A fine Church member emailed me recently asking how a Christian “reconciles or balances” the need for daily self reliance and dependence on the Lord. It was a sincere question from a sincere Christian. I pray what I wrote to him is helpful to you in the struggles of the Christian life we all face. Here is the response:

"Your questions are very good ones. How does a Christian balance self sufficiency with reliance upon the Lord? Does God help those who help themselves, or does He help the helpless?

A great beginning to the answer is to learn Galatians 2:20. Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Paul says Christians are totally identified with Jesus Christ and have no strength of their own. Yet Paul also said that he, as an individual, still lived! The Christian must be helpless in one sense, totally recognizing that every breath is a gift from God and realizing that, without God's grace, we would be cast into Hell for our sins.

We are crucified with Christ when we are saved. A crucified man is helpless. We also are identified with His resurrection and risen life. We still live, yet it is now a Christ-centered life, a totally dependent life with all the strength and power coming from Him and all the glory going to Him.

God still expects us to be us. We have to get up in the morning, get dressed, go to work, make decisions, and work for a living. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." We seek, we work, we live daily, yet it is Christ living in us, and He blesses our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

We must trust Him as a little child, acknowledge His leadership, and He will direct our paths and our decision making through the personality and gifts He gives. This is often called the "Exchanged Life." We are on the Cross, and He lives in us. We are in Him, and He is in us. We "exchange" our life for His. He lives in us, yet we are still us. We do not try to negate our personalities or gifts. He uses our personalities and gifts as He lives through us. But it is Christ, not us, Who is living. This is the "Exchanged Life."

A good way to strengthen the "Exchanged Life" in you is to read one chapter of the Bible before going to bed and one chapter upon rising. Bow in prayer and give the day and your life issues and work to Him in daily, submissive, continual prayer. The Bible is our only source of knowing and doing the will of God.

It was Ben Franklin who said, "God helps those who help themselves." But Franklin was not correct here. God helps the helpless. We must come to Him as a little child. "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:2

God wants us to be humble, broken, and helpless before Him, claiming nothing but His grace. Then He will live through us to do His will, using the mind, body, gifts, and personalities which He has bestowed graciously upon us. He understands we still have daily life, work, and assignments to fulfill. Through the "Exchanged Life," He will fulfill His will through you in ways you cannot now imagine.