Note 22 at Jn. 5:44: Or in other words, "You cannot believe if you are seeking honor from men instead of seeking honor from God alone." An integral part of faith is seeking God only with your whole heart (Mt. 6:33; Jn. 15:7). If we are concerned about what people think so that we can gain their approval (or honor), we will never take a stand in faith for anything that we might be criticized for. This one thing has probably stopped as many people from receiving from God as anything else. You cannot be a "man-pleaser" and please God at the same time (Heb. 11:6). Satan uses persecutions (Mk. 4:17--see note 7 at Mt. 5:10, p. 73) to steal away God's Word and thereby stop our faith. To see faith work, we must say with Paul, "let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4).