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One of the most important things to understand when helping others is the need to dismantle self-reliance and overcome unbelief. Self-reliance and unbelief are essentially synonyms; relying on oneself means not believing in God. Despite everyone’s unique circumstances, at the heart level, we are fundamentally the same, as we all share the same human nature.
To communicate this effectively, consider the self-reliant individual. A self-reliant person relies on themselves rather than trusting God, which often manifests as a desire to control their environment. This desire for control provides a sense of comfort. People seek comfort because they are afraid, and to maintain that comfort, they try to control their world, leading to self-reliance.
Beneath self-reliance lies internal discomfort and shame. Adam experienced this after the Fall in the Garden of Eden. He felt shame, covered himself with fig leaves, and tried to control his destiny, becoming self-reliant. Adam’s guilt before God initiated this sequence of events; he could have chosen faith but instead chose unbelief. From his guilt came shame, fear, a craving for comfort, and a desire to control—creating a self-reliant man.
This is our common struggle, the tension between faith and unbelief. Are we going to trust God and rely on Him, or are we going to live as unbelieving believers—truly born again but not trusting Him in our sanctification? This functional atheism results in guilt, shame, fear, a pursuit of comfort, and a need for control, leading us to rely on ourselves and create the life we want rather than trusting God.
Our goal is to dismantle self-reliance and overcome unbelief so we can live a God-reliant life. This diagnostic of Adam’s heart reflects our own struggles, as we all grapple with these issues to varying degrees.