“I lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and the earth.”

“Woe to him who puts his trust in man”

“…Some trust in chariots and in horses, but we trust in the Lord our God”

“Is my arm too short that I cannot deliver?” Says the Lord…

These are all from the scriptures…

In the few but sufficient-for-experience years i’ve lived on earth, i have learned quickly that trusting in man,…in people, can be seriously disappointing. The truth is that folks WILL let you down.

For some, it is due to an inability or incapability to assist you in time of need; and that is completely understandable. Know that.

But for others, believe it or not, it is out of a sadistic or incomprehensible sort of spirit that gets some kind of sick satisfaction keeping you down. I would never have thought this possible but yes, people like this actually exist. They are the kind the Word would describe as “the wicked”. Just folks who joy in your demise, stagnancy, failure, or stress because they feel it somehow keeps them ahead of you.

“The heart of man is desperately wicked”;

so the bible says. Trusting in people like that, or building a foundation of anything on that type of heart is incredibly futile.

Once, even the people who followed Jesus were so amazed by something he did they wanted to literally crown him and proclaim him King but the Bible says, “He knew man’s heart!” Wow. In other words, He wasn’t dumb enough to count on them, lol!

Look, you don’t have to be bitter but better. You don’t have to dislike the people around you. Just realize we humans are fallible, faulty beings with hope only when we meet the redemption of faith and grow to choose doing right rather than succumbing to our propensity for evil.

Yes there are people who could help you but won’t. Yes there are people who WANT your demise. And yes there are people who will never rejoice with your successes. Some people don’t inquire about your troubles to help you but to broadcast it on Gossip Central! Some folks around you right now just want to hear your problems so they can go home and talk about it, or poke fun at your situation amongst themselves, or assess all the areas in which you should fail.

By the way, don’t be so shocked if they are people you’ve helped in the past, cared for, or respected as though they were perfect. NO ONE is perfect. Again i say this just to help you come to terms with the fact that human nature on its own isn’t a beautiful thing. It is the grace of God and the law that keeps this world out of turmoil, and curbs the character of man, keeping it in check so it doesn’t run amuck in pandemonium.

Welcome to world! People do cheat, steal, kill, fake, lie, manipulate, etc. KNOW this. So you can understand why God has called us to be ambassadors in this world. And so you can see why Christ says for us to be like him, like God, not like each other! You have to be one of the examples of what is right and righteous in this world because you absolutely CANNOT depend on others doing it for you. That’s the reason your light is so important. The darker the night, the brighter your light will shine. So arise and indeed shine because “darkness will cover the earth, and gross darkness the people”. But you are a representative of God here on earth, and just like Christ, you can’t get caught up in the betrayal of those you perhaps even came to help!

In my personal life, especially in the last 4-5 years, my eyes have been jarred open to see so many people around me who were what some would call “fake friends”, cheaters, liars, people who just want to “use you” for their own benefit, people who’ve inquired into my life not to help but just to know where i stand i guess, lol.

I can cite as an example a past relationship where i thought was dealing with a suitor & potential husband who ended up cheating, being a liar, and even took from me financially for his own benefit.

When God did bless me with my now amazing husband and we were planning our wedding, some folks called me to inquire into what we needed in terms of assistance, only for them to give “advice” on how we should expect less, never actually supported us in any form, and then showed up too see how things would turn out! Lol. But thanks be to God in whom we put our own trust. It was amazing and our wedding is something i will testify of for the rest of my life! Because God was involved!

I have family friends who have dealt with a so-called Christian realtor who literally, knowingly cheated them of thousands in property and disappeared out of sight.

I can also mention a couple of presumed mentors in music who used talent for their own benefit only to cut off communication and never compensate or acknowledge that something happened.

May i speak of “friends” who promised heaven and earth as brothers and sisters when it came to helping or lifting one up emotionally in times of need but who stood moot when the rubber actually hit the road?

Once, while i was in school studying nursing, i got a hate letter in the mail from a group of students who threatened my life and called me derogatory names because at the time, i excelled academically and they felt i didn’t deserve to do so coming “from Africa.”

There are TOO MANY examples; not only in my life but in yours when you look back i’m sure. Perhaps it is having the learning experience of being cheated on, being abused physically, emotionally, financially, being manipulated or deceived, …whatever it may be. You’ve probably encountered negative circumstances from people. But you can’t let it define you or how you behave thereafter.

And at the end of the day, the problem wasn’t so much in them as it was in you because you didn’t heed the word of God and trust God rather than them. There came a point where you actually looked to those people for integrity, holiness, dependability and help; forgetting that the only good in them, if any at all, would be God or their fear of Him. And THAT should have been your anchor.

What God has taught me is: love people as He has loved me. He didn’t say “trust”… 🙂 That’s one of the biggest mistakes we make. God said: love, forgive, bear with one another in love, etc. NOT trust them in place of God. Your help, your confidence, your assurance will never come from man. Even when it appears to, it comes from God IN man, not man himself.

The same way God has allowed me to be hurt by people, and i caused myself to be hurt by people, God in His infinite mercy has always also caused me to be blessed by people He chooses to use. And he does it in such a way as to show me that that love and grace is coming from Him THROUGH them. They did not originate the love or grace, but in surrender to God’s will, they allowed themselves to channel those blessings to me from God.

You can also be a channel! Cos Lord knows you’ve let some folks down yourself 🙂 You may not be sadistic or evil in wanting to hurt people and yes, it does make you better-behaved than those who are, but you’re not perfect. So remember that and as long as you do that in dealing with people, you’ll remind yourself that your help comes from God alone and not get broken further. It’ll make you a better person who can help others without being totally devastated when you’re disappointed. 

God bless you and love ya! 

Tomi.