The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1358, titled "How to Pray."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 2001 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

I always hear that God helps those who help themselves and like you mentioned, you ought to do something, you shouldn't just be in limbo. How do you draw the line between the point where you are doing something that God can work on and where you're doing so much that it shows that you really don't have faith that He's going to answer your prayer?

Answer

That's a very difficult question because I think it would be different in the life of every individual. You know, again we go back to the simple things: the only thing you can do in your life, and you can't get too analytical. I say this so often. We all get analytical. Am I doing too much of this? Is this the Holy Spirit? Is this me? Who is doing this? Is this the devil? Is this God? All this stuff. If we would just walk in the Spirit, study the Word of God, commune with the Father, and just do and not analyze, we'd be a lot better off. Just accept what's happening and don't...don't chastise yourself over the idea that, "Oh, it's probably me and not God doing this," just be doing this. And as long as your conscience is clear and your heart is pure before God, don't be concerned with that. You know, it's like losing yourself in the pursuit of Christ and let everything else take its place.

I was speaking the other day at a place where they train psychologists. And I was talking about the fact, to the student body, that one of the things that really disturbs me is that psychology so often just takes a person inside and leaves them there. And their whole life is absorbed with themselves. And the debilitating aspects of their own self destroys the possibility of ever growing out of that. And you've got to turn people outside, focus on an external thing, the reality of Christ over here and just follow that and don't be analytical. Because your own mind is not regenerated fully, you still have a mind that's confused by sin and you can't really make those evaluations. So don't let that be a struggle. Now that may sound vague but maybe it answers what you're thinking.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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