I follow this account on social media that interviews successful people off the street asking them what they do or how they made their success. Often the first question is, “How did you make your first million?”
The answers are interesting, but somewhat what you would expect to hear. Most of them reply with something like, “Work smarter, not harder.” Or, “It’s all about the grit and grind.” The emphasis is placed on their own human efforts, and the amount of work and intelligence it took to get there. While I don’t minimize their accomplishments, I do see a “faith in self” that can’t be denied.
The truth is, (in the culture of America especially), we hold self-made success very high. When someone like that walks by, we want to stop them and hear from them. We want to be like them. We want that self-made success story.
This week, as Pastor Jason shared about the nature and spirit of the antichrist, I hung on the ending words of 1 John 4:3 —
“But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” (NIV)
This spirit is already in the world, working in the hearts of men.
If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we’ve clearly seen it at work. We’ve seen how highly self-made success is held, and the value, attention and platform that is given to these individuals.
Occasionally on this instagram account, I get surprised by the answer. The individual starts giving glory to God. It is shocking, because one would fully expect them to have sole faith in themselves. But you can tell the difference between the people who know it is not from them, and only from the One who gives and takes away.
I also particularly enjoy seeing this in sports interviews. Sure, you see plenty of “it took a lot of hard work…we have a great team…we knew the plays and how to execute them…” But if you listen closely, you will also hear quite a bit of “without God, none of this would be possible.”
Those athletes stand out. You can visibly see that their spirit depends on something greater than themselves to accomplish the task at hand. They have a dependent spirit, not an independent spirit.
As we walk with the Lord and grow closer to Him, we will be able to distinguish the “spirit of the antichrist” at work in the world. He gives us this discernment so that we can continue to be “wise as serpents, but innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
Like we talked about last week, we know that the world plays by certain rules of the game, but we hold ourselves to a higher standard.
And if we, like that wealthy business owner or decorated athlete, get the chance to speak of the hope within us…we better have an answer (1 Peter 3:15).
We better be ready to say, “It’s all Him.” And in that moment, we speak with the Holy Spirit…in stark contrast to those who speak with the spirit of the antichrist. Oh friend, let’s stay awake, alert and ready. You never know when God will call you to speak.
The answers are interesting, but somewhat what you would expect to hear. Most of them reply with something like, “Work smarter, not harder.” Or, “It’s all about the grit and grind.” The emphasis is placed on their own human efforts, and the amount of work and intelligence it took to get there. While I don’t minimize their accomplishments, I do see a “faith in self” that can’t be denied.
The truth is, (in the culture of America especially), we hold self-made success very high. When someone like that walks by, we want to stop them and hear from them. We want to be like them. We want that self-made success story.
This week, as Pastor Jason shared about the nature and spirit of the antichrist, I hung on the ending words of 1 John 4:3 —
“But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” (NIV)
This spirit is already in the world, working in the hearts of men.
If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we’ve clearly seen it at work. We’ve seen how highly self-made success is held, and the value, attention and platform that is given to these individuals.
Occasionally on this instagram account, I get surprised by the answer. The individual starts giving glory to God. It is shocking, because one would fully expect them to have sole faith in themselves. But you can tell the difference between the people who know it is not from them, and only from the One who gives and takes away.
I also particularly enjoy seeing this in sports interviews. Sure, you see plenty of “it took a lot of hard work…we have a great team…we knew the plays and how to execute them…” But if you listen closely, you will also hear quite a bit of “without God, none of this would be possible.”
Those athletes stand out. You can visibly see that their spirit depends on something greater than themselves to accomplish the task at hand. They have a dependent spirit, not an independent spirit.
As we walk with the Lord and grow closer to Him, we will be able to distinguish the “spirit of the antichrist” at work in the world. He gives us this discernment so that we can continue to be “wise as serpents, but innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
Like we talked about last week, we know that the world plays by certain rules of the game, but we hold ourselves to a higher standard.
And if we, like that wealthy business owner or decorated athlete, get the chance to speak of the hope within us…we better have an answer (1 Peter 3:15).
We better be ready to say, “It’s all Him.” And in that moment, we speak with the Holy Spirit…in stark contrast to those who speak with the spirit of the antichrist. Oh friend, let’s stay awake, alert and ready. You never know when God will call you to speak.
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.