Some people are weak because they over assess their own abilities. They do not trust in the Lord so are not strong in the Lord, they are too busy trying to be strong in themselves. Do not trust yourself too much! Do not be over-confident in yourself! Certainly do not place any confidence in your flesh, or your own righteousness. Do not assume you are more spiritual than you are!
The Bible tells us clearly: let him that thinks he is standing firm be careful lest he falls (1 Cor. 10.12)
If you think you are so wise you are a fool. If you think you could never end up off course, you are a candidate for getting off course. If you think you do not need to work on your strength in the Lord, you are going to weak for a long, long time.
Peter was the obvious example of this. He brags about never betraying Jesus and betrays him big time. I know so many people who have told me “I will never leave Tree of Life” – they are over-confident in their faithfulness, their ability to commit, their ability to handle offense, their ability to walk in faith. And so often they are gone in a week or two – walking out upset and angry and never coming back!
You can always see over-confidence by the way someone is critical of others. I have heard Christians rip other people apart, and they talk in a way that says “I could never, ever make that mistake, I would never, ever do that”. They are over-estimating their own ability, and they look down on others. Do not be like that – have some humility – if you stay arrogant, stay over-confident, you will one day fall, and find yourself in their shoes. You will be surprised, but no one else will. You staying on the right course, you doing what you need to do, you staying strong is by the grace of God! Do not be strong in yourself, be strong in the Lord!
When David heard that King Saul died, he wasn’t triumphant, he wasn’t over the moon about it – he didn’t get up and tell everyone what Saul did wrong. He did not even criticize him once. He could have taken the chance to put Saul down and expose his rebellion and witchcraft. He could have discussed all those things. But David was not strong in himself, David was strong in the Lord and said:
“Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon” (2 Sam. 1.20)
David never had an issue with being stubborn, but he did not attack Saul or talk about him behind his back, he was strong in the Lord, and realized that was because of God’s goodness, and God’s grace. Let this be your example and your path. If you think you are standing so firm that you can cast aspersions on others, be careful, you might fall!
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