“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2Co 12:9 NIV

The secret of being able to do what you need to do is in realizing that you cannot do it alone; you can only do it through God’s empowering grace. God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you,” and the word “grace” includes “all of God you will ever need for whatever you face in life.” What a promise! Sometimes we think we have to do it all. We forget that the power of Christ works through us, so we’re defeated before we even begin. “We are labourers together with God” (1Co 3:9). We can’t do God’s part, and He won’t do our part. He wants us to follow His leading, but He insists that we depend on Him every step of the way. This is hard on our ego which says, “I can do it myself!” Sometimes we have to be beaten into the ground before we let go of this kind of thinking. Knowing that we have certain gifts and talents, we make the mistake of assuming we can use them to succeed in our own strength. No, unless God’s grace is operating through your gift, you won’t be adequate to the challenge. The Bible says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given…us” (Ro 12:6 NIV). Grace is like electricity; in order for it to function effectively, you must stay plugged in. Jesus said: “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me…apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:4-5 NIV). So, depend more on God.