Thursday, May 28, 2015

Help Yourself

 God helps those who help themselves. That is what I was always told and what I believe to be true. I believe it simply because we are responsible for our actions and as a consequence the reactions we generate. It certainly appears straightforward and simple enough to me. Yet all I hear about is what " help " is available. There are programs and products galore that promise to help. Ten step programs and counseling sessions, psychoanalysis and drug therapies. There are programs that give you money and assistance, there are programs that provide free food and clothing. There is even a program I heard of that will give you a car !
 Now I'm not opposed to charity. The Bible tells us charity is synonymous with love. We should help our fellow man. The surest form of help is not in giving the person everything, but teaching them how they can " earn " the things they need. Wants are another topic and will not be addressed here. It is in showing the person that they can " help " themselves by their own actions, that the situation changes. Change must come from within. You can not obtain change through the efforts of others , only through your own. That is nothing new, even all the counselors and head doctors acknowledge that. That is the truth behind that old saying. You must help yourself to receive the help of God. What is God's help ? Understanding is what the help of God really is. When you begin to understand, you begin to act and do things correctly. The Bible tells us all how we should act, it is an explanation, an understanding.
 In this modern enlightened time man's arrogance has grown proportionately with his technical knowledge. We tend to believe we know it all and can explain it all. That is part of the reason we believe we can " help " others, when in actuality they need to help themselves. We have reached a point where many believe they are as God. The doctors handing out their prescriptions and therapies. The establishment of " programs " to guide you along your way. In truth they do little but make you dependant upon the program or prescription. They are only successful when what happens ? The person changes their behavior, and change must come from within. They must achieve a level of understanding.
 I'm not turning into some kind of evangelist and  telling you God is the only way. What I am saying is I call that power God. The power resides within each of us to " help " ourselves. Even the addict knows what they are doing is wrong, but feel helpless to stop it. Why this feeling of helplessness ?  It is what is being taught. There is nothing wrong with accepting help from others, but you should not be seeking or expecting that help either. The world owes you nothing. Playing the victim is the easier role no doubt about it. The garnering of sympathy is an easy crop to harvest.
 Look all I'm trying to say here is, until we start teaching " help yourself " again the problems will continue. We need to teach self reliance. Self reliance begins with self confidence. Self confidence comes from understanding. Understanding stems from knowledge, but is not the acquisition of knowledge. It is putting that understanding into practice that gains results. Positive results come from positive action. That is God helping those that help themselves. You may call it something else but the result is the same. 

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