One of the great temptations of the Christian life is to confuse faithfulness with self-reliance. God calls us to serve, to build, to love, to pursue justice, and yet in our eagerness to obey, we can begin to act as though the outcome depends on us. We fill our schedules, push beyond our limits, and exhaust ourselves. Soon our work for God is no longer flowing from communion with Him, but from anxiety, pride, or fear.
Jesus warns us about this when He says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Notice He does not say “less,” but “nothing.” Our activity, our labor, our striving, if disconnected from Him, may look impressive for a season but will bear no lasting fruit. To depend on God means to make prayer not an afterthought but the starting place of our work. Prayer acknowledges that we are creatures, not the Creator; servants, not the Savior.
The danger of living “in the flesh” is subtle. It is not always obvious rebellion. Sometimes it is doing good things in the wrong spirit, or at the wrong time, or beyond what God has asked of us. We say “yes” to every opportunity, not because God has called us to, but because we fear missing out, or we crave approval, or we trust more in our effort than in His providence. The result is imbalance, fatigue, and a loss of joy.
But the gospel frees us. Because Christ has accomplished our salvation, we are not driven by the pressure to prove ourselves. We can rest in His love and then rise to serve out of dependence, not desperation. Prayer becomes the place where our striving is re-ordered, where we lay our plans before the Lord, listen for His timing, and receive His strength.
Daniel knelt three times a day, not because he was efficient, but because he was dependent. In the same way, when we pause to pray, we are confessing: “Lord, this work is Yours. I am Yours. Direct me. Sustain me. Show me what to do, and what not to do.”
To live this way requires humility. But it also brings peace, because the weight of the world no longer rests on our shoulders. It rests on His.
Two Minute Devotions 
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