Spiritual Pride

Luke 18:14…for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Guarding against spiritual pride requires discernment of knowing what God requires of you is not always required of someone else. As we become more God conscience, it is easy to assume that everyone else should be following our footsteps. God’s word is clear on many issues on how we should live as we draw closer to God, He reveals more of His word to us. But not everyone is on the same spiritual journey. Staying humble before God requires that we acknowledge our righteousness is of God, and without Him we are lost and most wretched. As we humble ourselves before a holy God, He imparts to us His holiness and give us the grace to live pleasing to Him. Living and being right only happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives. When He comes, we look at humanity differently. We reach out in love and kindness, showing the grace of God to those who need God. We do not condone sin, for God hates sin, but it is the job of the Holy Spirit to judge the world of sin, it is our job to point others to the One who can save us from our sins.

Just Do It!

1 Chor 28:20…Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, …

“Just Do It” Taking on new challenges can be exciting, but also a time of trepidation to think of the possibility of failure. Crossing new bridges not knowing what life will bring us on the other side. Going forward, and entering into a new transition of life does not have to be scary. If we know that God is leading, and He is brazing the trail before us, we can hold on to His promises that He will give us the strength and courage to just do it! Life is always changing and sometime those changes are out of our control. We approach each change trusting God to guide and direct our steps. Taking those steps of faith, will not always be easy, but He will not leave us or fail us if we step out in faith and just do it!

The Root of Jealousy

1 Sam 18:9. 12  And Saul eyed David from that day and forward…  And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.

The root of jealousy  finds its origins in the carnal nature of sin. The remedy to rid oneself of jealousy is to deal with the carnal nature within the heart. After God delivers us and forgives us of our sins, there still remains the seed of self that is buried in the heart of each man, women, boy and girl. Self must be put on the altar of surrender. It must present itself a living sacrifice to God. When God shows us what is in our heart, we confess it to God and submit ourselves, believing that the Holy Spirit is able to fill our hearts with perfect love. This work is referred by theologians as sanctification, or holiness of heart. It is a work of grace done in a crisis moment. It is intentional and requires man to make a choice who will be Lord of his life. Holiness of heart does not immune one from temptation of the flesh, it empowers one to be an overcomer of temptation, but daily submitting oneself to the will of God in all matters. Jealousy is not simply overcomes by just thanking God for what He has provided. When one is tempted to be jealous, he is led by the Spirit to flee such thoughts and to be grateful for what God has done and what He has provided. 

When Jesus Comes

Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

Christians sometimes have an OT mentality, “Destroy those who seek to do me wrong”. Such is the sentiment in many OT scripture. God hates sin, and in His time God will judge the sin of this world. For whatsoever a man sows that will he reap. We would like to set all the wrongs of this world right. Rebuke those who live contrary to God’s word. No doubt, we need to stand against the evil of this world and show others the path of righteousness. But Jesus came not to condemn the world, but through Him the world may be saved. The answer to sin is not to change people’s opinion, but to come to the saving knowledge of Christ. When Jesus comes, He changes the heart and the desires of people to live in harmony with God. God does not need us to judge the world of it’s sins, He needs us to live a life without sin, so that others may know that God is real and is able to keep a person unspotted even in a world surrounded by sin.

Overcoming Temptation

1 Corinth 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

In the flesh, we are not able to stand against the temptation that Satan throws at us. If we think we can do this on our own, then we are just fooling ourselves. Yes, we have a choice and making the choice to say “No” to the flesh takes a strong constitution. In our own strength, we may be able to resist many choices that would lead us into sin, but Satan will exploit our weakness and will tempt us in times when we are most vulnerable. Fleeing to the cross and praying for strength to overcome temptation is a choice we make when the temptation is too much to bear. God is faithful to provide a way of escape that we can bear the temptation to give up or make a choice that will take us down a road that is destructive. Temptation is real, but we don’t face it alone, we have a friend that is closer than a brother, and He will provide a way of escape.

The Future of our Children

Psalm 78:7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

There are many hopes and desires that a parent holds for their children’s future. We want them to have a good life and have successful careers, chose a life partner that will stand by them through all the ups and downs of life. We spend 18 plus years of their lives training them to do what is right and to make choices that are smart. The journey before them, like all of us is unknown, we take each day as it comes. But in the face of the unknown, the one thing that we trust will go with them is their faith and hope in God. That they will not forget what God has done and what God can do. Living each day in the presence of God, listening to His voice and doing His will. The path they journey may be filled with thorns, and unpleasant events, even the lost of loved ones at an early age. We prepare our children for the road they will travel for we have no control of the road before them. May our children “set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments”

Through It All

Isaiah 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

And darkness shall be turned into light. Comforting to know that God can take a bad situation, a hard circumstances and do the impossible. Life is rough and the journey we walk is filled with dark valleys and mountains that are insurmountable to scale. Whatever the circumstance in life, He wants to help us make it through. We don’t need to walk this journey alone, He has promise never to leave us for forsake us. He will take us through. Through it all, we learn to trust and believe that in the face of mountains, we serve a God who cast the mountain into the sea. In confusion, He is our comfort as He makes the path we walk clear to us. He whispers, “Trust Me”. We are left to obey and leave it to Him to do what is best for us.

Who Am I?

Psalms 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

When I consider the vastness of this world, the billions of people who have lived on this earth, it blows my mind that God in mindful of me. He knows my uprising and my down sittings. He knows the number of hairs on my head. How amazing and awesome is that! Who am I, that Jesus should reach down to me and give me special attention. He passed through the place where I was living and stopped to let me know that He loved me and cared about me. Who am I, that He should take the time to visit me! I don’t understand the love and grace of God, but am glad that He did. Life and all of its unknowns does not minimize the fact that he takes notice of us when we suffer, when we hurt, when life brings disappointments. God is there, and He will provide a way through. I don’t understand why He does, but I smile at the thought that He watches over me. 

To Bear Witness

John 1:7.8 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

To give or serve as evidence, the life of Christ is to be His witness. We as followers of Christ are to witness the life of Christ in our own life. We show the world that Christ is who He is by the way we live and practice our faith. When we live contrary to the teachings of the Bible, our witness become ineffective. If we say that Jesus has the power to forgive and is able to give us the power to live right, then we need to bear witness of such a claim. The claim is true, for He is the light of the world that shines into our lives and is able to give us the power to live above sin. We our not the light, therefore not perfect, but we should live in such a way that people see Jesus in us and our motives are sincere and right. 

Our Days Are Numbered

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Each day is blessing given to us from God. We don’t know the numbers of our days. We wake up each morning not knowing if we will come home and rest our head on our pillow that evening. Life is like grass, it is here for a moment and then fades away with the seasons. Time moves on, and people die and babies are born. We may live to be 70, 80 or past 90, but such is still a vapor compared to eternity. Our days are numbered and only that which has glorified God will last forever. We strive for a better life, gathering our creature comforts around us, but all such material things will be left behind. What is left behind is the life we lived and the influence we imparted to those who followed. So, Lord help us not to waste our days with things that will return to dust, give our heart wisdom to live a life that counts for Christ.

Memories of the Past

“Never be afraid when God brings back the past,” he said. “Let memory have its way. It is a minister of God with its rebuke and chastisement and sorrow. God will turn the ‘might have been’ into a wonderful [place of growth] for the future.” - Chambers

 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.- Jer.29:11

Memories of the past have a way of causing our minds to wonder what “might have been” How things could have been different if “only if”. What is done in the past often cannot be repaired. We live with the consequences of our decisions. Even when our decisions are made with good intentions, it does not mean that things will always turn out the way we want them to. Leaving memories and moving on in not easy and can often impede us from moving forward. God knows the way we have taken, He knows our past and has brought us to this day to live and once again to believe and trust in Him. He has a plan, and it may not look the way we think it should, but His way is always better. Let us look to the past only to remind us that God has a plan and He will bring us through to a land of fruitfulness. 

Surely the Lord is in this Place

Gen 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

They say that angels watch over us when we sleep, and that angels aware camp around about us. We know not the number of times that God’s protecting hand has shielded us from an unfortunate event. Surely the Lord has been in this place. Miracles happen all around us and we know it not. We are focus on living our lives and God is at work doing things to clear the path for us to walk. We look back on the path we have trod, and surely the Lord has made it possible and walked with us, and yes at time has carried us. Events do not happen by chance, even in our failures, God can take them and use them to make us what we ought to be. When we come to the end of our life’s journey, surely we can see that the Lord has been with us all the time. 

His Hand Reached Down

Matt. 8:3  And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus put out his hand and reached down to were I lived. Born in sin, we all are wretched and undone. Diseased with sin and separated from a holy God. We are uncleaned and have been isolated to suffer the pains of sin, but Jesus, who is great in love and mercy choose to reach out and touch us. He no longer walks the dusting roads of this earth, but His death paid the ransom for us to be made clean. Like the leper in the Bible, we must be willing to call on Him and believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. The leper was rewarded with a touch from Jesus, and was made whole. No matter what sin had done to our lives, Jesus still reaches down and is willing to touch anyone and make them clean. Come to Jesus, He will make you what you ought to be.