By: Allie Joy Hudson
DO We Need God?
Something that God has been placing on my heart over and over (and over) this week is the uncomfortable and humbling revelation that I cannot exist in a way that is pleasing to Him or life-giving or fulfilling in my own strength.
Everything good in me and around me is from God.
I didn’t will it to be there myself. When I ignore Him and default back into thinking that I’m a pretty decent person or that I’ll be able to genuinely and selflessly love my husband or anyone else on my own, I quickly find out that I can’t. Instead, I feel a pull towards being self-serving, prideful, or entitled. So, my Father has been pulling me back to Himself time after time and graciously reminding me, “Allie, you NEED Me.”
Is God Finished with me?
Though God has taught me this lesson before, when I felt overwhelmed with the demands of school, the stresses of family life, and the temptation to give into lust, He is not finished with it. It’s easy to think that once we “master” a phase in our spiritual lives or overcome a certain temptation that we are immune to the shaping of the Lord. But thank goodness we aren’t. His work in us lasts a lifetime.
No matter how many times we resolve to do better, to try harder, to quit looking at porn or masturbating or entertaining unfaithful thoughts, God will always remind us that we need Him. Even when we are doing well, surrounding ourselves with accountability, keeping a grateful heart, and staying in prayer, we still need Him. Do not fall into the temptation that once you are successful for a long enough period, you will be fine on your own.
The enemy laughs in the face of that lie.
But once we admit our need for Him, God is always faithful. He hears us crying out to Him and calling on His name, and He answers us in His perfect way and timing. Psalm 18:6 says, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, / And cried to my God for help; / He heard my voice out of His temple, / And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.”
Finding God
God longs for us to call out to Him and proclaim our dependence on Him. We are designed to live under His authority; He is our Creator, Master, and Savior, and the relationship that we have with Him will last for the rest of eternity. What a beautiful picture of His unending faithfulness!
Where are you today? Are you broken before the Lord, repentant in spirit over your sin and the nagging tug of your flesh? Or, are you in a place where the Lord has found me many times, struggling with thoughts of pride and giving into the default of your heart to depend on yourself?
I want to remind you of Paul’s famous words in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’” Don’t just glance over this verse because it is familiar; take the time to stop and absorb the truth that the Holy Spirit reveals as you mediate on it. We are not able to be good or strong or pure on our own. God truly fills us with supernatural strength and joy, beyond anything we could muster up within ourselves, when we call out to Him and admit our need. And when this happens, He is honored. He loves us and delights in providing for us to overcome sin, forge strong, healthy relationships, and thrive in the steps He has prepared for us.
Call out to Him today! Our Father knows our need for Him, and yet He humbly, gently, patiently waits for us to acknowledge it and ask for the help that only He can give.
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Allie Joy Hudson is first and foremost a daughter of the King. She graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minors in Spanish and Psychology. Allie completed her Senior Honors Thesis on the presentation of postmodern sexuality in short fiction and has also been published in two of Liberty University’s other online journals, The Kabod and Aidenn. She enjoys reading, writing, playing the viola, singing, musical theatre, photography, and Zumba. She is passionate about her ever-growing C.S. Lewis collection, cultivating relationships, and proclaiming truth in the twisted arena of postmodern sexuality. Allie was raised in Maryland and is overjoyed to be married to the love of her life.