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Standing In for God

April 13, 2026
00:00

What happens when we try to take God's place?

Bonnie Sala: "Man is the measure of all things," said the ancient Greeks, and we're still living like we believe that today. I'm Bonnie Sala with Reset. When we say that man is the measure of all things, we mean that humans decide what's true, important, or valuable based on our own perspective.

This idea was first whispered to a woman named Eve by a being the Bible calls Satan or the accuser. He told Eve that if she disobeyed God, she could be the one who would decide what was right for her, and we've been doing it ever since.

The friends of a man in the Bible named Job put themselves in God's place. Job had experienced terrible calamity, and his friends told him, "This is because of your wickedness; there's no limit to your sins." They decided that if things were going badly for you, you had sinned. But if things were going well, God was rewarding you for your goodness.

If you read the story in the book of Job, you'll find out this wasn't the case at all. Our wrong judgments about God, points out one Bible teacher, come from our sense of entitlement, from the accuser himself. We think we should be equal with God, and we should be able to understand everything He does.

Job knew he couldn't understand God, but he could still hope in Him. Job said, "Though God slay me, yet will I hope in Him." Rather than standing in for God, we can encourage ourselves with the words of the Bible Psalms that say: "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken." Your hope can be in that same fortress today.

I'm Bonnie Sala. Ready to grow your faith? Discover practical tools and more at guidelines.org.

This transcript is provided as a written companion to the original message and may contain inaccuracies or transcription errors. For complete context and clarity, please refer to the original audio recording. Time-sensitive references or promotional details may be outdated. This material is intended for personal use and informational purposes only.

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About Reset

We all need a daily reset! Bonnie Sala shares 2 minutes of daily encouragement that will help you connect the way you live with what you believe. Learn how the truth and grace of God’s Word can reset your thinking, relationships, attitudes, habits and more!

About Bonnie Sala

Bonnie is the president of Guidelines International Ministries, which exists to shine the light of the Gospel in places of spiritual darkness through audio messages that encourage, equip and bring hope to new believers, the unreached, and those living under persecution.

Contact Reset with Bonnie Sala

Mailing Address:

Guidelines International

PO Box 2035

Mission Viejo, CA 92690

Telephone:

949.582.5001