OUR OWN STRENGTH AS AN IDOL. By Pastor Fernando

Scripture:
“But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god.“
Habakkuk 1:11

Observation:
When God announces to Habakkuk that the Babylonians will raise to conquer the nations, God points out that they are violent, cruel, and proud. God describes their own strength as their god. They are self-confident and arrogant. Pride is a form of idolatry that deceives and misguides. When self-confidence in our own strength settles in, people think that they are invincible and they will go in a path that seems successful for a while, but that at the end, arrives in a place of emptiness and self-destruction.

Application:
I never thought of my own strength as a god. So easy to put my trust in my own efforts, experience, titles, and accomplishments. Yet, such misplacement of trust will result in idolatry. Worshipping our own strength is not just a practice of ancient cultures. It happens today, in every nation, and to many people. Our society feeds our own personal desire to succeed, and very often the focus will be on ourselves. We are on the spotlight to shine, so we will toil hard to achieve success, we will trust in our own strength, and we become idol worshipers of a god that has limits, that gets tired, that is easily corruptible, and that cannot satisfy the desires of our heart. We need to watch our tendency to put our own strength as our god. We need to trust in the blood of Jesus and trust in God’s favor over our lives. Our strength comes from our humility before God, and as we truly worship Jesus, the King of Kings. He is invincible, incorruptible, and always faithful.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, help me to get rid of any kind of idolatry in my heart, especially when I put my trust in my own strength. Let me rest assured that as I put my trust in you my life will always be safe. You are my strength and from you comes all the blessings that endure. Give me wisdom to see the circumstances that cause me to rely on my own strength so I can repent quickly and return to a place where only You is worshipped in my heart. Don’t let me get use to your favor over my life so then I will take it fro granted. Amen!