Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. – Jeremiah 17:5, Amplified Bible

If you were to wake up tomorrow morning and wonder, “How could I make God curse me today?”, what do you think the answer would be? There are several things you could do to make God curse you, but one of the causes many people don’t think about is the sin of relying on man rather than relying on God.

Relying on man includes relying on your own strength to conquer life’s adversities. Relying on man also includes trusting in people stronger than you to help you conquer life’s adversities. Now, to be clear, neither working with your own two hands nor asking for help from the hands of others is inherently evil. God tells us repeatedly in Proverbs to be diligent, not slack. God (through Paul) tells that he who does not work shall not eat. In Numbers 11:16-17, God gave helpers to Moses to carry the load of leading the Israelites when the load became too heavy to bear. Relying on man’s strength to overcome trouble becomes evil, however, when we totally ignore God while trying to solve our problems. When we totally ignore God, we telegraph to God that we don’t need Him. When we totally ignore God, we act out of pride, which is one of the sins God hates the most. When we totally ignore God, we are telling Him that we know better than He does, and that just doesn’t sit too well with the Creator of the universe.

God often allows the unsaved to build successes upon a foundation of human strength, but He rarely allows His people to do so for long. The reason is this: to place faith in human strength is to elevate humanity to a position of godhood. This is idol worship, and this is exactly what the proponents of the idea known as Secular Humanism preach. According to the humanists, man is able to accomplish anything as long as he puts his mind to it, mankind is its own god, and the God of the Bible is nowhere to be found. Although true Christians would never claim such a belief as theirs, many true Christians live out such a belief every day. Like Joshua, they make decisions without consulting God, only to make poor choices that have terrible ramifications for years to come. Like Peter, they proudly proclaim the strength of their faith, only to find out that their faith, which was rooted in human will power, was no match for the adversity they faced. Like Israel, they go into battle under the banner of human power, only to learn that God Himself is fighting against their pride. When God detects even the slightest hint of humanism (idol worship) in His children, He swings into action to stamp it out.

It is not a good place to be, being cursed by God. But, sometimes He has to oppose us to teach us how frail we truly are. Then, on the other side of our defeats, we recognize the truth that God, not man, is where our faith should be placed. In the end, even God’s cursings end up as blessings. By taking us to our knees He teaches us how to rightly relate to Himself both in this life and in the life to come, and it is in a right relationship with God that we find heart peace and joy.

Shop hundreds of Christian-themed products at our new store! A portion of each purchase goes to support the work of Today’s Quote From God. To visit the Today’s Quote From God Store, please click here. everyday by acting apart from God. When God detects even the slightest hint of humanism in His children, He swings into action to eradicate it so as to remind His people that they shall have no other gods before Him.