Declare Your Dependence

Has pursuing the American dream turned into and endless pursuit of material prosperity? If material prosperity is a measure of freedom than surely Americans are more free today than they were 30 years ago, or are they?

Actually, according to U.S. labor studies, Americans are working on average 199 hours more than they did 30 years ago despite all the technological advances that have take n place in last few decades that should allow us to get more done in less time. So why are we working more? We’re working more, because American’s chose to take those increases in productivity in the forms of “more money” and “more stuff.” So much so, that we have found ourselves in a cycle of debt to the tune of over 2 trillion dollars…a rate that has more than doubled in less than 10 years. With all that debt to pay off, the average American is far from free. Longer work weeks, the need for households to have 2 incomes have taken a toll on our ability to meet the demands of our families, to take care of our children, to meet our emotional needs. We have little time to spend with friends and the stress of our everyday lives is taking a toll on our health. America is truly in bondage. Never has this been more apparent than in the past year. When the stock market began to tumble, and interest rates increased and people began to lose their jobs the balancing act that many Americans were barely maintaining toppled. Bankruptcies are at an all time high, as well as record numbers of foreclosures and divorces. The prosperity of America has not led to freedom but to tremendous levels of debt and bondage.

God gave man freedom of choice, however he never created us to be independent. He wanted us to be dependent on him. Not because He is on some big ego trip, but because as our creator, he know what we need and loves us and desires what’s best for us to such a degree that he wanted to take on that burden for us. When it comes to the issue of independence we really don’t have a choice as to whether we are going to be dependent or independent. Rather whether we recognize that we are totally dependent on God.

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Psalms 24:1

“Everything in the heaven’s and earth is yours O Lord.and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from you alone and you are the Ruler of all mankind. Your hand controls p0wer and might and it is at your discretion that men are made great or given strength.” 1 Chr. 29:11-12)

He is our sole provider. This was made very clear to the Israelites by Moses in Deuteronomy, Chapter 8 when he said:

“ You may say to yourself “My power and the strength of my hand s have produced this wealth for me” But remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives the ability to produce ealth and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers as it is today,”

And then he gives this warning…

”If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to the, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.”

The Christian life is impossible to do by ourselves. Although nothing pleases Satan more than having us believe we can. Faith becomes totally unnecessary when we think we can do things on our own.

Faith comes when we finally realize that we can’t do it by ourselves.

I struggled with debt for many years. I would get myself in trouble and get myself out of it only to find myself in deeper than I was before. I knew the arithmetic of staying out of debt... adding up all my income and making sure that the sum was greater than all of my expenditures, but knowing that didn’t keep me out of debt. I was a single mom for 8 years and during that time I used credit cards to as a way to purchase what I felt my family needed

Here’s what was operating in my life at that time…

Presumption

I was consistently robbing God of an opportunity to provide for me and show his glory and build my faith. Took on stress that I wasn’t built to handle because I chose to whip out that credit card.

Slavery

By owing them money, I was forced to serve those credit card companies with my time and my finances.

You don’t even have to be in debt to be a slave to materialism. How much time and money goes to maintaining those possessions we buy?

Idolatry

I wanted to buy things not because I NEEDED them, but because I wanted them. I wanted them, because without realizing it, I was expecting those things to fill a void in my life that only God could fill. I thought those things were my ticket to acceptance and love and personal power. Whenever, we place ourselves, or other people or things in a position of priority, we are serving an idol.

Today, I am debt-free (except for my mortgage!) and that has only come about through my desire to depend on God for what I need and place Him in a position of highest priority in my life.

Declaring my dependence on God was the beginning of freedom.