To know true independence is not about doing whatever you want. It’s about being inwardly free, stable and aligned, regardless of circumstances. It is about knowing the right kind of dependence and understanding your inner authority.  

Our Responsibility

First, God calls us to be responsible for who and what we are. That means taking responsibility for yourself in:

• How you live
• How you spend your time
• What your priorities are
• Who you associate with.

It means not blaming others for who you are, or carrying the spirit of offense.

So, what is true independence?

Over-Dependence

A major key to knowing true dependence is to avoid over-dependence on other people. For each will bear his own load, Galatians 6:5. That does not mean we walk alone, but we need to have certain barriers, for true independence is a God-given gift.

God gives each of us an individual path to walk, that no one else can walk for us. He knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10, and what we need before we even ask, Matthew 6:8. All He asks is that we walk that path with complete faith in Him, despite the fiery trials we may encounter.

Those fiery trials have a particular purpose in God’s eternal plan for our life, 1 Peter 4:12. A plan that builds character and maturity, for He walks through the testing with us.

When you pass through the waters I will be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire you will not be scorched nor will the flame burn you. For I Am the Lord your God, Isaiah 43:2,3.

True and Present Danger

From when we take our first baby step, we spend our life striving to be independent. The danger is not in being self-reliant in daily life, but in becoming spiritually self-sufficient and forgetting who you are in God.

However, to know true independence is to know God-dependence not self-dependence. We are responsible for the way we act, think and move. When we think we don’t need God is when we fall apart.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight, Proverbs 3:5.

Alignment

To live in true God-designed independence, is to be aligned with the Word of God in such a way is to:

• Know our true identity in Him
• Make decisions from clarity not from impulse
• No longer be controlled by our past or fearful of the unknowable future
• Be guided by Spirit-led inner governance, not external control.

True independence is to live in the generous present ‘now’, which is the only true reality we have.

Settled Identity

We become settled in our true identity, for our life is hid with Christ in God, Colossians 3:3. We no longer have a drive to prove who we are. God knows where we have come from, who we are and where we are going. That is far above our knowledge.

We acknowledge that we are the clay and He is the Potter, and all of us are the work of His hands, Isaiah 64:8. Only then will we reach not only our full potential, but things that we cannot even imagine.

Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heart, and which have not entered the heart of man. All that God has prepared for those who love Him, 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Never Alone

When you know true independence in God, you are never alone. He will never desert you, nor ever forsake you. You can confidently say, The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid, Hebrews 13:6. You live from an internal reality, not an external environment.

Silence and solitude, or stillness are no threat to you. You are not dependent on constant input from others or have the need for constant noise around you. Solitude is a strength, not a weakness. Cease striving and know that I Am God, Psalm 46:10. Other versions say ‘Be still and know that I Am God’. 

You make decisions others do not agree with, so long as you have total peace in God, through the leading of the Holy Spirit. You have no need for others to make you feel whole. You connect with like-minded people, but your strength comes from the inexhaustible power of God Himself. When I am weak, I Am strong, 2 Corinthians 12:10. You are firmly grounded in Him.

Your Choice 

Like Jesus, you seek only the will of the Father, John 6:38. You know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God. To those who are called according to His purpose, Romans 8:26.

We make numerous choices every day of our life. The way to know true independence is to consciously align each choice with the revealed Word of God. You move from human rebellion towards God, into total alignment with His will for your life.  You act from: 

• Conviction not fear
• Not manipulated by external forces
• Able to say ‘No’ without feeling guilty
• Saying ‘Yes’ without hesitation, when it is the will of the great I Am that I Am, Exodus 3:15.

You live from integrity checking everything against the will of God. Satan, who is limited, designs things for our undoing, but God turns it to good, Genesis 50:20. Why trust your limited knowledge, when you can rely on the ever present, all knowing, all powerful God, who only has your best interest at heart.

The Key to Knowing True Independence

The key to knowing and living in true independence is to:

• Understand biblical self-reliance
• Know your responsibility
• Diligently seek true independence – God’s way.

You will then know true independence in practice but God-dependent in spirit

The Result of how to Know True Independence

The result of living in the knowledge of true independence, is to be free internally no matter your circumstances. 

• You have responsibilities – but they don’t own you
• You carry peace – when things aren’t ideal
• Your inner state is the real you – not dictated by external conditions
• You live beyond the veil – hourly in the presence of a loving Heavenly Father.

Man could throw you into a jail cell, but no one can take your true independence, for you have an eternal inner freedom. You live from the new creature you are in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Living not from the seen realm, but by faith from the deeper reality of the unseen realm, Hebrews 11:1.

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