Does the Bible say to believe in yourself?

It is a fact beyond dispute that each of us is acquainted with a man that we are sorely tempted to trust. We are more likely to trust in him than in all other men put together. The man you are likely to trust is yourself. The man I am likely to trust is myself. Yet, “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Prov. 28:26).

To put confidence in oneself, in one’s own righteousness, one’s works, one’s resolutions, is to court disaster. Are you doing this?

Cursed is man that trusts in man, says the prophet (Jer. 17:5), and he that trusts his own heart is a fool (Prov. 28:26). “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5) God has set man in dependence upon Himself, and therefore no one needs think himself quite competent to take up eternal problems, and to solve them by his own natural intelligence; for should he make any such attempt he is as certain to go astray as though to go astray was the one desire of his heart.

For man with a fallen nature and in a fallen world to confide in himself is to play the fool. God is not in any of his thoughts. He is sure he needs no advice; he is right in his own eyes. What can his eyes do but help him to judge according to sight, which the Lord contrasts with judging righteous judgment? and what so dangerous as every question of self? For there is nothing a man dislikes more than thinking ill of himself, unless it is of believing good of God. Truly the way of a fool is right in his own eyes. He that is wise distrusts himself and hearkens to counsel; nor does he cheat God and his conscience by seeking counsel of the weak and easy-going, but of the godly.

Self-confidence is ruin. "Be not wise in thine own eyes." They do not see far if they only see self, and that is what always is in our own eyes.

He now enters into details in verses 5 and following. Two paths are before man - to trust God, or himself and his own wisdom for his happiness. This is just what Eve failed in; she did not confide in God, trust in Him and what He had said, for her happiness, but leaned to her own understanding, thought she should better secure it by doing what she thought would be advantageous. So every sinner; he thinks he can better secure his own happiness in doing his own will than in listening to God. Trust in God is the first positive active principle of life and wisdom; the next is owning Him in our ways, taking His will, authority, as that which is to form them, not our will and wisdom, and that openly (v. 6). He will surely direct our steps. No human wisdom can guide like that. It may be very cunning - know human nature. But God has a way which He has laid down morally for us - a path of obedience, of righteousness, and of God; and He who has done so orders all things. In the end His judgment will prevail. We may not see it prevail here - thus faith may be exercised; where His direct government is exercised, it will, but always in result. The end of the Lord is sure; heaviness may endure for a night, for a season if need be; but, for the faithful soul, joy comes in the morning, a morning near to come. But self-confidence is ruin. "Be not wise in thine own eyes" (v. 7). They do not see far if they only see self, and that is what always is in our own eyes. The fear of God, as we have seen, the moral path of His fear, is that on which He waits in goodness, however things may seem - this, and departing from all evil. This is something more than walking in His fear - there is an abhorrence of evil, partly in itself, partly as contrary to His will. I may walk in God's fear, do no evil myself, without, I think, being characterised by departing from evil. No doubt, walking rightly is not doing evil. But evil is in the world, and there is, so to speak, a positive character of relationship to it, that is, departing from it, abhorrence of it. Adam, innocent, would have walked uprightly, done nothing wrong; he would not have departed from evil, he had nothing to say to it. I have or may have. I depart from it, leave and break with it. This has to do with holiness. We have seen Jehovah owned by confidence, and in His servant's ways. It requires confidence in Him to guide one's ways by His will. Now we come to another way of owning devotedness of heart, owning all positive good and blessing to come from Him, and manifested in the ready but due offering of a willing heart. Thus blessing is found, temporal blessing; v. 8-10. It must be remembered that we are always here on the ground of present government in the earth. Higher objects may bring sorrow as regards this world, as it has ever been. Now we can only apply the principle. Peter's epistles give the degree in which this government applies to Christian standing.

Verses 5-11. A curse is pronounced upon him who trusteth in man, who departeth from the Lord. For such a one there is no hope; he shall not see good; he must be an outcast, like the heath in the desert. And such is the natural condition of man, his heart is departed from the Lord, he trusteth in himself, making flesh his arm to defend and to uphold. But blessing is for the man who trusteth in the Lord, whose hope the Lord is. Verse 8 contains the same truth as Psalm 1:3. It is a description of the God-fearing in Israel, who knew the Lord, trusted and hoped in Him. He had called them to this place of blessing; He had encouraged them to trust in Him; He had manifested His glory and His power in their midst. But they turned away from Him, they leaned not on Him, but on the arm of flesh, on Egypt. The heart is the source of it, deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The question, "Who can know it?" is answered, "I the LORD search the heart." He has sounded the depths of it and in His omniscience knew the shameful history of Israel, and all their backsliding. So He knew and knows what we are, yet in sovereign love and grace He has loved us and bears with His own.

True, He may and does use men as instruments; but if we lean on men instead of God — if we lean on instruments instead of on the hand that uses them — we bring down a curse upon us, for it is written, "Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord." (Jer. 17:5) The Lord used the ravens to feed Elijah; but Elijah never thought of trusting in the ravens. Thus it should be ever. Faith leans on God, counts on Him, clings to Him, trusts in Him, waits for Him, ever leaves a clear stage for Him to act on, does not obstruct His glorious path by any creature-confidence, allows Him to display Himself in all the glorious reality of what He is, leaves everything to Him; and, moreover, if it gets into deep and rough waters, it will always be seen upon the crest of the loftiest billow, and from thence gazing in perfect repose upon God and His powerful actings. Such is faith — that precious principle — the only thing in this world that gives God and man their respective places.

The sin of Judah, deeply engraved in their hearts, and publicly proclaimed on their hills of idolatry, had kindled a fire which should consume them utterly, for the anger of God was roused against them (Jer. 17:1-4). What then was any believing individual to do when God had pronounced this dire destruction of the nation? What is the individual to do now who foresees the doom of the churches as foretold in the Scripture of Truth? Let him not confide in man; let him not make flesh his arm, whether claiming scholarship or otherwise; for to so do is to depart in heart from the Lord. Cursed is the man that does this (v. 5). Faith worketh by love; and where the heart, which is the seat of affection and faith, confides in the Lord, that soul will be preserved from transferring his confidence to man and the arm of flesh, and therefore from the consequences which must inevitably follow such a course. May God speak to us as to this, that none may take the path of the cursed man. It leads to places that are parched and sapless. The soul that is there shall see no good coming, even though it be coming for others, for he is moved away from the hope of the Gospel, and dwells experimentally amid destitution and desolation as in a desert (v. 6).

Let us ask again, What is the believing individual to do at such a time? There is no uncertainty in the answer here given: “Blessed is the man that confideth in the Lord, and whose confidence the Lord is” (v. 7). God never leaves us in a negative attitude, simply saying what we are not to do. Too many dwell continually upon that side only. The blessed man is the one who is marked by positive confidence in the Lord Himself. Here is the secret, then, of soul prosperity at all times. If Israel fails, if the assemblies fail, then the more distinctly is the blessed Lord to be exalted before the faith of the true believer. He becomes His confidence entirely. To whom did we turn for relief as poor repentant sinners? To whom did we go for deliverance when we learned there was no good in us—that is, in the flesh? To whom is our heart to turn amid the failure of the assemblies now? The answer to all these questions is the same, Not to man, but to the Lord Himself. Here again is seen the true work of Jeremiah, according to the meaning of His name, “THE EXALTATION OF THE LORD.”

It is a great thing to be able to trust God before the sons of men, to confess His sufficiency for our every exigency. But it must be a reality, and not mere profession. It is no use to talk of leaning on God while at the same time we are, in one way or another, looking to some poor mortal to help us. This is a sad delusion. But, alas! how often we fall under its power! We adopt the language of dependence upon God, but in reality we are looking to man, and letting him know our wants. We deceive ourselves and dishonour God and the end is disappointment and confusion of face.

There are Christians which tremble at the thought of an unknown future: God does not fill their future. People tremble just so much as they confide in themselves. The power of God leads us to the accomplishment of the will of God: our continual dependence on God is the result of God's power in us and of confidence in God. When the blessing of God inspires us with confidence in ourselves, it is turned against us. Christ was perfectly dependent on His Father. Such dependence makes us humble and gives us all power. God says as it were to us, Now therefore arise," He introduces us Himself into the conflict because He has Himself trodden the road. He is with us wherever we go. God makes us "prosper" there, but not in worldliness. When we are not before Him, our knowledge, our victories are snares, because they inspire us with confidence in ourselves.