Reliance

One of the great lessons illustrated for us in the Old Testament is the need to rely on God for deliverance from our difficulties. (By the way, God is the God of examples. The Old Testament gives us more than enough of them to learn how to do things God's way instead of man's way.) God portrays that truth about reliance numerous times; it must be one of those truths we have a difficult time learning. But every king or saint who tried to rely on others or himself for deliverance found himself creating more trouble, even if his plan worked. Yes, sometimes they relied on worldly schemes and human wisdom, and they appeared to succeed. The world's ways "work" in the world's system. But "success" is not a measure of success as God defines it. His question is always the same: "Did you do it by relying on Me or on others or on yourself?" Only the first choice glorifies Him and earns His "well-done." "Without faith it is impossible to please God."
What are the negatives of relying on others or worldly techniques to do God's work or to find deliverance from trials? There are two obvious ones. First, those plans often fail, drastically. And the ones that appear to work are often the greatest failures in the long term. And the consequences of the failure are often felt for years to come. Sometimes, in fact, the consequences go on for generations.
The other negative is that the person or strategy used to try to achieve success or escape trials is invariably the very person or thing that results in the undermining of God's child. For example, whoever a king relied on to deliver him other than God was the very person or nation who defeated him or his sons later. Or when things got even worse, and they called out to that "ally" for help, it was never given.
The same is true today. Do you have a work God has called you to do? Spend time on your knees asking God to bless His work and empower your service. Don't resort to human techniques and strategies in order to get results. Even if you get "results," it will not please Him--and the consequences will be devastating down the line. Facing difficult circumstances? Spend time on you knees asking God to strengthen you in the midst of the trial and to open your eyes to the lesson He wants to teach you--to the deeper understanding of Who He is that He wants you to
experience. Don't use human mechanisms to escape: trust and grow. Wait on Him to deliver you at the right time. Total reliance on Him is the key to godly faithfulness.