Does God help those who help themselves?

Does God help those who help themselves? Well, first let's see if this is a biblical principle. Ok, let's open up our concordance of the bible and see if we can find the location of these words in scripture. As I fumble through my concordance I find all of these words in the bible but I can't seem to find them all together in one particular verse. Let's see. I've heard this quote for most of my life, hundreds of times over. It seems pretty popular since I even hear it among followers of Jesus Christ. I remember even seeing this quote on a plaque in High School. I've heard it quoted by politicians, actors, religious leaders, some very good people. Surely they must be taking it right out of the Bible. Some very educated people have quoted this statement. Many of them much more educated than me, surely they must know more than me, they must have experienced this quote as a real experience because they quote it with such conviction.

I have scoured the Bible, commentaries, concordances, on line resources, talked to pastors and theologians, and I cannot find this quote anywhere in the Bible. Even as a biblical principle I do not find it in scripture. It is never even hinted at in the Bible and most importantly by Jesus himself.

The quote itself comes from none other than Benjamin Franklin, a learned man. Benjamin Franklin was one of America's founding fathers and has had an enduring impact on many American philosophies. He was not, however, a follower of Jesus Christ. I can only surmise that he based his statement on his worldly knowledge without a personal active relationship with Jesus Christ, on his impersonal, imperfect, worldly knowledge and wisdom. It sounds great to all those who are unaware or not knowledgeable in the Holy Scriptures. I believed it for many years, even as a young follower of Jesus Christ. It even sounds logical. However, it is not scriptural nor even correct in principle.

The truth is that God helps those who are totally dependent upon Him and are fully devoted to Him. Think about this, followers of Jesus Christ (True Christians) are children of God. Think of yourself as a child. Did your father ever tell you to do something yourself when you were say ages 3-4, knowing you could never do it on your own and stand and watch you frustrate yourself? As imperfect as my earthly father is, he never did that. Now seeing yourself as a child of God, would He (God) tell you to do that? God wants us totally surrendered and dependent upon Him so He can get all the glory and do things perfectly and in ways we could never imagine. He wants to take the burden and stress from us so we can be at peace in His perfect peace knowing that He does all things well, even what is impossible for us. What a wonderful and loving God!! All we have to do is give it all to Him. There are times when we do need to do the things that God calls us to do in order to take part in the help He is offering, but never will we ever have to do it alone, in our own strength and resources.


...... I just had another thought. If God helps those who help themselves then Satan would be on God's throne. Satan wanted to help himself to God's throne but God did not help him accomplish that. God is the only wise, powerful, loving, pure and holy God.

Below are just four of dozens of scriptures that address this issue and may encourage you regarding God's help:

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 55:22

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The words of Jesus Christ)

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Be blessed my friends.

Two Stalkers You Want

Ever get the feeling you're being followed? I remember back in the 80's and seeing the movie "Nightmare on Elm Street." I was walking home from the theater with my friend Paul, we were about 14 or 15 years old. Every time we walked past a dark alley way I got the distinct feeling Freddy Krueger was going to jump out and cut me to pieces. It took us forever to walk home and it was less than a mile!! That was scary to say the least. What a horrible feeling it is when you think someone is following you intending to harm you.

I also remember a time when I was young and riding a bicycle in my neighborhood. I guess I was about four or five years old. The training wheels on my bike were recently removed and I was doing fairly well. Every now and then I would peer over my shoulder and see my mother walking not far behind me. It gave me a warm feeling and let me feel a little more adventurous knowing she was near. I wasn't paying too much attention to what I was doing one time and I was about to take a nasty crash into a fire hydrant. Before I could even hit the fire hydrant, my mother who was behind was now in front of me and stopped me from hitting the hydrant thus prevented me from destroying my bike and injuring myself. Although one time she wasn't around and I did hit the very same hydrant, flying over the handle bars and landing on my side and hands. OUCH! This was before helmets and gloves, when it was safe to nearly kill yourself. Anyway, that time my mom saved me because she has following behind me was awesome. I was so proud of her and it warmed my heart to know she was always looking out for me. It gave me confidence to go forward knowing she was around to help me out.

Let me tell you a little bit about two guys who are always following me around. One guy never gives me my just punishment, what I deserve, whenever I treat him badly. I'm astounded all the time by him. I get some punishment and ramifications when I act badly, but never what I fully deserve. I appreciate this guy a lot. He's a merciful Stalker! Then, there's this other guy who follows me around and he is always giving me things I don't deserve, like gifts. He's a gracious Stalker! Who wouldn't mind having a stalker like that around? These guys I can never get rid of no matter how often I try to run from them. If I try and hide they sneak up on me. When I want to shrink in fear from something in front of me they come up behind me and support me and give me supernatural strength. They are always encouraging and looking out for my good. When I want to quit, they remind me of all the times I made it when I thought I couldn't. As a follower of Jesus Christ I can honestly say these guys are always around. Let me introduce you to goodness (grace) and mercy:

Psalm 23:6-
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (New King James Version)

These are definitely two stalkers you'll always want with you. They will ever remind you of God's faithfulness, goodness, and mercy towards you. They'll help you move forward. They'll strengthen your faith by reminding you of all the times God enabled you to make it when you thought you couldn't move another step.

Battling to Move Forward

Moving forward is something most people struggle with including myself. Making changes are hard for some of us, especially if you're a creature of habit and structure like me. Change can feel like an intruder when you're set in your ways, as happens to me from time to time.

I often wonder when God told Abram (Abraham) to leave his homeland and to go where God was going to lead him blindly, if he struggled with leaving. Did he have strong emotional ties to his family and friends who he was leaving behind? Did he cry? Did he wonder what job he would have when he got there? Where exactly would they live, in a house, an apartment, or a cave? How would he purchase property without a job? Who would give him a loan to get started? Did he talk everything over with Sarai (Sarah)? Were they in agreement? Were any family members going with them? Did he ever think, "God what are you doing?" Was there ever a time he wanted to give it all up?

If we look at Abraham's life we can see that though God called him out of the land of Ur, there were many fierce trials along the way to seeing God's plan played out in his life. Following God's will is never easy. We will make mistakes just as Abraham did, concealing the true identity of his wife on a few occasions, for example. Abraham was able to humble himself and admit his wrongs. God was faithful to forgive him and give him the grace and strength to go on. There were also times he followed God blindly and God blessed him for it. When he as called to sacrifice his only son Isaac, he did so without hesitation only to have God stop him at the last second in honor of his faith. Sometimes God calls us to sacrifice relationships in order to follow Him and He rewards us with many better relationships. Following God's will entails making sacrifices. The good thing about God is that He gives way better blessings for following His will than whatever we try to reward ourselves with for doing things our way. Abraham became the Father of many nations because he followed God's will. The disciple Peter won thousands of souls for the Kingdom after he left everything behind to follow Jesus. God gives great blessings that only bring the honor and glory back to Him. And, as followers of Jesus, I don't use the term Christian much any more because it has such a broad meaning now days, our very lives are to be lived in giving glory and honor to God our Father. So, wouldn't be joyous and fulfilling to live that way? Though life is hard and has many unexpected surprises we have the Lord as the glory and the lifter of our heads. We have the One who rendered death and hell powerless over us watching our backs all the time! We have eternity in heaven to look forward to! After all compared to eternity, this life is just a whisper in the wind. Here for a second and then gone. Moving forward in faith has eternal rewards beyond compare. It is hard? Yes! Is change and growth in faith worth the sacrifice? Undoubtedly Yes! So as you face your challenges be comforted that the Holy Spirit resides within you. The Lord's eyes are ever upon you. His angels are all about you. He gives us the full armor of God to wear for the battle. He's got your back. What an awesome God! Keep pressing onward and upward for the Lord Your God is with you, never to leave you nor forsake you.