God helps those who help themselves?

God’s Economy vs. The World’s Economy
“God helps those who help themselves.”

This well-known phrase sounds noble—encouraging hustle, grit, and perseverance. But is it biblical?
No. In fact, it misrepresents the very foundation of the gospel.

We are not capable of saving ourselves or producing righteousness on our own. That’s precisely why we needed a Savior. Jesus—the sacrificial Lamb—came to satisfy the law we could never fulfill. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have been granted access to a holy and perfect God.

We’re not operating under the law trying to earn God’s help. We are operating in grace, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

This Spirit—the same Spirit who parted the Red Sea, raised Jesus from the dead, and breathed life into dry bones—is the source of our strength. This is the essence of God’s economy.

---

Two Economies: Two Ways of Living

• The World’s Economy says: “Work harder, try more, fix yourself. God helps those who help themselves.”

• God’s Economy says: “Abide in Me. I have paid the price. Let My strength be yours. My Spirit will empower you.”

One is finite. One is infinite.

In the world’s economy, your strength is like a battery that drains and needs constant recharging.
In God’s economy, your power source is eternal. The battery never dies because it draws from the life of Christ.

---

Application: A Business Owner’s Struggle

What does this look like for a modern-day business owner—discouraged, watching profits fall, wondering if God will show up?

Abide. Remain. Surrender.

“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” —John 15:7-8

When we abide in Christ—not striving in our own strength but operating in His—we become fruitful. Our desires align with His. We ask what He would ask, and heaven responds.

---

From Worm to Butterfly

To live in God’s economy is to cross a spiritual bridge—moment by moment. It’s the transformation from the worm self to the butterfly self.

The butterfly has undergone metamorphosis. It has endured the cocoon. It now soars on wings of beauty. But when a butterfly forgets what it is and crawls like a worm, it sinks.

We face that same choice—daily, even moment by moment.

---

Which Will You Choose?

• A branch lying on the ground, trying to produce fruit through sheer effort?

• Or a branch firmly attached to the vine, receiving life-giving nourishment and bearing fruit naturally?

Look at your life. The burdens. The challenges.
Now choose: God’s economy—the way of the Spirit.
Abide in the vine.
Let your wings appear.