Say no to self-help

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. — Psalm 28:7

Early in my editorial career in religious publishing, I was responsible for a line of books referred to as “self-help.” The label troubled me because it seemed contrary to everything Christian.

The idea of self-help is popular because it supports the notion that we are in control. In the words of the poem “Invictus”: “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

But we’re not! Eventually something happens that reminds us how out-of-control life is, and no self-help book can help us make it right.

Thankfully, Christians are not in the business of self-help. Quite the opposite! To become a Christian requires that we admit our helplessness and acknowledge our total dependence on God. “Without Me, you can do nothing,” said Jesus (John 15:5).

The ancient Israelites were always getting in trouble for trusting human strength rather than God’s (Jer. 17:5). Yet even after their failures, the Lord said, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord” (v. 7).

When especially difficult circumstances or strong temptations invade our lives and remind us of our powerlessness, we have an all-powerful God who works on behalf of those who trust Him. — Julie Ackerman Link

No strength of our own, nor goodness we claim;

Our trust is all thrown on Jesus’ name;

In this our strong tower for safety we hide;

The Lord is our power, “The Lord will provide.”          — Newton

READ: Jeremiah 17:1-8

Whatever does not begin with God will end in failure.

The Bible in one year:

• Ezekiel 1-2

• Hebrews 11:1-19