Despite what the world may think (and because they don't see it this way is even more proof that it's true), one of the most incredible gifts that God gives us is a deep & keen awareness of our dependence upon Him for everything. One cannot live a life in Christ without this full dependence upon Him & His grace.

We all said "Jesus is Lord" but do we feel it to be true? The less we feel that to be true, the less we will abide in Him.

Serving Jesus is like being physically hungry - You feel it physically, but also mentally. If it isn't addressed, you become worse for it. Our bodies require the nutrients for it to be sustained. And when we're hungry, our bodies are particular in what it needs. If you're starving and you feed it cheese puffs and soda, then your body will let you know that you have chosen poorly. But feed it healthy food, full of unprocessed vitamins, proteins & carbs, and watch it flourish. The same is true of spiritual nutrition: If we don't feel the hunger for God, then we are not well. If we feed ourselves spiritual junk food, we're fueling ourselves poorly & become lethargic. What we need is food from the Vine.

And using the vine reference, branches on their own, wither & die. How often, when you're "lone wolfing" your spiritual walk, do you produce incredible things? True joy & happiness? It's not possible, no matter how much you try to spin it or fool yourself. That type of selfish independence will only bring about one thing;

Our declaration to follow Jesus means that we will walk by faith, and not by sight. And in that, it doesn't matter what we look like in the eyes of the world. Our spiritual survival requires us to abide in Christ.