Proverbs 14:12 shares a good reason why men can’t trust our own judgment: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (NASB).
Why is the way of man the way of death? Because, on our own, we do stupid and sinful things; we become misguided; we make things worse when we think we’re helping; we go the wrong direction; or we are just plain foolish. The fact is, we can’t trust our own judgment.
Only God’s Word is truth and is able to give us our position and direction, showing us the right way to live.
During a time when the various tribes of Israel were fighting each other (sounds like today’s political climate!), we read in Judges 21:25 that Israel had no king and everyone did as he saw fit―what was right in his own eyes. And the result was chaos. When every man is doing as he sees fit and no one is following the Word of God, fighting, stealing, and immorality become rampant. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (NIV)
Only God’s Word is truth and is able to give us our position and direction, showing us the right way to live. Share on XWe cannot trust feelings or personal desires; we cannot trust a crowd of people―it is only God’s Word that provides a solid foundation for decisions. When we take our eyes off of God’s truth, we won’t make wise decisions—we do what feels right at the moment. It may even be fun for a while, but at some point, we’ll cause lots of trouble and have a rough landing. We might even die. By following our own deceitful desires, we’ll never find the abundant life that Christ wants to give us.
Have you ever gone a long time without food? Do you remember what you felt like at the end of that time?
Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus went without food for forty days and nights. Can you imagine how weak he was and how he craved food? It was in this weakness that Satan came to him and tempted him to make bread out of the stones.
What did Jesus do?
He quoted the Bible, using its power to fight Satan. If Jesus fought Satan using the Bible, then how should we fight Satan? Obviously in the same way―by using the Bible.
Don’t use the culture to tell you what is right or wrong. Cultures change over time, and if we follow it, we will change, too. Instead, look to God’s unchanging Word to make right decisions.
