Good Morning,
Every morning in my “Happy Place” I seek God for a word and His Holy Spirit never fails to talk to me.
Imagine once again, the sun is bright and you are surrounded by an eager crowd of those waiting to hear the great Teacher. Jesus looks around and begins as you sit under a shady Acacia tree to listen:
“Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise of men, more than the praise of God.” John 12:42, 43 niv
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32, 33. kjv.
Many leaders in the Pharisees were hanging on to every word Jesus taught. Some were opportunist, waiting to accuse him of breaking the law. Because our Lord was Incredibly popular, multitudes would follow Him and the Pharisees became fearful and felt threatened Jesus would be taking over. Then, there were those among the leaders that believed He was the prophesied Messiah. Immediately, these religious people were faced with a choice within their hearts:
1. Choose the Fear of God and Praise of God.
2. Choose the Fear of Man and Praise of Men.
They feared they would be thrown out of the synagogue if they showed the slightest sign of belief. They chose the fear of man because they loved the praise of men. In this way, their ego’s would still be fed. Instead of resisting this temptation, they became insnared by a spirit of fear, like that of walking into a net of bondage and an all consuming pride that was stoked by self love.
What they should have done is: Love God more than themselves, Strive to understand the Fear God and all the benefits of obeying and humble themselves.
We pray:
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for speaking to us this morning. We thank You for teaching us the value of confessing your son’s name Jesus Christ. We thank You for giving us the faith we need to speak your name with a gentle boldness. Help us to use what you have given to us Father. You have taught us that it is your Son’s name that brings life to searching hearts. We desire to give You glory Father. We desire to do Your work in every area of our lives. We desire to draw closer to You and know your character in a deeper, clearer and more intimate way. Be with us O Holy Spirit throughout our day, let us be sensitive in our walk, in our talk and give us the discernment to weigh all scales in our lives and recognize your will. We deliberately put down any fleshly thoughts and anything that would try to interfere with our walk and embrace your Holy Spirit in our thoughts, talks and actions. Thank You Father, in your Son Jesus we ask. Amen.
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