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Proverbs 3:5-8 – Dependence and Victory


Daily Devotional Bible Verse

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV)

From Jordan:

Dependence and Victory is part five in the series DEPENDENCE, and holds the greatest value when read in sequence. You can start at the beginning here.

As Christians we must realize a simple, yet significant truth: through complete dependence upon Jesus, we do not fight for victory, but from it (1 Corinthians 15:56-58). This is a profound distinction with intensely practical application for every facet of our lives. The unfortunate habit of so many Christians is to view the Biblical narrative as little more than law, filled with lists, rules and principles that must be followed in order for spiritual victory to be achieved. This, however, is not the message of the Gospel.

Look closely at 1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” Sin’s power is in the law, or that which condemns by charging those under it with wrong doing punishable by eternal death (Romans 6:23). But what happened the moment you were savedContinue Reading

Proverbs 3:5-8 – Dependence and Humility


Daily Devotional Bible Verse

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV)

From Jordan:

Dependence and Humility is part four in the series DEPENDENCE, and holds the greatest value when read in sequence. You can start at the beginning here.

While recovering from surgery all heroic notions of self-reliance were literally chiseled out of me (yes, a literal hammer and chisel were used on my vertebrae). An event the morning following my procedure was the greatest illustration of dependence and humility I have ever received, and most likely will be for some time. In short, I was unable to use the restroom under my own power, which my mind did not immediately equate to a lesson in humility, but in humiliation.

However, as I lay in my uncomfortable fold-in-ten-different-directions hospital bed, the embarrassing experience was used like a spotlight by the Holy Spirit. It sent a beam of stark, shining light straight at the plank that had lived in my eye for so long: my need to be the hero. By God’s grace that idol is crumbling in my heart, though not yet gone completely. I do believe this pride induced longing to be our own heroes, our own saviors, is implanted in us from an early age, and it is deadly.

It will present itself in various forms:Continue Reading

Proverbs 3:5-8 – Dependence and God’s Love


Daily Devotional Bible Verse

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV)

From Jordan:

Dependence and God’s Love is part three in the series DEPENDENCE, and holds the greatest value when read in sequence. You can start at the beginning here.

We’ll begin considering dependence and its relation to God’s love with an extremely heavy hitter:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)

Often, when we think of the word “so” in this verse, we imagine that it means “a lot”. However, renowned Greek scholar William Mounce educates, “But did you know that the Greek word behind “so” most likely means, “in this way.” “For God loved the world in this way: he gave…” The giving of his Son shows how God loved the world, not how much.”

The how, to me, is an infinitely more profound way of communicating just how much. Often, we don’t pause to consider the reality thatContinue Reading