; who depends; who relies on the Lord, she shall be like a tree planted by the waters. Jesus said I am the Vine and you are the branches. He said every branch that is affixed to Me will always produce.
What does it mean for a branch to be connected to the vine of Christ; you are connected to the river that never runs dry, you are connected to the water that always spring, you are connected to the one that has eternal life whose life has no end, no droughts with Him, no famine with Him; everything about Him is everlasting, everlasting goodness. For a branch to be attached to the Vine, the branch most depend on the Vine. The branch depends on the Vine for supply. That's the posture, the picture of who we are in Christ. We must be branches affixed to the Vine; branches attached to the Vine. Never letting go. No alternative. We are not transplanting ourselves from one place to another. We are permanently connected.
