Overconfident

And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’” 1 Kings 10:11

I think I can confidently say that I have been overconfident. Years ago, I went through a self-inflicted disaster and desperately turned to God. My need for God was obvious, and I urgently sought him. In doing so, my life radically turned around. In my success though, the temptation has always been to drift towards self-reliance. Success tends to do that. When I’m struggling and suffering, I turn to God, but when things are going well, it’s natural for me to forget my need for God, becoming overconfident in my own capabilities. If my addiction has taught me anything though, it’s that God’s way is life and my way is disaster.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). Overconfidence in self is the opposite of faith and leads to disaster. This is the lesson of today’s passage, in which the king of Syria confidently proclaimed his intention to conquer Israel. Ahab, King of Israel, responded to the Syrian king’s overconfidence by telling him, Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off. The Syrian king, who was drunk throughout the story, soon found his army overthrown in battle while he had to flee for his life. The lesson is clear – King Ahab (for once) relied on God and was victorious, while the Syrian King relied on his own strength and was soundly defeated.

I need God today. I need him as much now as I did back in the utter disaster of 11 years ago. When I get too comfortable however, I tend to become overconfident and self-reliant. Then, God sometimes must not-so-gently remind me that I still need him. The challenge now, is to daily go to God, making myself recognize my desperate need for him. My way is disaster. God’s way is life. Today, and every day, I must look to God relying on him instead of becoming overconfident, relying on self.