DO NOT COMMIT YOURSELF TO MEN!
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man. John 2: 23-25
After accepting Jesus as your savior, it is required to notice that you need to continue your faith diligently. Many after accepting Him as the Lord, they simply leave their faith to air. They are negligent in continuing their faith. They do not care whether their faith is being protected or not. They are careless and underestimate the strength of their enemy Satan. Though Satan is defeated, he still works!
The strength of Satan lies in his mind and the weakness of the believers also lies in their mind. In this regard, it is pertinent to read this verse: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11. Look at this verse. Satan’s power lies in his mind. This is the reason it is written “ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. Armor is put on to save your selves in the battle. Look at the difference. The enemy uses his wiles, as his strength lies in his mind, to fight with you. But you have to use the armor of the Lord to escape from these wiles of devil. Therefore, you need to be careful in continuing your faith in the Lord.
Satan thinks critically which you and I cannot understand. Our thinking is limited. You and I think around the small cares of this world and if there is any problem in your life, we may say that this is being created by the devil. Yes, this is true. But this is very simple thing to him. His thinking is very critical. Look at this instance from the Bible: Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Jude 1:9.He argues about the body of Moses. We know Moses spoke a word against the congregation which made the Lord angry. This was the reason he could not enter the Land of milk and honey. This became an opportunity for Satan to argue about the body of Moses with Michael the archangel. See how Satan thinks! If you speak a word against the will of the Lord, he will catch you! If he can get a reason to argue against Moses, cannot he find more for you and me? His thinking is very critical.
Satan can do two things to deprive you from your faith.
(1) He can fail your faith:
If your faith is at the beginning stage, he uses this trick. He will try to fail your faith. Look at this verse: And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat :but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not : and when thou artconverted, strengthen thy brethren. Luke 22:31-32.
(2) He can prevent you using your faith/ He can make you to misuse your faith:
This is a peculiar situation where in you will not be able to use your faith properly. Here you hesitate to use your faith. You have to notice that you have to maintain two kinds of relations at a time on this earth. For example: Let us take the relation between you and your son. You have a relation with your son and a relation with God at a time. If you have to correct your son, using your faith, who does a thing against the Lord, will you be able to say it to him directly that he is wrong in such thing? Or will you hesitate to tell the same to him? If you hesitate to correct your son, this may mean that you have given much importance to the relation between you and your son than the relation between you and your God. This would mean that you have committed yourself to the relation with your son. This happens not only with your son. It happens with even with all (believers or non-believers).
This is the cunning device used by the devil. This is the wile of the devil. Your relation with God is more important than any other person on this earth. The person could be your son, mother, husband, your friend, your colleague, a gentile friend etc.,
In this regard, it is important to deal with this situation. Look at Jesus how he had given an example. It is written – “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them…John 2:23-25”. Also read: When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. John 6:15. In both situations, he had no problem. If all people come to him, this will be a good chance for Him to spread the Gospel. If they make him a king, will it create a problem? Yes. This will give them a chance to be very close to Him so that He cannot teach them strictly. (This intimacy will not create any problem to the Lord.) But he had set an example before us that closeness may cause to commit you to others. This will create respect of persons in spiritual life. The Bible says-My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. James 2:1
In this regard, read the whole chapter of 13 of 1 Kings. Here you may see the prophet who came from Judah was able to speak the word of the Lord boldly with our respect of persons. He spoke all that the Lord had commanded against the King Jeroboam.
Lord told the Prophet from Judah three things:
(1) Speak against the King (about the altar)
(2) Do not take bread/water
(3) Do not come from the same way he has gone to Bethel.
He did all these three things. He spoke boldly. He gave importance to the relation with God than the relation with a king of the earth. The king Jeroboam could kill him but he did not afraid. Therefore, it can be said that he did not commit himself to the king.
But the same Prophet could not do these with the old prophet of Bethel. The old prophet deceived the prophet from Judah. He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art ; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 1 Kings 13: 18-19. The prophet from Judah could not say “NO” to the old prophet of Bethel. He hesitated because he thought he was also a man of God. This is the deception. This is how Satan thinks. He can make you not to use your faith in certain situations. Remember what Jesus has done. You should never commit your way to others so that you cannot use your faith. This prophet from Judah thought that the prophet was also instructed by the Lord and therefore went with him to eat and drink. Finally, he died there in the hand of lion. He gave importance to the relation between a prophet( appearing as Christian) than the Lord who has commanded him not eat and drink in Bethel. Shall the same Lord speak against His word? Shall He change his words often? Never think that other person is a Christian therefore I can agree with him everything whatever he says to you. By doing so, you will commit yourself unto them and you can never say “No” if they do something against to the Lord. This is the wile of the devil. This is what you need to recognize.
The same characteristic can be observed in Prophet Elisha. Read this verse:So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 2 Kings 5: 10-12. Look at what Prophet Elisha had done. He did not went out of his house to meet Naaman. He simply sent a messenger to Naaman , saying, wash yourself in Jordan seven times. He respected Naaman but he did not commit himself to him. He did not come out of his house to meet Naaman. This shows that he gave importance to tell the words of the Lord to Naaman than coming out of his house to stand before him and thereby committing himself to the power of a mortal man. As he did not commit himself to a man, he was able to speak the word of the Lord boldly. He had no respect of persons in faith matters. Respecting others in faith matters may cause you to hesitate to use your faith. This is the most dangerous wile of the devil.