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PROGRAM D-7939
Is your faith child-like or childish? Child-like is good; childish is not. We need to consider whether or not our faith has childish characteristics. What are some indications of childish faith?
Childish Faith Is Self-Focused: Children typically want everything their way. They are certain that the world revolves around them and they expect everything and everybody to run according to their plan.
Childish faith believes that God exists to fix everything in life for the believer. Childish faith expects God to make the rough places smooth all the time and take adversity out of life. Childish faith doesn’t want to hear about maturity, growing pains, and learning lessons. Childish faith expects God to act on our behalf, according to our plan and our timetable.
A mature faith comes to understand that life is not all about us, our finding fulfillment, and having every need met. It is all about God and bringing honor and glory to him.
Childish Faith Is Legalistic: When we are children, we need lots of rules to protect us. “Don’t play in the street.” “Don’t play with matches.” “Stay out of the pool.” These are typical legal requirements that we place on children in order to keep them safe and protect them from their own inability to yet make wise decisions.
As we grow, we jog in the streets and use matches to start fires; we swim in pools and rivers freely, enjoying freedom because we have the maturity to use our freedom wisely.
If your faith is simply a formula that keeps you a slave to rules and regulations, your faith is childish.
Isaiah 29:13 says: “The Lord says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.’” That’s a description of childish faith.
Ask God to show you any areas where your faith is childish.