Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. I Corinthians 10:12 (ESV)
Having confidence is not necessarily a bad thing, but when confidence is rooted in self-reliance in your abilities and resources you then have a problem. The key word is “self-reliance”, because we should exhibit a level of confidence in various things we set out to do in life, but at the same time we are to recognize and give credit to the Lord for working through our God-given abilities. Confidence apart from recognition of the true provider, the Lord, is dangerous and can lead to serious consequences. Have you ever left God out of your plans or maybe you were not aware that He was not included, and you felt confident that things were going well until. It does not matter how small or big, your history, if your confidence is not based on the Lord seeing you through, it isn’t going to end well and you should check yourself.
Paul warns the Corinthian church who felt their freedom in Christ allowed them to do anything or go anywhere. He shared with them the history lessons of Israel in the Old Testament. Israel took pride in their standing before God, and they thought that God would always be on their side no matter what they did. Israel felt spiritually secure because of the covenant God made with their father Abraham, a covenant he promised to keep for generations to come. Their misunderstanding, self-confidence and false security led to disobedience, which in turn led to destruction. The word “fall” points to false security, and Paul uses it to refer to those Corinthians who placed their trust in either church membership or baptism and communion, but not in Christ Jesus. The Corinthians also relied on their own insights and the “wisdom” from others. Paul says if you think you are standing on your own, adjust that mindset or you will fall. From day to day the Corinthians were advised to have childlike confidence and trust in God.
We too should be advised that spiritual security should come from true faith that depends on God to fulfill His promises and work through all we do. This does not mean we cannot take advice from others or trust in other’s abilities, but ultimately our confidence should be rooted in God. That means God should be consulted first, His ways should be our standards, and our final decisions should be based on our direction from the Lord. Check yourself, when you see that God’s guidance comes last in your decisions. Check yourself, when you find that you are placing confidence in your abilities, absent from God. Check yourself, as Paul warned the Corinthians, lest you fall.
Scriptural Challenge: Ask the Lord to help you rely on Him in all that you do.
Shad Comeaux is a native of Port Arthur, TX. Shad earned his bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Texas A&M University, his Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Arlington, and pursuing a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Shad is licensed he and his family have been members of the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Houston where he teaches Sunday School and Discovery classes. Shad and his wife Carranda have been married for over seven years. They have a daughter, Carsyn, and son, Shad Elijah.
