Seven false posts anchoring your faith

Seven false posts anchoring your faith

Emotionalism, Miracle seeking, Merit by works, Wealth as a blessing, Bible knowledge, Prophecies, Status

The purpose of this article is to analyze what is it that anchors your faith, what undergirds it and carries you in your Christian journey.

We are going to identify seven false posts that you might’ve erected to support your faith. Using a building analogy, if these posts are weak and flimsy, even though they may give you a false assurance, they will not be able to support the building and it will collapse.

Emotionalism is often looked at as the ultimate assurance that they are right with God. They go to church, they “feel” the vibe and the Lord’s presence and that’s all it matters for some people. Now they can go back to their normal life, living in the flesh and unrepented the rest of the week with no real change in their behavior – in other words it’s all hype and emotion with no substance. Emotion is indeed a human dimension, very much part of the Christion life, nothing wrong with that, but it should not be a substitute for a regenerated character.

The quest for miracles is what others earnestly look for, as a constant confirmation of their faith. It is part of human nature to seek something tangible as a proof. Apostle Thomas was looking for something palpable also. Even though they are real and part of Christianity, this obsession with seeking miracles takes your focus away of what is important – following Christ and walking in the spirit.

Others have built up the concept of merit and take pride in doing good works that would earn points with God. This mindset of deserving something from God is at the base of their faith, like the pharisee in the temple. This legalistic thinking implies that one has to earn his salvation by works, which is a false doctrine. Works are the proof that your conversion was real.

Wealth and material abundance would lead some to think that they are really blessed by God. This is the proof that they are on the right path – wrong! This could be a trap from the devil. Read the story of the rich guy in the Bible that had a bumper crop one year and was making plans to expand his storage buildings. Bible called him “fool” because he died that very night.

Knowledge of the Bible may be another thing that one can relay on as the main post supporting his faith. Knowledge confers him a sense of prominence and spiritual superiority compared to others. Because of that, he thinks of himself as really high on God’s list. He does not realize that the proof of a regenerated heart is humility. It is not enough to know a lot about Jesus, one has to actually know Jesus.

The habit of always having a “cause” and expecting prophecies (lucrari) from God is prevalent among some people in Pentecostal circles. This obsession could become a distraction and a slippery slope, since it is hard to distinguish between true and false prophecies. Sure, there could be real prophecies, but better to stay on solid ground and relay on the written word of God instead of constantly seeking messages directly from God, as they did in Old Testament because they did not have anything else to go by.

For some, projecting themselves as spiritual heavyweights is the most important feature in their behavior. Status becomes important as a result as having a high position in the church hierarchy, or having a special gift of preaching or singing. Often time, this spiritual pride becomes their identity as in: it is all about me, instead of all about God and doing everything for His glory.