At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” 2 Chronicles 16:7-9

Self-reliance has become the gospel of many men.

King Asa was the great grandson of Solomon who reigned for 41 years. As you might imagine, he had seen plenty of things happen during his reign. In the situation described above, two armies of great size were bearing down on Judah and Asa. What did the king do? He cried out to God and said, “Help us, Lord, our God, for we rely on you.” That was what he did at the beginning of his reign as king. Thirty-six years later, instead of relying on God, he went elsewhere.

The phrase, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” is very striking. In the context above, we learn that being fully committed to God means relying on him. Asa was relying on God in the beginning, but for some reason, his commitment waned. Being a man who is all in with God means being willing to rely on God. Ask God to guide you in all circumstances of life and build reliance up through constantly going to God. Like a muscle, reliance grows when you use it, and it weakens when you don’t.

DO THIS TODAY: Start relying on God where you previously relied on yourself.