Wednesday, 23 September 2026

I Need Help — Part Two Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

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I Need Help — Part Two

September 23, 2026
by Timothy Burt
 

In my last devotional, I began talking about the importance of recognizing when we need help—and then having the courage and humility to ask for it.

Research confirms that many people struggle to ask for help, even when the request is neither embarrassing nor demeaning. Some fear appearing weak or incompetent. Others are afraid of rejection or worry that they will burden someone. Yet studies have repeatedly found that people tend to underestimate how willing others are to help and how good it makes them feel to be helpful. In one series of studies, people underestimated by as much as 50 percent the likelihood that someone would agree to a direct request for assistance. Quite often, more help is available than we realize—but someone has to ask for it. Stanford Graduate School of Business

When things are happening in your life that you know need to change—and you recognize that you are heading down a path that will only become more treacherous—it is critical to begin praying and asking God for help. Then you must trust Him to lead you to the people, resources, and wisdom you need.

Of course, I believe God’s Word is the greatest source of help, wisdom, and supernatural change available to us. But God also uses pastors, mature Christians, counselors, doctors, teachers, support groups, books, and many other resources to help us gain the knowledge and direction we need to change course. Asking God for help and receiving help from people are not opposites. Very often, the people God places in our path are part of His answer.

In Part One, I shared the beginning of a story that I would like to finish today.

I was sitting at a restaurant with five other men from my weekly breakfast Bible study—a group I have been part of for more than twenty-five years. We had been talking about how the Lord had worked in our lives and helped us through difficult times. We prayed together at the end and were preparing to leave when a man who had been sitting nearby walked over to our table.

He looked at me and said, “I overheard all of you talking about God and how much He has helped you in your lives. My life is a disaster, and I need help so badly.”

I said goodbye to the other men as they left and stayed behind to talk with him. He told me that his wife was ready to throw him out, that he was failing at his job and about to be fired, and that several other things in his life were falling apart. As we talked, I shared the gospel with him and led him to the Lord.

Then the Lord spoke to my heart: I want you to take him over to the church so he knows where it is. Take him inside so he won’t be afraid to come back.

The church was close by, so I asked if he would follow me there in his car. I told him I had a Bible and some literature that could help him, and he agreed to come. Once we arrived, I brought him inside, gave him a cup of coffee, and provided him with some materials to read. I also told him that if he would come back to church, open his heart to God, and receive direction, I believed he would experience God working in his life.

Sure enough, he showed up the following Sunday. He had decided that he was ready not only to ask for help but also to receive direction from people who could help him. That man hardly missed a Sunday over the next two years. He attended a beginning Bible class and asked if he could serve in the church, which we gladly helped him do.

Within a year, you would hardly have recognized him as the same man I met in that restaurant. His life was changing in every area, including his marriage. His wife was thrilled with the man and husband he was becoming.

It all began when he gathered the courage to approach someone he believed might have answers and say, “I need help.” The Lord had placed me there at the right time, but this man still had to take the first step. More importantly, he didn’t merely ask for help—he listened, received direction, and followed through.

How do we recognize when it is time to ask for help, and how do we prepare our hearts to receive it?

1. Admit honestly that something needs to change. Stop minimizing the problem, blaming others, or pretending it will disappear by itself. Truth is the beginning of freedom.

2. Ask God for wisdom and direction. Pray specifically. Ask Him to reveal what is really happening and lead you to someone with the wisdom, experience, and spiritual maturity to help.

3. Choose the right person. Not everyone is qualified to advise you. Look for someone whose life demonstrates wisdom, integrity, experience, and genuine care for you—and whose counsel agrees with God’s Word.

4. Be honest about the entire situation. Help can only be as accurate as the information you provide. Hiding important details may protect your pride temporarily, but it can prevent someone from understanding what you truly need.

5. Ask clearly and specifically. Instead of merely saying, “Things are bad,” explain where you are struggling and what kind of help you need. You might say, “I don’t know how to change this. Would you help me understand what my next step should be?”

6. Listen without immediately becoming defensive. If you ask a wise person for help, prepare yourself to hear something you may not want to hear. Loving counsel may challenge your thinking, your attitudes, or your behavior.

7. Act on the direction you receive. Asking for help accomplishes little if you refuse to take the next step. Growth came into that man’s life because he returned to church, studied the Bible, became involved, and consistently followed the direction he received.

8. Remain accountable while change is taking place. Most lasting change does not happen overnight. Stay connected to trustworthy people who will pray for you, encourage you, lovingly correct you, and help you keep moving forward.

There is no shame in saying, “I need help.” The greater danger is allowing pride, fear, or embarrassment to keep you on a path that is slowly destroying something precious. God knows exactly what you need, and when you sincerely ask Him for help, He can lead you to the right person, the right wisdom, and the right next step.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)

Father, give me the humility to recognize when I need help and the courage to ask for it. Lead me to wise and godly people, help me receive truthful counsel without becoming defensive, and give me the strength to act on what You show me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 
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I Need Help — Part Two Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

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