God, Help Me… or God, Live Through Me?
He doesn’t just help from the outside—He burns within as your very life, constant and alive in every moment.
A Grace-Filled Conversation About the Real Source of Christian Living
“Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” – John 15:5
“To them God has chosen to make known… this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” – Colossians 1:27
A Conversation on the Church Steps After the Service
Daniel:
You ever feel like you just need to pray harder for God’s help? Like, “Lord, help me be more patient. Help me love better. Help me resist this temptation.” I say that prayer all the time.
Me:
Oh yeah. That used to be my go-to line. It sounded humble—asking God to help me be better. But honestly? It always left me stuck in the same loop: trying, failing, asking for help, trying again. It took me a long time to realize I was praying as if God were far off instead of already inside me.
Daniel’s View: I Need God’s Help to Do Better
Daniel tilts his head. “But isn’t asking for help a good thing? The Psalms are full of prayers like that. And Jesus said we should ask, seek, knock (Matt. 7:7). Don’t we need God’s help to obey, to grow, to keep going?”
He flips through a few verses:
Psalm 121:2 – “My help comes from the Lord...”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us approach… that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Isaiah 41:10 – “I will help you; I will uphold you...”
“It seems clear,” he says. “We’re weak. He’s strong. So we ask for help.”
My Response: Yes, But What If He’s Already Done More Than That?
I smile. “You’re not wrong—those verses are beautiful. And yes, God is our help. But the New Covenant gives us something far more intimate than help. It gives us union.”
Daniel looks up.
I continue, “The Old Testament saints cried out for help because God hadn’t yet poured out His Spirit to dwell in them. But now? Christ lives in you. He doesn’t just assist you from the outside—He expresses His life through you from the inside.”
John 15:5 comes to mind: ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing.’ That doesn’t mean we need a boost. It means He’s the vine—we’re just the branches. The life, the energy, the fruit… it all flows from Him. We’re not asking for help to be better branches. We’re learning to let the life of the vine flow through us.
The Difference: Help Assumes Separation—Life Assumes Union
“I used to pray, ‘God, help me be more loving,’” I say, “but now I pray, ‘Lord Jesus, thank You that Your love already lives in me. I trust You to love through me right now.’ Same goal—totally different posture.”
Daniel scratches his chin. “So you’re saying I don’t need to ask for help?”
“I’m saying you already have everything you need in Christ. 2 Peter 1:3 says He’s given us everything for life and godliness. Colossians 2:10 says we’re complete in Him. You don’t need more help—you need more awareness of what you’ve already been given.”
A Grace-Oriented Appeal
God is not your spiritual assistant. He’s your life.
He’s not a far-off power source you need to plug into when you’re weak. He’s already united with you—moment by moment, breath by breath.
Yes, call on Him. Yes, lean into Him. But not from a place of lack. From a place of union. He’s not just helping you climb the mountain—He is the strength in your legs, the breath in your lungs, and the peace in your heart as you walk it.
So today, maybe instead of saying, “Lord, help me,” you could say, “Lord, I trust You to be everything in me that I need right now.”
That’s not arrogance. That’s faith in what He’s already done.
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