The benefits of depending on God are numerous and eternal because what you benefit from depending on God is essential to living a faithful and fruitful Christian life.
The satisfaction it gives within and the fulfilment that comes with trusting and depending on God cannot be rationalized with human thoughts.
Whenever we depend on God, He shows up and takes charge of everything, we see His power in full display, and He changes every bad situation, turning worse challenges into testimonies.
Whenever we put our total dependence on God, He strengthens us, He becomes the power that influences our actions, and we have an extraordinarily fruitful result.
The Bible gave so many illustrative examples of the benefits of depending on God. Like Lazarus coming back to life after staying in the grave for four days (John 11: 17 – 45) or Ravens bringing bread to feed Elijah (1 Kings 17: 2 – 16).
These are just a few examples of many who benefited from trusting and depending on God in difficult times.
So for you to enjoy the benefits of depending on God, you need to start relying on God and not yourself or any human wisdom when facing difficult times or when you need any sort of direction. Let’s take it further as we briefly discuss what does it mean to depend on God?
What Does It Mean To Depend On God?
In case you are asking, what does it mean to depend on God? To depend on God means to live a life which shows that your existence is based on the relationship you have with God.
It is to completely follow, trust, and rely on God’s directive as written in His word, irrespective of how difficult or hopeless your present circumstance is or what you perceive the result may look like.
However, we should also understand that depending on God does not mean we should be foolish and unreasonable; remember, the Bible says, “Be wise as the serpent…” (Matthew 10: 16) because …wisdom is profitable to direct… (Ecclesiastes 10: 10).
Therefore, we should be wise in our ways and by allowing God to be God and humans to be humans. By this, I mean; we should know that God will not do for us what we ought to do for ourselves.
So as we depend on God for everything, let us still be wise and know where to make certain moves rather than just sit down and fold our hands and expect everything to fall in place just like that.
Why Should We Depend On God?
If you are asking, why should we depend on God? We should depend on God because it is imperative to our survival.
We were not created apart from God; we were created from God. Hence part of God is in us, so for us to live, we must depend on the source of our creation, God.
Therefore, for us to survive and grow spiritually, we must depend on God. John 15: 5 (NIV) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.
When we depend on God, He enables us to live for Him, which implies manifesting the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22 – 23).
Furthermore, depending on God is where we draw strength to pull through tough times, and we draw spiritual energy to overcome temptations. We are not permitted to rely on ourselves nor to rely on any other source apart from God.
Jeremiah 17: 5 (NIV) This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
10 Benefits Of Depending On God
1. You Will Have Fulfilment
One of the benefits of depending on God is that you will have fulfilment. To be fulfilled means to find satisfaction from achieving a goal. It is the feeling of wholeness you have deep down when you are functioning in your God-giving purpose.
This implies that you can only find fulfilment when your life’s goal is in line with your God-giving purpose, and for you to know your God-given purpose, then you must completely depend on God.
It is when you have a relationship with God and depend on Him that you will understand where and how He wants you to function, and you will have a clear direction from Him on how to carry out the assignments He has given to you.
You may find success and happiness in what you are doing now, but it cannot be compared to the joy that comes with functioning in your God-giving purpose, which can only be possible when you are on God.
2. He Grants Us Our Heart Desires
The Bible says in Psalm 37: 4 (NIV) delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. To delight in the Lord means to take pleasure in doing the things that are pleasing to Him. It means to love God by obeying and keeping His commandment.
And as it is been taught in the scriptures that no one can love God and do anything to please Him on their own (Romans 8: 8).
It takes total dependence on God to help us to love Him and to help us to find pleasure in doing that which He desires.
Therefore, when you depend on God, He helps you to take pleasure in living a life that is pleasing to Him. This will then automatically transform you because, in doing this, you are directly obeying His commandment.
God’s will becomes what you want; what God desires also becomes your desire because your will and God’s will has been synced as one.
Hence, your heart’s desires will be in tune with God’s will, and He will grant them to you. Therefore, part of the benefits of depending on God is that He grants us our heart desires.
3. You Get Redemption
The longing for redemption is one of the deepest desires and cravings of every believer in Christ. Because we all have diverse flaws that are embedded in our human nature, even as believers, we still struggle every day trying to do what is right and buried deep down in our souls is the desire to have redemption, to be free from all of it.
But when we continually depend on God, He gives us redemption from sin; He helps us to live a life above all of our natural flaws.
When we depend on God, He frees us from the control and power of sin; our cravings and lust for worldly material things gradually reduce and die off.
He engulfs us with Himself and empowers us, so we can boldly say I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4: 13) because you have redemption as part of the benefits of depending on God.
4. He Keeps Us Safe And Secured
We all want to feel secure and free from dangers and things that threaten our lives. We always want to have the full assurance that we are safe.
We should have in mind that safety and trust work together, and for you to depend on someone, it means you trust the person enough with your safety and security.
The Bible reminds us in Psalm 91: 1 – 2 (NIV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Highest will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
To dwell in the secret of the Highest refers to the place of our communion with God, and when you commune with God as the Highest, you must certainly depend on Him for your safety and security.
And certainly, one of the benefits of depending on God is that He gives us safety and security. He covers you like the mother hen covers the chick and keeps you safe and secure from any kind of danger or harm.
5. You Have Peace Of Mind
Peace of mind is often referred to mean freedom from mental stress and anxiety. A state of mental calmness of the mind, also known as euphoria. It is where we were originally before Adam sinned in the garden, so we all deeply yearn for it.
Having peace of mind is what every living human yearns for; it is one of the regular phrases on the lips of many people today because, more than anything, we all care so much about our mental well-being.
However, to have true peace of mind can only come when we are at peace with God because when we are at peace with God, we put all of our trust and reliance on Him.
We depend on Him for everything, and it helps us to find rest because we know He has better plans for us, even when He doesn’t give us what we prayed for. So one of the benefits of depending on God is that you have peace of mind.
6. He Directs Our Path
Although to some, it might seem foolish to rely on God for smaller matters, when we depend on God for direction in every area of our lives, even in smaller matters, He brings in the supernatural and makes it better.
Remember the Bible says in Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 (NIV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
To trust in someone also means to depend on the person, and here we see the Bible instructs us to trust in God in every area of our lives.
This means we should not depend on ourselves; even when we have a proper understanding of what we want to want to do, we should still depend on God.
And when we depend on God, He will make us take the right steps, and it is one of the benefits of depending on God.
7. Depending On God Takes Away Fear And Anxiety
Another benefit that comes with depending on God is that it takes away fear and anxiety. The Bible says in Philippians 4: 6 – 7 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Making a request to God in hard times shows a sense of depending on God, and the Bible says when we do this, He will give us peace beyond human understanding.
He will take away fears and anxiety and give us absolute tranquility. We will have this euphoric experience because we know that He is capable of doing all things, and even when He does not do it, we know He has better plans.
8. We Draw Strength From God
The Bible says in Isaiah 40: 31 (NIV) that those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
The word translated as Lord in this text is Yahweh, which is the name of God, meaning the self-sufficient one. This means God does not look unto anyone for power, nor does He draw strength from anyone. Rather, all powers in Heaven and on Earth come from Him; He is the source of everything.
Therefore, when we depend on Him, our strength will always be as good as new; we will never go weak. We will never run out of ideas either because we are depending on the source of all power. Hence, one of the benefits of depending on God is that we draw strength from Him.
9. Your Challenges Turn To Testimonies
God can turn a potentially lifeless situation into the best life-changing experience we have ever had as long as we trust and depend on Him, even in the most difficult times.
Whenever God allows any challenge to come our way, it is because God wants to use it to make Himself known to people. Hence when you depend on God, He will turn your challenges into testimony.
The challenges we face every day are an opportunity for God to show Himself to us and gradually take us to the place He destined for us.
The Bible says in Romans 8: 28 (NIV), And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
10. It Deepens Our Intimacy With God
Having an intimate relationship with God goes beyond just knowing the written words in the scriptures. Your knowledge about God must penetrate deep into your life.
There must be a sense of urgency in how you live your life, and this urgency must come from your knowledge of the Bible.
When your knowledge about God begins to create an awareness in your life, it means you are beginning to trust and depend on God. Moreover, when this becomes a pattern in your life, you will grow into deep intimacy with God.
Remember, it takes deep trust to grow into an intimate relationship with someone. It takes having a deep knowledge about someone to have an intimate relationship with that person.
In addition, having a deep knowledge of God means you must certainly depend on God. Moreover, one of the benefits of depending on God is that it strengthens our intimacy with Him.
Depending On God In Hard Times
Should I continue depending on God in hard times? Absolutely! You are to depend on God at all times, when it is going smoothly and when it becomes rough.
In reality, it should be the more it gets difficult, the more you hold onto God; this is when it really shows that you are trusting and depending on God.
There are times you cannot do anything anymore because you are worn out and you are physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially exhausted. Isaiah 40: 31a (NIV) says, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.”
So you should depend on God for physical strength when you are weak, ideas when you are lost, and open doors when you are financially exhausted because God does not grow weary, nor does He run out of ideas, and He can give you financial breakthroughs at any time.
Benefits Of Having God In Your Life
You may be wondering what are the benefits of having God in your life. The benefit of having God in your life is that you have direct access to God’s wisdom and power.
In addition, this puts you in line with His purpose; hence no matter how difficult a challenge or circumstance might be, it will always work out to favor you.
Romans 8: 28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Therefore, once you have God in your life, you can never be lost in this world because God will always guide you and take you to wherever He wants you to be, and the best is always for you.
Benefits Of Depending On God Bible Verses
1. Isaiah 40: 31 (NIV) But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
2. Philippians 4: 6 – 7 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
3. Psalm 9: 10 (NIV) Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
4. Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 (NIV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
5. Lamentations 3: 21- 23 (NIV) Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
6. John 15: 5 (NIV) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.
7. Psalm 28: 7 (NIV) the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song, I praise him.
8. Hebrews 6:19 (NIV) We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain…
9. Psalm 37: 5 – 6 (NIV) Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
10. 1 Timothy 4:10 (NIV) That is why we labor and strive because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Conclusion
Though depending on God, even in smaller matters, might look foolish, we should know that there are countless benefits to depending on God. We should have it at the back of our minds that every word from God is sure and true and must come to pass.
Isaiah 55: 10 – 11 (NIV) As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God is always looking out for His children, He is constantly guarding and providing for us, and He promises never to leave us or forsake us, even in the most difficult times (Hebrews 13: 5).
So even when we feel lost and confused, let us keep depending on Him so that we will partake in all of these benefits and many others not listed here.
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