Scripture:

2 Chronicles 25:7-8

7 But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8 But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.” 9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.

"With God"

I know when you read this, you think Lord that's pretty harsh. But the reality is the LORD is telling King Amaziah and us today that there is a cost for being self-reliant, making all your decisions without God, without help; for Amaziah, it would have cost him his life.  For you and me, it may not cost us our physical life, but it is killing our time (which is life), our energy, and our victories.   

There is a cost for self-reliance, and that is what the Lord was getting across to King Amaziah and us today.  That by excluding God, we exclude

• His Power
• His Wisdom
• The Victory He Brings
• His Protection

Today's God-Shot is that we would become more God-Reliant and less Self-Reliant, that our lives would become shaped by His presence in all that we do.   Proverbs 16:3 says that if we commit even our plans to the Lord, He will bring success.   What I can do alone might be amazing, but what I can do with God is so much more..

Lord, forgive us when we have been stuck in our ways, self-reliant, depending on our strength, our power; help us to trust, to depend, to lean on you for our wisdom, understanding, our strength; help us to learn to include you in our plans, commit them to you that they may be successful, in Jesus' name, Amen!