Answers

Q:

As far as I'm concerned, religion is just for weak people -- people who need a crutch to lean on to get through life. I don't need religion or God. I take life as it comes, and meet whatever it hands me in my own strength.


A:

Although I don’t agree with you, I do commend you for your honesty. Countless people, I’m afraid, have exactly the same attitude you do, although they never get around to admitting it — or even realizing it.

Your statement, however, concerns me for at least two reasons. First, no matter how confident you are in yourself, some day life is probably going to turn against you, and you’ll find that your strength isn’t enough to overcome it. It may be an unexpected illness or accident; it may be a financial crisis; it may be a broken relationship. Even if you somehow escape these, some day you must face death — and eternity. What good will your confidence in yourself be then? The Bible warns that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

But the second reason your attitude concerns me is because it comes from pride — and that is very dangerous. Pride blinds us to our own faults; it also blinds us to the consequences of our sin. Most of all, pride blinds us to our need for God. The Bible warns, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

Don’t be deceived; don’t allow your pride to lead you down the wrong path. Instead, face honestly your need for God’s forgiveness, and for His guidance and strength for life’s challenges. Then by a simple prayer of faith renounce your dependence on yourself, and turn your life over to Jesus Christ. It’s the most important decision you’ll ever make.