Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Psalm 46:10-11 (NKJV)

By definition, a person who strives will make great efforts to achieve something. The striver relies on their merit and often works to attain a level of perfection that is impossible in actuality. 

When we see strivers in real life, we may be tempted to scoff. Don’t they know all of their righteousness is as filthy rags before The Lord? But how many of us do the exact same thing under the veil of excellence? Here are ways to identify striving in your life and ways you can come out of merit-based living. 

Signs of Striving

1. You are always working to attain unachievable goals. While there is nothing wrong with setting the bar high, there is something very wrong with having personal expectations that are out of this world. You, for instance, aiming to become an astronaut when math makes you nauseous is out of this world (did you see what I did there?). It would be much better for you to aim to be the best writer in your field since your work is all the rave at school and among loved ones. 
2. There is never enough time in a day. Twenty-four hours is a long time, and yet it seems we never have enough hours in a day to accomplish the things we desire. It is completely fine to feel overwhelmed at times. You should not always be so busy, though, that you don’t have a moment to catch your breath. 
3. Your devotional time is placed on the back burner. The number one sign that you are working with your strength and not according to God’s will is your reduced devotional time. Who has time to read a scripture when there is so much to do, right?

How to Fix It

1. Acknowledge that you have gotten away from God. You don’t commit to devotional time anymore because you don’t value your relationship with Jesus as much as you once did. That’s okay! Get right back into setting aside time to spend with Him and don’t give up! 
2. Stop worrying about what isn’t done. You can only do what you can do. Appreciate the progress you’ve made today and plan to continue the mission tomorrow. 
3. Discover God’s plan. As you re-establish your time of devotion, God will begin to speak to you about His plans for your life. Lean into His dreams for you and give up self-derived ambitions for your life. 

Psalm 46:10-11 advises us to stop and recognize who God is:

• God is our Creator.
• God holds the world in His hands.
• The heavens speak of the glory of God.
• The earth testifies of His splendor. 

And God is for you! So stop striving and start leaning into His will.