The lesson in today's post doesn't have much to do with the runaway bride, at least not directly. Today's post is about things that sometimes masquerade as faith or things that people sometimes substitute for faith. Only the Holy Spirit, who knows the heart, could tell how much of which one, if any, applies to whom and in what proportion. Nevertheless, a general discussion is useful because knowing these things can help you see when the devil either is trying to deceive you directly (self-deception), or is trying to lull you into a place of complacency so that others can easily deceive you.
1. Mental Assent (only quacks like a duck)
If you grew up in a church culture, you've probably heard of this one. It's a perennial topic taught in church youth groups to distinguish between superficial agreement and authentic conviction. Mental assent is believing with one's head and brain, but it lacks the immovable reality of knowing it in your gut. It can look like faith to someone who does not know you well because mental assenters tend to say a lot of good-sounding stuff.
2. Sense & Sight (only waddles like a duck)
Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples said he would not believe Jesus rose from the dead until he had the proof of seeing the nail hole and putting his finger into it. Looking at circumstances and the position of "doors" are in this category too. Not all open doors on your path of life are opened by the Lord. The devil opens many enticements to lead men astray. Some doors require the effort of using the doorknocker before God will open them. Just because a trail is difficult, it does not mean that God did not tell you to climb it.
3. Hope & Wishful Thinking (only feathered like a duck)
Mistaking or misusing hope for faith is usually either a sign of immaturity or, for a person who has been a believer a long time, a sign of a shallow area in his relationship with Christ. Wishful thinking has no substance. Hope protects a future goal and can keep one motivated while pursuing it, but the Here & Now of genuine faith reaches the inward parts of the spirit.
4. Unpersuadableness (obstinate as a duck)
"Unpersuadableness" might not be a real word, but it is pretty easy to figure out what it would mean if it was: a stubbornness that cannot be persuaded to change. Some people, too often as a result of inaccurate teaching, think that "having faith" means to take a stand no matter what. As long as you are taking a stand on a truth that God has placed in your submitted-to-Him heart, that definition of "having faith" will work wonderfully. If you are taking a stand on what you wanted for an outcome and are trying to get the Lord to sign on to your plan, then you are not standing in faith; you are standing in disobedience.
All of these fail the "swims like a duck" action-test for faith. None of these substitutes for faith will get you anywhere, and some can actually cause you to sink.The Lesson
Mental assent does not please God.
Trusting your physical senses does not please God.
Wishing does not please God.
Stubbornness does not please God.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6
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