Those who follow Jesus Christ can attest that despite the worthiness of their Savior, their own flesh can very easily inhibit their walk with Him.
Even beyond sins that disrupt fellowship with God, there is the constant temptation to devote too much time, energy, or affection toward lesser things that are not inherently sinful, but are indeed lesser than the greatest thing: the worship of the Triune God.
In any case, this experience is far from uncommon, and Paul Washer, a preacher and evangelist who runs the HeartCry Missionary Society, has a word of advice.
Rather than merely gritting one’s teeth and making oneself remain disciplined in spiritual matters, Washer suggested also cultivating a proper sense of weakness, sinfulness, and neediness.
“I have discovered that men that study the Scriptures a lot, it’s not because of some secret kind of natural discipline. It’s because they’re afraid of their own wisdom,” Washer said in a 2022 sermon that circulated recently on social media.
“They know they will die without God’s truth. Men that pray a lot, why do they pray? It’s not because they’re disciplined. It’s not even because they’re super spiritual,” he preached. “They’ve caught a glimpse of how weak they are, and so they hold onto Christ, and they hold onto Christ’s word with everything they have.”
Such men come to realize, “He’s all they have. They don’t have anything.”
Washer added, “The greatest teachers are those who have looked within and seen they have zero wisdom.”
“They have nothing to offer, and so if they’re going to amount to anything, if they’re going to say anything that has even the semblance of truth, it must come from the word of God,” he continued.
“I have discovered that men that study the scriptures a lot, it is not because of some secret kind of natural discipline, it’s because they’re afraid of their own wisdom.”
– Paul Washer
Covenant Conference 2022 pic.twitter.com/oZc40zLGmY— Creeds & Confessions (@CreedConfession) July 29, 2025
Sometimes we take for granted that God wrote a book.
He has chosen to reveal His character, nature, and redemptive plan through an anthology of history, poetry, and narrative inspired by the Holy Spirit.
This book makes wise the simple and serves as a light to the feet, even through the valley of the shadow of death.
But most importantly and centrally, the Bible reveals the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
At the same time, as noted by Washer, pursuit of Christ through the word of God and prayer will not only reveal His greatness, but also our weakness.
“When you see people who pray, it’s because they’ve looked within, and they’ve seen, ‘Within me there is still a betrayer. Within me there is no power. If He does not give me life, if He does not strengthen me, I’m lost. I’m lost.’ You see? So it’s just the opposite,” Washer said.
We may think that the strongest Christians are the ones with enough strength of will to have a consistent walk with God, but according to Washer, “It’s not the strong. It’s the weak,” because only the weak know how desperately they need Jesus.
The key to growth in the Christian life is not making much of ourselves, but making much of Christ and seeing ourselves rightly in the process.
From there, by the mercy of God, everything else will fall into place.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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