Say No To Self-Help

Read: Jeremiah 17:1-8

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. --- Psalm 28:7

Ezekiel 1-2
Hebrews 11:1-19

Early in my editorial career in religious publishing, I was responsible for a line of books referred to as "self-help." The label troubled me because it seemed contrary to everything Christian.

The idea of self-help is popular because it supports the notion that we are in control. In the words of the poem "Invictus": "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."

But we're not! Eventually something happens that reminds us how out-of-control life is, and no self-help book can help us make it right.

Thankfully, Christians are not in the business of self-help. Quite the opposite! To become a Christian requires that we admit our helplessness and acknowledge our total dependence on God. "Without Me, you can do nothing," said Jesus [John 15:5].

The ancient Israelites were always getting in trouble for trusting human strength rather than God's [Jer. 17:5]. Yet even after their failures, the Lord said, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD" [v.7].

When especially difficult circumstances or strong temptations invade our lives and remind us of our powerlessness, we have an all-powered God who works on behalf of those who trust Him. --- Julie Ackerman Link

No strength of our own, nor goodness we claim;
Our trust is all thrown on Jesus' name:
In this our strong tower for safety we hide;
The Lord is our power, "The Lord will provide." --- Newton

WHATEVER DOES NOT BEGIN WITH GOD WILL END IN FAILURE.