But you [Jeremiah], gird up your loins! Arise and tell them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed and break down at the sight of their faces, lest I confound you before them and permit you to be overcome. — Jeremiah 1:17, Amplified Bible

God longs to flow His power through us so that He might use us to bring those around us to Himself. But like the mighty river stymied by the man-made dam, we halt the flow of God through us with our man-made doubt. Such doubt is sin, and the consequences of our sin are that we are left to fight our battles in our own power and with our own devices.

Had Jeremiah feared man rather than God, his unbelief would have led to humiliation at best. More likely, he would have faced persecution and, maybe, death. If we put more weight on man’s power than on God’s, we will find ourselves standing alone, completely incapable of resisting the tide that seeks to drown us.

The only defense against the enemies of our faith is to completely trust God for the power to overcome and to absolutely believe Him when He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5b) If we treat God’s promise as if it were a lie, then we will have left Him, choosing of our own volition to stand alone.

Will your faith draw God to your side? Or, will your doubt force you to fight your battles alone, not because God left you, but because you left God?