“God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible!

GOD HELPS THE HELPLESS

By Joseph Prince – Posted February 08, 2017

Psalm 63:7

Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

I have had people tell me, “Pastor Prince, please pray for me. I can’t see a way out of the mess I am in. I know that this whole thing is my fault. Right now, I don’t even know whether God will hear my prayers.”

If you think about it, a whole lot of our troubles are of our own making. But it is when we deserve the punishment and not the blessing that we can receive grace—the undeserved favor and unmerited help of God!

When we stop trying to be deserving of God’s help, we find God more than willing to be our Savior. But when we continue to try to work things out, we are trying to be our own saviors. God will say, “Save yourself because I can’t help you when you don’t need My help.”

You might be thinking, “But Pastor Prince, don’t you know, God helps those who help themselves?”

Contrary to popular belief, this saying that “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible! God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who are helpless and dependent on Him. He helps those who look to Him as their only source of help for their problem.

If you say, “My problem is that I am weak.” God says, “That is not a problem. I am your strength.” If you say, “Lord, my face is the problem. I am ugly.” God says, “My face will shine on yours. I am your glory.” If you say, “Lord, I am the problem. I am a nobody.” God says, “I will make you a somebody.”

Unfortunately, many of us are still trying to help ourselves, thinking that for certain matters, we don’t really need God. But God says, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Do we really believe that? Or do we believe that without Him, we can still do some things to help ourselves?

Only when we realize that we can do nothing, and are nothing in and of ourselves, can we do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13) Then, we will see the undeserved, unmerited help and favor of God deliver us from every evil!

Thought For The Day

God helps those who are helpless and completely dependent on Him.

Godly Sorrow

By DR. David Jeremiah - February 8, 2017

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
2 Corinthians 7:10

Recommended Reading: 2 Samuel 12:18-23

A British geologist, Sir Charles Lyell, first used the phrase “mind over matter” in 1863 while writing about the development of the animal mind throughout history. Today, that phrase is often used to describe elevating reason and will over emotions in stressful situations.

Nowhere is that more important in the life of a Christian than in the wake of sinful choices and behaviors. Wallowing in guilt and shame over sin needs to be replaced by the truth of God’s love and forgiveness. Take King David, for instance. After his sin of adultery, God’s judgment was the death of David’s infant son. For a week, David fasted and prayed that God would spare the child. But when the child died, David’s grieving stopped. He accepted God’s judgment and forgiveness; he knew that further grief and groveling were pointless.

The apostle Paul detailed two kinds of sorrow: godly sorrow that leads to repentance, and worldly sorrow that leads to death. Let your grief over sin lead you to repentance and to the love of God in Christ (1 John 1:9).

Godly sorrow is a gift from God. No hand but a divine hand can make the heart soft and tender under the sight and sense of sin. 
Thomas Brooks 

 Read-Thru-the-Bible: Numbers 3 – 4

A Lamp and a Light

By Joyce Meyer - posted February 08, 2017

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
—Psalm 119:105

There is nothing more supernatural than the Word of God, which is given to us by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit speaking through His prophets and disciples. The Bible has an answer for every question we might ever have. The Word of God is full of life principles, true stories of God's mercy toward human behavior, and rich parables filled with important truths for every person on Earth.

The Bible is a personal letter to you and me. It tells us everything we need to know. There may be times when God speaks something to us that is not in a specific chapter or verse, but if He is truly speaking, then what we hear will always be in agreement with His Word. God will speak to us and lead us in every situation as we seek Him through His Word. When I need to hear from God about something specific, He frequently reminds me of a scripture that clearly gives me the answer I am seeking.

Hearing God's voice (being led by the Holy Spirit) throughout each day has become a natural way of life for me since I received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. God gives the gift of His Spirit to everyone who asks (see Luke 11:13), and the Holy Spirit helps us understand God's Word so we can apply its wisdom to our lives.

God’s Word for You Today: Read God’s Word as a personal letter, written just for you.

New Creation

By Joel Osteen – Posted February 08, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV

TODAY'S WORD:

Everyone loves to receive something new. When you become a believer in Jesus, you not only receive something new, you become something new. You are a brand new creation! Your eternal being, the spirit on the inside of you, is recreated in Christ. The old is gone, the new is here!

The Bible also talks about working out our salvation. That means you have to retrain your body and mind to act, think, speak and live according to the new spirit within you instead of turning to the old habits you used to have. Don’t ever get stuck in a rut thinking, “I’ll never change…that’s just the way I am.” No, the Bible says that the Spirit of God helps us in our weakness. He gives us strength to overcome. He empowers us to live as more than conquerors. If there is something you want to change in your life today, remember, you are a new creation in Christ. You are empowered to overcome!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, thank You for making me a new creation. Thank You for empowering me to live as an overcomer. I give this day to You and ask You to help me fully understand the plan You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen."