STOP GIVING MEN THE HONOUR THAT IS DUE TO GOD.
THE ONLY ONE TO SEEK WHEN IN TROUBLE IS GOD.
EVERY MAN NEEDS HELP, HOW THEN DO YOU THINK YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED WHEN YOU PUT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN MAN.
THE ONE YOU ARE LOOKING UP TO HAS ISSUES WHERE HE ALSO REQUIRES HELP.
HOW COME YOU THINK HE COULD BE OF HELP TO YOU?
Your confidence might be mistaken for arrogance if you refuse to see men the way they want you to see them. It is heartbreaking how some men are gradually turning themselves to God. At every point in time, they want you to see them as your ultimate helper. For instance, when you refuse to beg a man that could be of help but would not when you are in need except you beg for it, you may end up being tagged as arrogant.
Nebuchadnezzar was a king in Babylon, he made a golden image for himself and he asked everyone in the land to bow down to this image. He literally made himself god over his subjects. However, Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego would not bow to this command because it violated their belief in God Almighty. Ordinarily, defiling the order of a king is a pure display of arrogance and this attracts severe punishments. But, when the ruling is challenging the supremacy of God, the response of the three Hebrew boys is just a display of confidence culminating in a better knowledge and understanding of God.
The account is found in Daniel 3:14-18, "Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15, Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17, If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18, But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up".
Sadly, this is how some men would want others to see them today, simply because they are fortunate enough to occupy a position of advantage over others.
While confidence is a display of certainty or trust in relation to particular knowledge and understanding, arrogance is an unhealthy ego or exaggeration about oneself.
When you know your God so well, the Bible says in Daniel 11:32b, "but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits".
I understand a lot of Christians do not care whether they beg or not as long as they have their needs met, it does not matter how, and that is fine. But, as for me, I strongly detest the idea of begging when in need. I have come to understand that God is high in heaven, yet He will not come down physically but no man could help me except he is led by God. Now, if you must be led by God to help me, why then should I be wasting time begging you, when I can easily talk to God and He would lead you even against your will to help me.
Check out the account of Elijah receiving help from a woman who herself needs help together with her son in 1 Kings 17:9, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee". The help was commanded by God even when it was the last meal for both the mother and the son, she couldn't reject to offer the help because it was commanded by God.
Moreover, I am yet to see a scripture that encourages Christians to beg. The Bible says in Psalm 146:3, "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help". The bottom line according to this scripture is that there is no help in the hands of men.
Jeremiah 17:5, "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD". It is even an abomination to trust in man or shift your gaze from God to man.
Isaiah 31:3, "Now the Egyptians are men and not God; and their horses, flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall and they all shall fail together". Stop giving men the honour that is due to God. The only one to seek when in trouble is God. Every man needs help, how then do you think you will not be disappointed when you put your confidence in man. The one you are looking up to has issues where he also requires help. How come you think he could be of help.
The Bible says in Psalms 121:1-2, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2, My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth". Where and who do you look up to when you are in distress? If you know your God so well as the one that can do all things, your confidence should exceed this earthly realm when you are in need.
There is a popular saying that you would never know a man's character as long as he remains poor. Poverty is such a big punishment to mankind, it is capable of reducing man to slave even in his father's house. The Bible spoke about poverty in the following scriptures;
Proverbs 19:4, "Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour". This is a pointer to the fact that poverty is as bad as a disease called leprosy. Lepers are usually separated from the people, and as a poor man, you are not any better according to this scripture.
Proverbs 19:7, "All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him". Irrespective of your good character, if you are poor, stop asking why people hate you. This scripture made it obvious that all your brethren (even your family members) will hate you for no reason. Instead of your friends visiting you, they will rather go far from you. You will even try to move closer to them, buy their love with your kind words, yet this would not be enough to appease them.
Proverbs 14:20, "The poor is hated even of his neighbour: but the rich hath many friends". Don't deceive yourself, if you are poor, you don't have any friends. It may even surprise you that the one closest to you as a neighbour equally hated you. But if you are rich, every man wants to be your friend, it is now left to you to choose as many friends as you want.
Judging from the above scriptures, humility is enforced when a man is under the influence of poverty. No man's humility is proven until he has become rich. Many people involuntarily become humble when they are under financial pressure. They look up to any man assumed to be of help in such high esteem and thereby go to any length pretending to be humble so they can get the needed assistance. But, this may not be necessary if you know your true worth as a child of God.
The mindset template of a believer when under such pressure is revealed by Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:11-13, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12, I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". The present life is not a bed of roses. Challenges abound and only the rugged Christians can overcome.
Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". It is so unfortunate when many Christians found themselves in financial crisis, they begin to fidget and forget their true nature as children of God.
The Bible says in Psalm 34:10, "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing".
This is the word of God that requires strong faith to activate when you are found wanton. Faith becomes inactive anytime you exercise fear. As a result, you would be left with no other choice but, to start looking up to men. But, God is our ultimate Helper. Regardless of whoever appeared when you are in need, he or she was just a vessel used by God to deliver the needed assistance.
Perhaps I should ask you these questions, have you ever been in need and somebody came to your rescue at one time or the other? But, when you need the same assistance at another time, this same person refuses to assist you even when the resources are there and you did not just ask but begged? What do you think could be the reasons for these diverse responses? Haven't you see yourself doing the same to somebody else before, please be honest? The truth is as stated earlier, no man can help you except he is led by God. When he came to your rescue at the first instance, understand he was assigned by God to meet that need and he had no options, he must meet it because the resources have been duly given to him concerning you at that time. However, the resources in his hand at the second instance may not be assigned to him concerning you at that moment. There is no need to tag any man evil because they could not help you. God is your ultimate Helper, therefore, the onus is on you to stop looking up to man for assistance, rather set your gaze only on God that never fails.
In conclusion, your confidence truly might be misunderstood for arrogance but your knowledge and understanding of your God is better proven.
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