Trusting God rather than self

If you have your own plan of redemption for yourself, for your life, for your relationships or whatever, God may allow that plan to unravel until you are clueless, aimless, and maybe even hopeless unless you turn to God and seek instead His plan of redemption.

We often approach our lives and circumstances with our own ideas of how they will work out. These ideas may even be based on biblical principles, values and things we've felt we've heard from God. But when we rely on them rather than God himself, we will experience failure, disappointment and heartache. There is a difference between following what we believe God's plan is and actually just trusting the God who knows His own plans for our lives and exactly how to execute them.

One important thing to remember, however, is that trusting God does not mean the road will be easy. Because of our flesh, our view of success and a good life can look like self-glorification, false comfort and security in wordly things, and laziness. But success and a good life in God's eyes means freedom from fleshly desires; it means discipline and self control; it means humility and patience; it means placing the needs of others in high regard and understanding that all of our true needs are met by God. This is very difficult to accomplish and goes against our natural fleshly desires. Therefore, trusting God and choosing the good life in Christ is impossible without the Holy Spirit who transforms and renews us, reshaping our desires and characteristics to look more and more like God's.

But why is trusting God better than taking control of our own lives and following our own plan of redemption? Because we have freedom in Christ, but when we take control we become slaves to our flesh...resulting in bitterness, resentment, pride, hurt, disappointment and anger rather than joy, peace, humility, kindness and love.

Some scriptures for reading on the matter:
Ephesians 4:22-24
Romans 12:3-8
Luke 9:23
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galations 2:20
Romans 6:1-23