Real faith will trust in the Lord and not our own abilities.
Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.”
It was when we removed the training wheel on my daughter Victory’s bicycle that we become conscious that she does not know how to ride her bicycle. All these years she has depended on the training wheel. When we removed the training wheel, she became aware of her weakness. She cried. She complained. As a matter of fact it was very hard on her. However, we will never put the training wheel back. We love her. We told her, “You can do this! If you want to be be able to ride your bike and other bikes, we must do away with the training wheel.” And guess what, she is now riding without any difficulty. She has a new confidence.
Like so many of us, we have one thing or another we put our confidence in. It becomes our “training wheel”. We depend upon it. It may be a cherished relationship, our a powerful position we have gained, or the great physical strength of our youth, or sound health, or a good paying job, or even human aid and such like these. Provided those things are there, we feel okay because we depend upon them. Yes, we are Christians, we love God, we read the Bible and pray, but what happens to our faith when one of these things we trust in is removed? Our trust in the Lord reveals that we actually may lack faith and courage. What happens when our health is failing? What happens when we lose a job? What happens when we are removed from a position we cherish? Do we trust in the Lord or in our “training wheel”? Each passing day we put our confidence on someone or something, even ourselves. We do this knowing that men are not consistent, and that circumstances often change. We trust in man even knowing that often times they are not faithful to their word (Psalm 62:9, Micah 7:5).
Satan thought that Job’s confidence was on wealth, but God believed in Job. Job lost all his possessions and family as a result of this test, but he reacted rightly toward God by acknowledging God’s complete authority over everything God had given him. Job passed the test and set a great example for us. He proved to us that when we lose our “training wheel” it will cause us to have to learn to ride by faith. We can love God for who he is, not for what he gives us. The Bible says those who put their confidence in God will never be ashamed (Romans 10: 11, Psalm 16). We must put our trust in the Lord in order to gain a new sense of confidence.
Confidence comes from God’s strength- word, not our own. (Judges 7:2) Lack of it makes us struggle with new challenges (Jeremiah 1:6-8). So let me encourage you that if God has removed the training wheels from your life to trust him and keep riding forward by faith. He will not let you fall. He will make you ride on the wings of the wind trusting only in Him!
Do you understand God knows where our confidence is?
