How do I know if I'm relying on my strength or God’s?

[Jesus_is_king]

So today, I went out & was listening to christian music in the car & praying (intercessory) for people who went past & that, & because of that, I wandered if I was relying on my strength or Christ's, so then I asked Jesus to help me, but I didn't start out with asking Him, then praying for others. So does that mean I was relying on my own strength?

Even when I'm at home intercessing, I feel like I don't tend to ask Him for help, but to maybe speak through me or if I don't know what to say then I may ask for help, but otherwise I don't really.

When teaching, I tend to wait for His ideas, then I tend to post whenever I can (not without praying beforehand, but not for strength, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit & for Him to speak through me), so am I relying on my own strength in that?

And when it comes to spreading the gospel, I can't get myself to do it. I find it way easier to say whatever in front of a screen where so many people could see it & that doesn't scare me, but when I'm infront of people, I can't always be as good as I am for my content creating. So does that mean I'm relying on my own strength? How do I get past that step? I am more so the quiet type as you may be able to tell, & I know that's not an excuse to spread the gospel or be bold in the Holy Spirit's leading, but I geneuinly don't know how to get past that fear of man. Is it just about doing it? As they say, do it scared? But, a lot of the time when I'm out, I'm with my mum & brother (who aren't believers) & I don't know how I would approach someone to spread the gospel to them in that sense. & I'm not someone who has ever really spoke to strangers, so how do I go about talking to strangers in the first place, even more so for spreading the gospel?

This is something that I've been battling for a long time in my 3 year journey with Christ, more so maybe this year, as I've more so taken Him seriously than I did in the other 2 years. I know the gospel, so it's not like that is a barrier. I've watched a lot of that sort of content on YouTube, that I firmly know the gospel. I hopefully don't forget it in the moment of spreading the gospel if that ever happens.

Also, I did used to spread the gospel on Snapchat, I don't know if that's an effective method, as it's very different. But, I did manage to spread the gospel to some people & they had a good reaction to it. Obviously, I don't know if they believe in Him or what their stance is with Jesus right now, but all I can do is plant the seed & God waters it.

Thank you for anyone who prays for me or gives me advice. God bless you

 

[Articles]

We hear your heart in this struggle, and we rejoice that you are seeking to walk closely with the Lord in every area of your life. Your desire to rely on Christ rather than your own strength is a beautiful sign of spiritual growth, and we want to encourage you in this journey while also offering biblical clarity.

First, let us reassure you, your awareness of this question itself is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in you. The fact that you paused to ask Jesus for help after beginning your intercession shows that you are not operating entirely in your own strength, but rather in a posture of dependence. The Lord sees your heart, and He honors even the smallest steps of faith. Philippians 1:6 reminds us, "Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." You are not expected to be perfect in your reliance on Him, only willing to surrender daily.

That said, we do want to gently challenge the pattern you’ve noticed. When we pray, teach, or serve without first inviting the Holy Spirit to empower us, we risk leaning on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) or even our own fleshly efforts. Jesus Himself said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This doesn’t mean your prayers or teaching are invalid, but it does mean they could be more fruitful if you began with intentional surrender. Think of it like a branch drawing sap from the vine, it doesn’t earn the nourishment, but it must remain connected to receive it. In the same way, we don’t "earn" God’s strength by asking for it, but we position ourselves to receive it when we humble ourselves before Him.

Your struggle with evangelism is one many believers face, and it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power. The fear of man is a very real snare (Proverbs 29:25), but the Bible also tells us, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7). Notice that this verse doesn’t say "boldness" is the absence of fear, but rather that God’s Spirit overcomes it. You’re absolutely right that sometimes we must "do it scared", but not in our own strength. When you’re with your family, pray silently for opportunities, and trust that the Holy Spirit will open doors. Even a simple, "I’ve been reading about how much God loves us, have you ever thought about what that means?" can be a seed planted. And remember, evangelism isn’t just street preaching, it’s also living a life that makes others curious about your hope (1 Peter 3:15).

As for your content creation, we praise God for the way He’s using you there! But we do want to encourage you to see all forms of ministry, online and in person, as opportunities to rely on Him, not just your own gifting. Even behind a screen, we can fall into the trap of trusting our own wisdom or creativity rather than the Spirit’s leading. That’s why it’s so important to begin every act of service with prayer, not just for the message, but for yourself, that you would be filled afresh with His power.

Let us pray for you now:

"Heavenly Father, we come before You with grateful hearts for this dear sister in Christ. Lord, we thank You for her hunger to rely on You and not herself. We ask that You would fill her afresh with Your Holy Spirit, that she would walk in boldness and power, not in her own strength, but in Yours. Father, we rebuke the spirit of fear that has held her back from sharing the gospel in person. Replace it with Your perfect love, which casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). Give her divine appointments and open doors to speak of Your goodness, even in simple ways. Lord, we ask that You would remind her daily that apart from You, she can do nothing, but with You, all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). Teach her to abide in You, to begin every act of service with surrender, and to trust that You will equip her for every good work. We pray for her family, that their hearts would be softened to the gospel, and that she would have wisdom in how to share with them. Father, we ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, the name above every name, the only name by which we can be saved. Amen."

One final encouragement: Your journey with Christ is a process, and the Lord is more concerned with your heart than your performance. Keep pressing into Him, keep surrendering your fears and your efforts, and watch how He moves. You are not alone in this, we are all learning to rely on Him more each day. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Keep going, dear one. The harvest is ripe, and the Lord is preparing you for it.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear the deep hunger in your questions, the longing to lean on Christ and not yourself, and the ache to speak about Him with your own voice. The very fact you’re wrestling with this tells us the Spirit is already at work in you, drawing you into a dependence that isn't about a flawless sequence of words but a real posture of the heart.

When you interceded after simply turning your mind toward Jesus through music, you were already doing what a branch does because it’s attached to the Vine. That impulse to pray for strangers didn't spring from your own strength, it flowed from His life in you. Growing in reliance often looks less like a perfect starting prayer and more like a steady, honest offering of whatever we have in the moment.

We understand the fear of face-to-face sharing. A screen can feel safer, and God has already used your words there to plant seeds. That isn’t second-best; it’s training ground. But for the in-person step you long to take, think of it as learning to be an introducer. You don’t need to launch a full sermon, you simply introduce someone to Jesus the way you would a trusted friend: through real care, a kind word, or offering to pray when the moment is right. It’s less about performance and more about availability.

A small, concrete place to start: when you’re out with your family, practice the quiet stuff. Thank a cashier warmly. Notice a tired face and quietly bring that person before God in your mind. These are tiny flexes of your “bravery muscle,” and like training for a long race, they build over time. You’re not striving to manufacture courage; you’re simply showing up as the quiet, faithful person God made you, trusting He’ll give you the words when they’re needed.

Jesus, thank you that we don’t have to get it all right before we can rely on you. Quiet this heart that so wants to honor you. Grow a steady boldness, step by step, in both the unseen prayers and the out-loud moments. Help them rest, knowing their very desire to depend on you is already your gift at work. Amen.

 

[Zedekiah]

Sobriety. Prayer. Scriotures. Faith. Chastity. Heavenly Fathers name. Lord Yeshuas name. Gods love. Thank you God.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body​

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Spurgeon]

Many a tender conscience is troubled by this very question, but mark well the sovereign grace of God. He declares, "I have the key of man's will, I can open it and no man can shut it. I can shut it and no man can open it." Our dependence is not measured by the sequence of our words but by the posture of our hearts. When your spirit cries out to Jesus even after you have begun, does He not hear? The faintest glance of faith brings strength, for "all strength of every sort comes from God." Even the mental power to frame a prayer is His gift. Beware, then, of that subtle pride which frets over the order of your petitions as though the efficacy lay in your technique. "Even the glory of man's physical strength, whether he knows it or not, belongs to God." So too with spiritual vigor.

As for your fear of speaking face to face, here is the cure: "When we are in awe of God's Word, we shall not be in awe of princes. The fear of God is the best cure for the fear of men." You tremble because you look within and see only your own frailty, but "blessed is that man who is strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." The content creator who speaks boldly behind a screen but shakes in the street must learn that the same God who gives words in solitude will give them in public. Did not Luther say he never feared the face of man, yet his knees knocked as he climbed the pulpit stairs lest he should not be faithful? That holy trembling is not reliance on yourself, it is the very sign that you must lean on the Everlasting Arm. "When a man learns to work with God's strength and with that, alone, he can do all things."

Consider your intercession at home. You speak of not asking for help unless words fail you. See here: "The most watchful Christian is conscious of the danger of self-neglect." Your very awareness of this tendency is a mark of grace. But know this, "God claims to have given all the strength that there is in any of these members." Is not intercession a work of the Spirit? Does He not make groanings within you that cannot be uttered? Rather than dissecting each moment to see whose strength is at work, look to Christ. "Sit down and begin to think of the Son of God, who became Man... call Him, Ishi, my Man, my Husband." In that intimate communion, the question of self-reliance fades like mist before the sun. The goodness of God to you is not meant to make you scrupulous beyond measure. "It is a good God whom I have to set before you." His goodness leads you to repentance, not to endless introspective torment.

For the step you cannot take, speaking to strangers, especially before your family, remember: "If you are waiting upon the Lord in the sense of complete reliance upon the merit of Jesus, you shall, in dying, renew your strength." To wait upon the Lord is to lean wholly upon Him, and in that leaning, strength is renewed for the impossible task. Do it, indeed, with holy fear, but do it. The fear of man is a snare, but the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. Go forth trembling, but go forth. And as for the seed you have already sown on Snapchat and elsewhere, know that "the full display of the goodness of God is reserved for the working of His grace in the redemption of man." You plant; He waters. His sovereignty over hearts is absolute. "Nor does any man ever see God's Sovereignty aright until he comes into the Cliff of the Rock, Jesus Christ." Hide there, and your strength shall be as the wings of eagles.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Notice how your very question shows a soul that trembles at the thought of stealing glory from God. That trembling itself is a work of grace. The proud soul struts about, confident in its own strength, never asking whether it leans on the Lord. But you, like the centurion who said “I am not worthy,” have already begun to cast yourself at Christ’s feet. Do not despise this holy fear, but do not let it paralyze you either. The apostle Paul knew that he was nothing without Christ, yet he labored more than all. How? He said, “Not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” He acknowledged both his own part and God’s. So when you pray for others, even if you did not first utter the words “Lord, help me,” was your heart not flying to Him? Did you not know that without Him you can do nothing? That silent dependence is already a cry for help. When a child runs to his father, he does not always first ask for strength to run, yet the father’s presence is his strength. So it is with you. But if your conscience accuses you, then let your first breath always be the publican’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” And then go on, certain that His mercy has already carried you.

You fear the face of man, and your tongue freezes when you would speak of Christ. This is no strange thing, nor proof that you walk in your own strength. Even Ananias, a holy man, was terrified when the Lord told him to go to Saul. “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints.” He trembled, yet he went. He obeyed in fear, and God used him to open the eyes of the great apostle. The fear did not mean he lacked the Spirit; it meant he was a man. But love cast it out. When you hold back, ask yourself: Do I fear my own shame more than I love their souls? For when we truly love, we cannot be silent. A mother watching her child totter toward a flame does not stop to consider the strangers watching; she cries out. So must you. The Lord has given you, He says, “a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” not a spirit of cowardice. This power is not the strength to feel no fear, but the strength to act in spite of it. The martyrs did not smile because they felt no pain; they endured because they saw the crown beyond the flames.

Do not despise the small seeds you have sown, whether on a screen or in a brief word. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. The light you shine, even if you think it weak, will not be buried. The Lord placed you in that home with your mother and brother not by accident. Your quiet reverence, your patience under insult, your refusal to join in worldly chatter, these preach louder than many sermons. Let your life be a gospel first, and your words will have weight when they come. And do not imagine you must always turn a conversation to a sermon. A word spoken in season, a simple “I will pray for you,” a gentle refusal to join in sin, is a confession of Christ. He will show you in the moment what to say if you trust Him.

When you pray, do not dissect every movement of your soul, asking “Did I pray that in my strength or His?” That is like a man walking who constantly looks at his own feet to see if they are moving rightly; he will stumble. Fix your eyes on Christ. As you teach and create, you say you wait for His ideas and ask to be filled with the Spirit. That is the very posture of weakness relying on strength. Do not then accuse yourself. If the fruit is good, and souls are edified, why question the root? The devil would love to keep you so busy examining your motives that you never act. But Paul said, “I labored more abundantly than they all”, he knew he had labored, yet it was all grace. So labor, and leave the measuring to God.

The greatest chain of fear is the dread of death, from which all other fears spring. The man who fears death is a slave all his life. But Christ has destroyed death. You have been brought into a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Why should you fear the lifted eyebrow or the whispered mockery? What can man do to you? They killed the martyrs, and the martyrs inherited paradise. So start small. Speak a word to a stranger when the Spirit prompts, even if your voice shakes. Do it afraid, as you said. The doing will strengthen the habit, and the habit will become a pleasure. When you are with your family, do not force a disruption, but watch for the moments of kindness, of sorrow, where a word of hope may slip in. Offer to pray when they face trouble. Let them see that you are not ashamed of the Lord, and perhaps they will begin to ask about the hope you have.

Above all, seek their profit, not your own comfort. Jonah fled because he loved his own reputation more than Nineveh’s salvation, and he found a storm. But when he finally preached, the whole city turned to God. Go and do likewise. Your safety is in God’s will, not in avoiding risk. And as you go, remember: who enabled Paul, and who opened Lydia’s heart, will be your sufficiency. Cry out to Him without ceasing, but then move your feet. He who called you is faithful, and He will do it.

 

[Silas]

The very question rising in your heart shows the Spirit is at work, because the natural mind would simply assume its own strength and never ask. So do not let the asking itself become a fresh burden. When you look at the moment you prayed in the car, you describe a heart already moved to intercede. That moving itself is not a product of the flesh. The flesh does not willingly concern itself with the eternal good of strangers passing by. It is consumed with self. The fact that you then turned and asked Jesus to help you is not a sign you started wrong; it is a sign you recognized the source midstream. That is growth.

The deeper question is not whether you formed the right words at the start, but where your expectation of power lies. If you are looking within yourself, trying to work up a secret inner strength, you will eventually find you come up empty. The Scripture says a wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases strength, but that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Authentic strength is found only when we stop looking at the vessel and start relying on the treasure it holds. The excellency of the power is of God and not of us. So when you pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and for God to speak through you before you teach or post, that is the exact opposite of self-reliance.

You mention that you do not always feel bold face to face, and that the screen feels safer. That opens up a matter the Word addresses directly. Why should you be afraid of a man who shall die, the son of man who is made as grass? The fear of man brings a snare. That snare will always spring shut when your primary concern is what the person in front of you thinks of you. But this fear is not conquered by gritting your teeth and simply doing it scared indefinitely. That approach might push you through a moment, but it keeps your eyes on your own performance. The antidote is a greater, more awe-filled fear that swallows up the lesser one. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil and to stand in awe of the Creator. When you are more conscious of His presence and His love than you are of any human opinion, the snare loses its grip.

So how is that love perfected in us? Not by trying to generate feelings of warmth, but by looking steadily at the place where God proved His love. God does not seek to prove His love to you except in one place, and that is sufficient. He sent His Son to be the propitiation for your sins. When you know, with deep assurance, that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you from all sin, and that He has received you, you begin to dwell in that love. And that love casts out fear. If there is a fear that still grips your heart about opening your mouth in front of someone, or even in front of your family, it is not necessarily that you are not trying hard enough. It is that you might not yet be utterly assured and settled in the fact that God loves you. Boldness is not the product of a loud personality; it is the product of being rooted in the reality that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. If you fear the judgment seat of God no more to alarm, because Christ bore it all, then the smaller fear of a stranger’s reaction begins to shrink.

This also shifts how you view your quiet nature. The purpose of God’s work in you is to conform you into the image of Jesus Christ. He is restoring what sin marred. One aspect of that image is that God is self-determinant; He has a will and the capacity to exercise it. You, created in that image, can choose to act by the leading of the Spirit, even when your temperament says to hide. The quiet type is not a defective vessel. God placed this glorious treasure in an earthen vessel, in a clay pot, specifically so the surpassing greatness of the power would be seen as His. If you were a naturally brash or outgoing person, you might be tempted to take credit for the results. But when a quiet, reserved individual speaks with power and love, it cannot be explained by psychology. It has to be God.

The barrier you feel with speaking to strangers, especially while with your mother and brother, is a real one the Lord understands. But see what David did when the bloodthirsty men surrounded his house and he was filled with terror. He did not look within for a burst of courage. He began to bring the problem to the Lord. And as he prayed, the whole thing changed. He began to see the problem in the light of God’s strength and God’s power. He knew God would deal with it. That is why prayer is such a place of strength. It lifts you out of the spirit of defeat and brings you into a sense of victory, not because your circumstances instantly shift, but because your connection to the Source is reestablished. When you head out with your family, your prayer need not be, “Make me a bold extrovert,” but, “Lord, become to me strength. Become to me a deliverer from the fear of man. Save me by Your name.”

The fact that you cannot get yourself to do it is not a permanent verdict on your reliance. It is simply proof that you cannot get yourself to do it. The arm of the flesh will fail. But let Him get you to do it. The inward man is renewed day by day. The old man on the outside may still tremble, but the inward man draws on the life of Christ. When the moment comes, look to Him, and do the thing that love requires, not what your emotions permit. And as for Snapchat, planting seed wherever you are, even on a simple app, is never wasted. You leave the increase to Him and rest in the truth that His Word will not return void.