8 Christian Cliches We Should Be Careful How We Use!

Sometimes I wonder what the background to some of our Christian cliches are. I mean, who was the first person to say, “Let go, and let God”? I think that if we knew the circumstances it would help us to know what the original intent has.
For example, if you are struggling with a sin and someone says, “Let go (of your sin) and Let God (give you strength)” then that’s a good thing. But if you happen to be hanging off the edge of a cliff and some well-meaning spiritualist comes along and says “Let go, and let God”, maybe not such a good idea!
Our question concerns five well-known cliches which we hear all the time. And I want to comment on each one of them but I would also like to add a few others to the list:
1. God works in mysterious ways. This is partly true. Sometimes God very obviously does things that we don’t understand. After all:
Isaiah 55:8-9  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
But it is also true that God has given us principles in His word with promises attached whereby we know what God will do. God has written natural laws by which we know what the reaction to some action will be. And I have found that the Lord uses His natural laws far more often than he does His supernatural intervention of those laws.
2. Where God guides, He provides. This is true. But what we need to remember is that the key is knowing that the Lord is guiding, and then stepping out in obedience. At the same time, sometimes we like to look at our provisions as proof of God’s guidance but this may or may not be true.
3. Let go, and let God. This phrase highlights a believer’s need to surrender to the Lord’s control. But surrendering to God’s control doesn’t mean inactivity. It means trusting the Lord as we continue to follow what we believe His revealed will is for our lives. God doesn’t do everything for us. Have you ever noticed that God never changes the lightbulbs at church? So let go and Let God is good when we apply it to the aspect of trusting Him but isn’t an excuse for laziness.
4. Cleanliness is next to godliness. I’m not sure where this came from but it was probably a Christian mom speaking to a child about their room! First of all, it is good to be clean. It is good to focus on the little details but don’t forget what Jesus said to the Pharisees:
Matthew 23:25-26  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
It is good to be clean. Personally, I don’t like being in a dirty restaurant and I don’t like to be in closed spaces with people who don’t shower often enough or don’t brush their teeth. But you don’t become godly (Christlike) by using soap and water. You become godly by getting saved and then growing in God’s grace through obedience and trust.
5. God helps those who help themselves. - Came from Ben Franklin. If you think about it, it sounds almost opposite of “Let go, and let God”. The truth is, God helps those who realize that they are helpless without Christ. But I get it. The point is, don’t sit around and expect the Lord to do everything for you. He gave you a brain and a body so use them.
Now, let me add some other Christian cliches that you have probably heard:
6. When God closes a door, he opens a window. This is not always true. Sometimes God doesn’t want us to take any action whatsoever. God can also desire us to stay right where we are. It is called waiting on the Lord. I like to say, “Just keep doing what the Lord told you to do. He will make it clear if He wants you to do something else.”
7. You can’t out-give God. I think this is one I have heard the most coming from the pulpit when preachers are trying to get their people to give more financially. So let me begin by saying it is a biblical principle:
Luke 6:38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
But I do see a danger in the way this saying is usually used. The idea is that if I give to the Lord then He will give me more. This is the prosperity gospel through-and-through. Nobody ever gave more than Jesus and yet Jesus had this to say about himself:
Luke 9:57-58  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
It really all comes down to the motive of the heart.
8. God said. I believe it. That settles it. I saw this on a bumper sticker a number of times. One day I saw a bumper sticker that said, “God said it. That settles it whether you believe it or not.”  That’s probably more applicable to the society of faithlessness that we are living in today. Having said that, the next time you desire to say this, make sure that what you are referring to is actually what God said and not just what you think he said.
I’d like to make one more point about Christian cliches. When I was a young Christian I would here people say things like “Just trust the Lord” or “God knows what He is doing” or my all-time favorite, “He/she has gone to a better place”.
Look, I know you may mean well but remember that young believers want to trust God but don’t know exactly how to apply that concept. It is nice to know that God knows what he is doing but how do I live in the light of that truth?
And I will never forget how totally useless “She has gone to a better place” sounded to my aching heart at the graveside of my mother. When a person loses a loved one, they don’t need our theological prowess, they need our comfort and support. Just be there to weep with them. That’s what they really want and what they really need.