Discover the drawbacks of self-reliance and the sufficiency of God's grace. Learn how to recognize weakness and rely on God. Find out how to be patient with yourself and seek God's mercy and grace when stumbling.
Self-reliance leads to failure and discouragement; embracing our need for God's help is essential.
Being patient with ourselves and relying on God's mercy allows us to grow in holiness.
Deep dives
Avoiding Discouragement and Self-reliance
Discouragement is a common spiritual battle that often leads to despair and self-condemnation. The source of discouragement is often self-reliance, the belief that we can handle everything on our own without needing God's grace. However, relying on ourselves always leads to failure and condemnation. To overcome discouragement, we need to recognize our desperate need for God's help and grace at every moment. This requires humility and an acknowledgment of our weaknesses. We must shift our focus from self-reliance to reliance on God, embracing our need for His guidance and strength.
Embracing Weakness and God's Grace
Being patient with ourselves and ruthless with negative influences in our environment is crucial in our pursuit of holiness. We need to accept our weaknesses and wounds and turn to God for healing and strength. Instead of being discouraged by our falls and failures, we should see them as opportunities to draw closer to God. Falling into the confessional and seeking God's mercy and grace allows us to grow in our relationship with Him. It is through our wounds that God's love shines, and the more wounded we are, the more love He has for us. So, we should never condemn ourselves or rely upon our own strength, but rather embrace our weakness and rely on God's grace.