Powerless

His people were powerless, without the strength or ability to deliver themselves [from Pharaoh]. Their salvation had to come by His grace and mercy alone—through covenant. This is the one truth we must fully grasp if we are to understand the purpose of the New Covenant. God swears by oath that He will take matters into His own hands and by His power alone deliver us from all dominion of sin.— It Is Finished, page 109

<idle musing>
Reminds me of a song by the Jesus Movement group Daniel Amos. Here's the chorus:

No bribin', no conivin', no strivin' will do
They'll never make no change in you
You can hold your breath, stand on your head
Still the changes won't come, till their Spirit led
Abidin', that's when the changes come
Abide in Jesus, He's the best at gettin' it done

You can see the whole song and listen to it at the link above.

The point is that we can't do it. We're powerless, and the sooner we realize it and abandon ourselves to hispower, the better off we are.
</idle musing>