Reliance on God: Moving Beyond Self to the Supernatural

One of man’s deepest struggles is the tendency to rely on oneself. We trust in our natural ability, our wisdom, our connections, and even our reputation. And when these props are shaken, we feel crushed, because our sense of worth was tied to something fragile.

But Scripture shows us again and again that the proper place of stability, peace, and fruitfulness is not in reliance on ourselves, but in total dependence on God. Reliance on God is not weakness; it is the posture that allows His strength to flow.

The Futility of Trusting in Self

The carnal or natural man leans on his ability. He measures worth by performance and confidence by human approval. But this path always leads to disappointment.

• “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He shall be like a shrub in the desert…” (Jeremiah 17:5–6)
  
  

Examples in Scripture:

• Moses: Tried to deliver Israel by killing an Egyptian in his strength (Exodus 2:11–12). The result? Failure and forty years in hiding.
  
  
• Sarah & Abraham: Tried to “help God” by producing a son through Hagar (Genesis 16). The result? Strife and delay.
  
  
• Saul: Grew impatient, offered a sacrifice himself instead of waiting for Samuel (1 Samuel 13:8–14). The result? His kingdom was torn away.
  
  
• Peter: Confidently declared he would never deny Jesus (Matthew 26:33–35). Within hours, he fell.
  
  

Modern Parallels:

• The ambitious banker who trusts only in his career until one crisis wipes it all away.
  
  
• The self-sufficient parent who relies on experience until a rebellious child shows she needs God’s wisdom.
  
  
• The eloquent preacher who leans on charisma, but discovers that lives only change when the Spirit empowers his words.
  
  

The Blessing of Trusting in God

In contrast, reliance on God brings peace, stability, and fruitfulness, even when the natural outlook seems hopeless.

• “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water… and does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7–8)
  
  
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
  
  

Examples in Scripture:

• David vs Goliath: David didn’t boast in skill but declared, “I come against you in the name of the Lord” (1 Samuel 17:45). His reliance on God gave him victory.
  
  
• Jehoshaphat: Facing an impossible army, he prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). God brought supernatural deliverance.
  
  
• Paul: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). He learned that God’s power begins where human strength ends.
  
  

How Did the Ancients Learn Reliance?

It wasn’t education, mentorship, or cultural systems. The ancients learned reliance through:

1. Encounters with God – Abraham leaving Ur, Moses at the burning bush, David in worship.
   
   
2. Experiences of Weakness – Gideon’s army reduced to 300 men, Israel hungry in the wilderness.
   
   
3. The Spirit’s Teaching – The prophets repeatedly said, “Thus says the Lord.”
   
   

As Paul writes: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise… so that no one may boast before Him” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29).

The Principle: Supernatural Begins Where Natural Ends

When man exhausts his strength and lays it down, God’s strength takes over.

• “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
  
  
• “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
  
  
• “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” (Zechariah 4:6)
  
  

The ancients did not walk in power because they had better strategies. They walked in power because they assumed the position of dead men, crucified to the flesh, alive only to God.

Practical Ways to Rely on God

So how do we move from self-reliance to God-reliance? Scripture and experience point us to a path:

1. Acknowledge Your Weakness – Stop pretending. “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
   
   
2. Surrender Your Plans to God – “Commit your way to the Lord” (Psalm 37:5).
   
   
3. Lean on God’s Word, Not Logic – “Lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
   
   
4. Pray Before Acting – Seek His counsel first.
   
   
5. Wait on His Timing – Don’t rush like Saul. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
   
   
6. Walk by Faith, Not Sight – Believe God’s promise above natural evidence (Romans 4:19–21).
   
   
7. Die to Self Daily – “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
   
   
8. Depend on the Holy Spirit – “By My Spirit, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).
   
   
9. Give Glory Back to God – “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).
   
   

Conclusion: Learn to Lean

Reliance on God is the great exchange: our weakness for His strength, our emptiness for His fullness, our limitation for His power.

The supernatural begins where the natural ends. When we stop leaning on ourselves, the life of God flows unhindered. Like the ancients, we too can walk in peace, fruitfulness, and even signs and wonders, not because of who we are, but because of the God we lean on.

Ministry Call:
Your worth and strength are not in yourself but in the God who upholds you. Lean wholly on Him today, and watch His supernatural power flow through your life.