Putting Your Faith in the Right Place

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

– Corrie Ten Boom-

The power to see into the future is not a gift given to men. If many of us could see into the future, then our plans would be preventive and not based upon predictions. We would avoid disappointments, unnecessary conflicts, and land opportunities that ordinarily would pass us by.

Unknown situations fill the world. This reason encourages people to place their faith in everything such as money, spouses, career, education, family, friends, or even themselves. God generally, is the last resort. For some reason believers and unbelievers struggle to place their faith in an invisible God, instead place faith in material object or people. People conclude not being able to see, touch, or feel God makes it difficult to put their trust into someone they cannot see.

Yet there is no unequaled place to put our trust in other than God. God as our faith place holder provides a variety of benefits and blessings, so let us examine why putting our faith in other places in God is not only problematic but catrasophic.

Mankind

Mankind are sinners, prone to lying, deceit, and greed. Men are imperfect. Men are often driven to selfishness. As much as we claim to not putting our faith in ourselves, friends, or family; all of us have fallen victim in placing our faith in people. The Bible discourages any idea or belief of placing our faith in anyone but God. People, often are placeholders of faith. Our spouses have our faith. They become our ultimate source of comfort. Our guiding light, especially in times of illness and grief. Friends become a stronghold when we’re searching for wisdom and advice and company. Even today, people have made idols out of celebrities, tracking their movements, adopting their belief system.

Regrettably, we were not made to be worshippers of men. Evidence in the scripture backs up the truth, the main purpose as to why we were created, the Lord speaks, “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7) More on this later on, but mankind is created for God’s glory. We’re not created for ourselves; we were made for a higher purpose, to bring glory to God. When we place our faith in people, we’re substituting God on His throne as the center of our lives.

Why would we want a fallen race acting as head chief? Mankind consistently falls short. The scripture, and our behavior supports we sin, naturally and effortlessly. Have we not been victims of our own sin and the sins of others. Men are sinners, prone to lying, deceit, and greed. Men are imperfect. Men are often driven to selfishness. We do good deeds not for the sake of helping and meeting the needs of the homeless or widow. We serve others to make ourselves look admirable. We’re perfectly imperfect. On our best day, our good deeds could not hold a candle to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Humanity is incapable of being perfect and staying perfect. Due to sin, holiness is a standard, we cannot reach without the Holy Spirit’s supernatural empowerment.

So placing our trust in imperfect people, expecting our friends and family to do right by us all the time is impossible.

Idols

So if you do not place your faith in people, maybe you’re at fault of placing your faith in idols. Idols can be people, specifically in this blog post, I am describing things, objects, or ideas as idols. For example, a Christian may place their faith in their career or education or an addiction like drugs, gambling, or horoscopes. Still struggling to determine if you worship an idea then let us simplify the definition. An idol is anything or anyone you order your time, effort, and money around to maintain the relationship with said idol.

Idols are strongholds. They strong arm their influence over our lives as we surrender pieces to them. You know, if an idol has taken residence in your heart if you’re interrupted while tending to this idol and grow immediately agitated. Idols are dangerous. Leading people astray, away from the truth, idols emove God from His place on the throne.

Habakkuk 2:18 says, “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.”

Nothing is gained when mankind searches for a god after the One True God has already broadcasted His existence. Electing money, our careers or education, or cars over the Lord, in turn makes us the maker, carving ourselves into our idol’s image. Idols are the escape hatch from the pressures of this world. Absolutely nothing is gained. What real solution or insight can idols supply in troubling times. Placing our trust in these “speechless” figures makes fools out of us, separating us from the Good Shepherd.

Instead of helping believers foster healthy positive changes, idol worship creates alienation, isolating ourselves from people in need. But mostly mankind loves idols, because it is something we can control. When we create something in our image or in our mind, we attach to it whatever personality or behavior we want the idol to have.

On the contrary, we cannot control God. The Lord God has already proclaimed His Divine identity, and whether we like it or not, God is unavoidable. Every creation will one day give an account to the real, true living God. Now is the time to accept what little control we have and surrender to our Holy Father.

Ourselves

Learn to respond humbly and not arrogantly. Speaking of humilty, there is nothing quite, like meeting a cocky “humble” person, claiming they are humble as pie, yet attribute all their achievements, talents, and gifts to their own person. The Word of God does not sugar coat what this perspective or matter of heart is called: pride. Placing our faith in ourselves to be our own savior and captains of our destiny expresses to God how we do not need Him. This is a lie. We need God and when we willfully act independent from His guidance and refuse to commit our plans to God, life inevitably confronts chaos.

Did we give ourselves the abilities to sing, to dance, to write, or draw? The Holy Spirit blesses each person their spiritual gift in accordance to the Will of God. He ordains and bestows, our gifts outside of our deliberation. What spiritual gifts gifted to me were made in the realm of heaven and God graciously gave them to me, so I may bring Him glory and serve others.

We’re imperfect. Powerless.

So we examine how all these facets are impossible to keep our faith in a safe spot. None of these three areas can give our faith the nurture, the purpose, and the trust spiritually needed. God, on the other hand, holds an unbroken record. God has never lost a challenge nor will He. God is faithful.

Faithfulness is one of the fruits of the spirit. For a Christian to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, the key ingredient is abiding in Jesus Christ.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These fruits show we are new creations and after accepting Christ. Christians work daily to show these fruits, so they may bring glory to God. After salvation, do not sit around waiting for maturity to come. Growth is an active process. The Holy Spirit works within us, and it is our job to be obedient to what Christ commands us.

Hence while we have to work towards faithfulness, God is naturally faithful. Faithfulness is apart of God’s character. It is a face in His personality, an equally strong component in His identity like His love or holiness. God has many facades to His identity all are of sums of who He is. But do not think His love is His strongest trait or His wrath (righteous fury). All of God’s identity traits hold equal rank and affect His children in different yet extraordinary ways.

God’s faithfulness is evidence of His love. In Exodus 1 when Israel was in bondage and the population growing at an alarmingly rate; Pharaoh feared an uprising. He ordered the midwives to kill the male babies, instead the women feared God over man. Finally, Pharaoh ordered for all Hebrew males to be tossed into the Nile River.

“²²Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (Exodus 1:22)

However, in the red haze of violence and despair was hope in a small child. A Levite woman refused to part with her child and when she could no longer hide the baby. She placed him in a basket and set him sailing down the Nile, unbeknownst to the mother, his sister followed. What is perceived as ordinary and tragic human actions is God working through situations. Therein many of us know how history plays out, the Pharaoh’s daughters find Moses on the river.

⁷Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

⁸“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. ⁹Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. ¹⁰When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses,^[b]saying, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:8-9)

An oustanding insight about God is He is always planning, moving, and working behind the scenes on our behalf. This young baby boy was Moses and God was already working to deliver the Israelites, before their cries were lifted to His ears. God’s faithfulness extends before we even ask Him; how amazing is it God’s faithfulness to us is not bound by the laws of time and space. Before Moses was conceived God had purposed for Moses to be the deliverer of Egypt. Therfore as God works behind the scenes and in the forefront, never believe God is a complacent or non active Father. God is hardworking always active in His promise keeping.

What hope is there for anyone if we place our faith in anyone else? Keeping our faith in God, keeps our perspective heavenward. At some point in each Christian’s life we learn, we’re not the center of the universe or our even own lives. We’re made for God’s purposes He is not subservient to our will. This is a hard pill to swallow. Many false teachers teach Christianity is about gaining prosperity or accumulating wealth. They teach the falsehood, life is all about humanity and our desires. That we’re deserving of happiness. And we’re doing something wrong if we suffer or experience pain or if someone gets sick.

Untrue. Humans are on this Earth primarily for the purposes of God. Isaiah 46:10 says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;”

Whether He desires our spiritual growth, the salvation of others, or the mysteries of His will to be fulfilled. This is God’s planet; His universe; His plan. It is a blessing to have a Sovereign God care so deeply for our meager needs, compared to God we’re small, tiny, and insignificant. Yet God’s love is unconditional and undeserving. His desire to give human beings significance is mind blogging. So, when we place our faith in God, we no longer delude ourselves into thinking we’re cowriters in this game called life, instead we take our seats on this plane ride. Placing our faith in God pleases God, because it demonstrates our trust and willingness to believe in His ways.

Not putting our faith in Him, deprives us of greater intimacy. Our purposes cannot compare to God’s purposes. He is higher without a doubt and His power to change and transform lives is beyond our wildest dreams. Trusting in God is more than words, step by step, it is a journey of growth and self realization. Placing our faith in God provides the direction in troubled times. It is the lighthouse during the storm or the basement in the midst of a tornado. Faith in God protects our hearts and spirits from being overwhelmed and consumed by the world’s worries. If God is our refugee then mankind has no power, regardless of what happens to us is because the Lord God allowed. The darkness is heavy, yet Almighty God knows the way and does not act out of spite or hate.

Ultimately, the Christian’s hope is not in the world, but resides in heaven with Christ Jesus. No matter what this world does to us or our enemies, nothing can destroy God’s love for us.

On that account place your faith in God. He is the perfect keeper of our faith. He is our Living Hope. The moment, we pass death, Jesus Christ is on the other side, and only the deeds we did for Jesus is what will come with us. Do not believe the hype. Place your faith only in God.

“3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 1:1-3)