My religious background consists of 25 years of Christianity. I have visited my fair share of churches and they have all contributed to a variety of the things that I’ve learned. Recently, I have had a revelation of a simple truth: You Can’t Rely On God.

I’m not saying that He isn’t dependable or anything of that sort, I’m actually talking about the mindset that most Christians have. We look to God as nothing more than a provider. I think a lot of us act like children in the fact that we ask for handouts and ask God to do this and that on our behalf. Then we sulk and act disappointed when situations don’t turn out in our favor. The thing that a lot of people don’t realize is that we have our own part to play in the journey to our blessings. We can’t rely on God to just do everything for us. It doesn’t work that way.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up – Galatians 6:9

Some of us do not realize that it also takes work on our part to reach the place that God has destined for us. Does it make sense to believe in God for a job as a doctor if you aren’t willing to do the work of going to medical school? Does it make sense to say “God, please send me a good man to be my husband” when you never allow yourself to date or meet anyone new? No. It doesn’t make any sense at all, but yet, people live with this exact mindset. Joel Osteen recently posted something to this effect on Facebook not very long ago. He said, “When God sees you doing your part, developing what He has given you, then He will do His part and open doors that no man can shut”. 

You can’t expect the doors to be opened if you aren’t willing to go out and gather the necessary keys.

These keys can range from obtaining the skills that you need for a job, developing your individual talents so that you can actually reach your calling, or putting yourself in the necessary positions to come into contact with the people meant to help advance your life. In order to do these things, we have to accept the fact that God doesn’t just work for us, He works with us. God gives us all talents to work with, it is up to us to figure out what they are and how we should develop them. I’ve spent the better part of my life writing all sorts of things: comic strips, poetry, rap songs, stories, etc. I now know that my talent for writing was intended to serve a real purpose all along, I just didn’t realize it. Now that I’ve figured it out, writing consistently on this blog is my way of developing and nurturing my potential.

You may not completely agree with what I’ve said, but just take a minute to consider it. Think about the things that you are praying for and then think about the things that you are doing in order to bring them to existence.