Proverbs 28:26 (ESV)
²⁶  Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Some think they are always the smartest one in the room.  They are usually self-righteous, putting complete trust in themselves.  Is it wrong to have a certain level of confidence in one’s self?  No, but we must be careful not to allow confidence to turn into arrogance.

Trusting in your own mind to the point where you do not listen to anyone else can be problematic, even in the physical realm.  We all need to listen to those who have more experience than we do in certain areas of life.  Younger couples should listen to those who have been married for several years when they give advice.  Children should accept the instructions of their parents who have experienced much more of life than they have.  Someone new to a job would be wise to pay attention to others who have been on that job for many years.  This is a part of what it means to walk in wisdom.

While it is problematic to trust too much in self in the physical realm, spiritually it is deadly.  We just cannot guide ourselves in the spiritual realm.  Jeremiah put it like this:

 Jeremiah 10:23 (ESV)
²³  I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

We all have too many flaws and too little knowledge to direct ourselves spiritually.  To get to heaven, we must listen to God.  He knows how we can defeat Satan and make it to heaven, but the question is, will we listen to Him?  Too many take their own way instead of God’s way and fail miserably.  Who are they who trust in their own minds instead of the Lord’s?

First, they are those who act religiously without God’s authorization.  Nadab and Abihu did this when they offered unauthorized fire (Leviticus 10:1-2).  They must have thought they were doing something acceptable to God, but it was a deadly mistake.  That is what happens when people trust in their own minds religiously.  Every innovation, from the use of musical instruments in worship to using the Lord’s money for fun and frolic, are examples of men foolishly trusting in themselves.  We need to walk wisely by continuing in God’s Word (Acts 2:42; 2 John 1:9).

Second, they are those who trust in their methods of salvation.  God instructs man to be baptized (Acts 2:38), while men say faith alone will do.  That is like purposely taking a voyage with a compass that does not work—it can only lead to being lost.  What would we think of a man who purposely uses a broken compass?  We think him to be a fool.  Is not the one who relies on self, instead of the Lord for salvation, a fool?  Yet, this is what many do religiously.

We should also be careful that we are not relying on our own strength to maintain our salvation after we obey the gospel.  Regarding salvation, Paul once said that he “put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).  He did not rely on his own righteousness to be saved (Philippians 3:7-11).  He trusted the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 2:8-9).  By the way, Paul was himself baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3), proving that baptism is a part of being saved by grace.  Whether it comes to getting saved or staying saved, trust in the Lord and His counsel, not in your own mind, by following the instructions of God’s Word.       

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.