All generalizations are false, including this one. — Mark Twain

Of the three enemies of faith (Christian philosophy, paralyzing fear, personal flesh), my personal weak spot is the flesh. That’s not a false generalization! Flesh says, “I can take care of this!” Flesh says, “I don’t need God; I can do it myself.” Flesh says, “Independence from God!” Flesh preaches the antithesis of dependence; it promotes the opposite of the faith that pleases God.

Romans 8:8 says: Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

So even when I “win” in the flesh, I lose. But God isn’t asking, What did you win for Me today? He’s asking, Did you trust Me or not?

Did you hear me? If your goal is to please God, and you’re trying to do it in the flesh, you can’t please Him no matter what you accomplish, no matter what you win. You are not going to reach your goal of pleasing God unless you are doing it out of trust in Him and His presence in you. Bill Gillham says Jesus tells it to us this way:

“Your job is to do the very best you can, trust that I’m doing it through you, and leave the results to Me. If it turns out well, praise Me. If it doesn’t, praise Me anyway, and let Me handle any problems that are created as a result. Your job is to concentrate on your method which is ‘dependency!’”