There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me {Isaiah 45:5}.
Norman Grubb ~ No Independent Self
What is it like to trust fully in the Lord? Have you ever done such a thing? If you ask me, trusting in the Lord can be one of the most difficult things the Lord has called on us to do. Trusting in the Lord means that we give all control over our lives to Him. Trusting in the Lord means that we accept whatever comes our way, knowing that the Father has our best interests in mind. Above all, trusting in the Lord means knowing that God is love {First Epistle Of John 4:8} and that He never acts out of spite against us. Yet trusting in the Lord continues to be one of the most difficult things we are asked to do. Why is that? I'll tell you why, because to trust in the Lord means that I no longer have a say in what do. It means that I'm no longer able to live my life my way. That was always my fear when I was reminded to trust in the Father above all else. That I no longer had control over my life. But is it my life that God is asking me to hand over to Him? The apostle Paul would argue that life as he once knew it...was no longer. The words of the apostle proclaim that he lives "No longer I, but living in me is Christ" {Paul To The Galatians 2:20}. Paul understood that the old man he once was, born into sin, had been put to death with Jesus at the cross. He was no longer defined by who he once was. What defined him now was Christ Jesus. For Paul, to trust fully in the Lord might not be too far of a stretch, knowing what he knew of Jesus. What is the difference between myself and Paul? Absolutely nothing! For I too am not the man I once was. I also have the indwelling spirit of Christ Jesus in me. In other words...I no longer exist. All that remains is Christ. So, as I am instructed by the Father to trust in Him above all else, what is it that I am in fear of? The life which I live is no longer my own. So, why wouldn't I place my full trust in the Father? Well, some things are not easily forgotten. Many of us, myself included, continue to live under the premise that we have a life to live. This is the lie of the deceiver which was spoken to Adam and Eve in the garden {Genesis 3:5-6}.
For God gives us, not a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of sanity.
Paul To Timothy (2) 1: 7, Concordant New Testament
The lie of the deceiver tells us that we can "Be like God" {Genesis 3:5}. However, the Father Himself declares that "There is NO God beside Me" {Isaiah 45:5}. Ironically, the very same one who deceived Adam and Eve in the garden also desired to be known as being better than God {Ezekiel 28:15-17}. As a result of his arrogance, Lucifer was ultimately cast out of heaven. However, he continues to mislead the children of the Lord that we can be independent from our creator. This is simply a lie and not true. It is God who has created us {Genesis 1:27}. It is also God who has breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}. God has always been a part of who it is that we are. So it is that those things that concern us are His as well. When the Father tells us to place all of our trust in Him, He's not asking the impossible by any means. What He is asking is for us to give to Him what is rightfully His. I have NO claim over this life of mine. All which I am I am because of the Father in me. If I did not have the Father, I would simply be a lifeless, empty vessel. Without Him, I am nothing but dust from the ground. In the end, it has never been my way, but the Fathers desire for me.
~Scott~
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