God Hates Pride

"...to seek one’s own glory is not glory." Proverbs 25:27 When a person seeks recognition for himself, that very act removes the worth of it, and this is extremely difficult to resist doing. I listen to many interviews with people who have risen to prominence, and to a man they cannot cease to say, "as I said in my book..." over and over again until we're weary of hearing it. They may have gained fame and fortune because of their book or whatever work they've accomplished, but this kind of "glory" is worthless in the eyes of God. The very act of trying to bring glory to oneself makes it worthless. "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’" Matthew 23:5-7 In other words, they dress richly, have their hair done just so, and they seek a name, they seek to be admired and honored before men and to be called "doctor so-and-so." vs:12 "...whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." God hates pride. It was what brought down Lucifer, the greatest of all the angels, now known as Satan. Of all the souls of men in hell, most of them were brought there by pride. Pride is the great destroyer. It drives men to sin. It gives men a false impression of themselves. Who can resist pride? Only those who know the Word of God and heed its many warnings against it. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 Any follower of Jesus Christ is going to find that the Lord will not allow pride in their lives. Look at the great apostle Paul. He says he was given "a messenger of Satan" to afflict him, something he called "a thorn in the flesh." And he said he was given that to keep him from pride. He was the author of a large part of the New Testament, and he was the founder of many churches throughout the Middle East and Europe. Oh HOW that could have made him proud. But God protected him by sending this affliction which he does not name, but which he said was grievous and was meant to keep him from pride. Read about it in 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10. Paul goes on to say: "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Do you have an affliction? Do you have troubles? Sometimes, certainly not always but sometimes, afflictions are given to believers to keep them from pride. Men strive against these afflictions to no avail, not realizing that they are God's protection from the destroyer called pride. Once God confirms to a person that, like Paul, the affliction is God's protection against pride, then the believer must stop striving against it and actually be thankful for the loving protection of God who keeps them from destruction. Don't fight it, believer. Accept it and go on. There is great power in surrender. Surrender brings peace to one's soul and makes him usable to God in a way nothing else can.

God's Faithfulness Does Not Depend On Our Worthiness

“And he said to me, ‘You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’" Isaiah 49:3 The Scriptures are the complete revelation from God to mankind. The Bible is filled with stories demonstrating the nature of God to man. Israel is one of those stories. In order to make it very clear that God is revealing himself through his dealings with Israel, he shows that Israel is not worthy of his blessings, but that God fulfills his Word even when they are unfaithful, BECAUSE of the promise of his covenant with them. The focus is not on Israel, the focus is the faithfulness of God. That's why he has brought them back to the land of their fathers - in unbelief - to show that the point is his faithfulness, NOT their worthiness. God said that he exalts his WORD above even his Name (Psalm 138:2) and in Israel he demonstrates his faithfulness to the promises made to them. Israel rebelled against God and judgment came as they had been forewarned. Of the first judgment, God foretold that unfaithful Israel would go into captivity for a period of 70 years and afterwards Israel would be restored. It happened exactly as he said. Then later, when Israel rebelled against him again, he foretold that if they would not repent, they would go into a very lengthy captivity. That second captivity began in the year 70 AD and lasted until now. Now, in our generation, he is once again bringing them back from all the countries where they were banished to - he's bringing them back to the land of their fathers as he promised, and he is restoring and building up the nation with promises of future glory under their Messiah. The Messiah will come during this restoration and will set up his Kingdom to rule over all the world, and he will exalt the nation of Israel above all the nations of the earth ...because he promised to do so. But ...and this is huge… But right now Israel for the most part, remains in unbelief, still denying the Messiah who came in their day and was rejected. The very important point in all this is that God does things in such a way as to demonstrate that his faithfulness to his Word is not dependent upon man's faithfulness. Once God has said something is going to be, it's going to be. And it's going to take place in such a way that there will be no question as to the unworthiness of the recipient of the blessing. "Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, BUT FOR MY HOLY NAME'S SAKE...'" Ezekiel 36:22 vs 23-24: "'...and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,' says the Lord God, 'when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land." Ezekiel 36:22-24 And that's exactly what he has done - in our generation, right before our very eyes. God does not ever, ever, forget his Word or the promises he has made, even when years have passed and it seems to be impossible. This is the most glorious generation since the resurrection of Jesus Christ - the generation that is witnessing Bible prophecy being fulfilled. God re-established Israel as a nation in May of 1948, and since then he has been building the nation and prospering it right before our eyes, the fulfillment of his long-ago promise which he has not forgotten. The fact that he is doing so independent of their unfaithfulness or unworthiness is the demonstration of his veneration of his Word and the vindication of his promise even though they don't believe. Oh but they will! Friends, God is faithful. When he has made a promise, nothing and no one can prevent it even if a long time ensues before it happens. His Word is absolutely true and faithful. You can depend on it. If God has promised you something, do not lose hope, it will come - and God will be glorified when he brings about what he has promised. It will end up in a testimony that will glorify God before all. More: God's Covenant With Israel

Don't Fall Into The Trap Satan Is Luring You Into

"For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword." Proverbs 5:3-4 The well-worn method of Satan is to seduce a person with pleasure. And if one doesn't know Satan, if one does not understand his ways, how can the person avoid the seduction? Just as the most important thing in life is to know the Lord, one must also know his enemy. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8 Satan plots and plans to devour YOU. When you are tempted with the pleasure that is in sin, stop for a moment and think hard on what is happening. Temptation by definition will always come to you as pleasure. You will feel the pleasure even just thinking about it. THAT is the work of Satan, and his intent is to use it to destroy you, to devour you. He never shows you the price tag. Resist, therefore. Resist the seductress, because her feet will lead you to hell. "Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell." Proverbs 5:5 When tempted, pray for grace to overcome, it doesn't come naturally. You are being seduced by a supernatural enemy, he's targeting your weakness with imaginations of pleasure, and only the grace of God can enable you to resist. Don't go near. Stay away. vs 8: "Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house..." If your weakness is sexual attraction, consider seriously the immorality of the one seducing you. She will use her wiles, her flatteries, her evil offers of pleasure, but should you fall to her, she will stain you with sin and lead you on a path you never intended to go. Because the lure of sin is deception - you'll be convinced you're ok. "Sin fascinates, then it assassinates. It thrills, then it kills. It will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you were willing to pay." -Adrian Rogers "For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress?" Proverbs 5:20 Your iniquities will trap you. You will be caught in the cords of sin. You will be chained to sin and it will be hell to try to get out. vs 22: "His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin." Don't do it. Don't go there. Pleasure is but for a moment. It's not worth it! If you're addicted to sin - any sin - cry out to God for deliverance. It is only HE who can set you free.