“The battle is not yours, but God's.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NLT)
Imagine you’re sitting on a plane that’s about to take off. As the plane goes down the runway, you start flapping your arms. As the speed picks up and the plane’s nose lifts in the air, you flap your arms faster and faster. Once in the air, the flight attendant approaches you and says, “What are you doing?”
And you say, “Oh, I'm helping us get off the ground.”
That’s ridiculous, right? But that’s basically what you’re doing when you try to do things only God is equipped to do. Just like you don’t need to hold up a plane, you don’t need to hold up God.
Do you want to know why you're tired all the time or frustrated or worn out by life? The reason might be because you're trying to fight battles that belong to God, and you are not God.
“The battle is not yours, but God's” (2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT).
People often try to be independent when they face a problem. They think, I’ve got to figure this out. If it’s to be, it’s up to me! But when you assume God’s role, it wears you out because you were never meant to carry problems by yourself in the first place.
Maybe you've been running in circles trying to solve problems in your marriage, your body, the economy, your school, or the world. You're trying to solve them in your own power. You're trying to fight the battle on your own, and you're tired.
When your strength gives out and you finally give up, God wants you to come back to him. And when you do—when you tell him you’ve made a mess of things—you may think you’ve let him down. But God isn’t disappointed in you, because he's not expecting you to do what only he can do.
The truth is, you don't have God in your hands; he's got you in his. If you think you’ve got God in your hands, it's not God. It's an idol. If you’re trusting in something you think you can control, then that thing is not God.
So let go and surrender to God. Because that’s when he says, “Great! Now we can get something done.”
What is the thing you’ve been trying to hold up on your own for too long?
Why does God want you to surrender before he will act? What does he want you to understand about yourself and him?
How does it feel to know God isn’t disappointed when you can’t do the impossible?
Have you surrendered your life to God?
His invitation to be part of his forever family is ready and waiting for you. Just believe and receive. Here’s a prayer you can start with:
“Dear God, I know when I die, I’m going to give an account of my life to you. I know I have sinned against you, and I have lived by my plan, not yours. I want that to change, starting right now. I want to turn away from my sins and toward you.
“Thank you for sending Jesus to die for all that I’ve done wrong so I don’t have to pay the penalty. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know only your grace can save me, Lord. I could never be good enough to get into a perfect place.
“Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you took all my guilt on yourself. You made me acceptable for heaven, and I humbly ask you to save me. I believe in you, Jesus. And I believe you will keep your promise to save me instantly, certainly, completely, and eternally. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, congratulations! Please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
