The Scoop #4
Humility
reverses Pride #2
Just a
little bit of pride can be the downfall of a career that says, “I was the one who
deserved that raise!” Did your prideful attitude prevent the raise? In a
marriage that says, “I will never forgive him [her]!” Could there possibly be
the thought you may have done the same thing, only in a different way? Think
about it. And a nation who says, “Look
at what we have done, how powerful we are!” Look how great we are!”
We are
in trouble when we slip self-importance before humbleness. Before the Love of
God. Pride divides. Most marital spats are caused because of pride. Is it worth
it? How can we genuinely
love God if we are putting ourselves before Him?
I ask
you a simple question:
Why is
it when we look at the stately beauty of a tree that gives shade in the heat of
summer, eye candy in the autumn, welcomes those who need homes, wood to keep us
warm, paper for us to use, furniture and yet; that tree remains humble? That
glorious tree lives to radiate Gods glory and to give
to us. We hear the birds sing praises to God every morning without a murmur
or complaint. I had a dragonfly that would follow me around the garden and kept
fearlessly landing on my wrist many years ago and his beautiful eyes looked
right up into my mine as if to say, “I trust you.”
How do they know those who would never hurt them and those that would? Do
trees, birds or dragon flies have pride? No, I think not. Unlike some of us,
they know they have a mission.
There
lies America’s biggest weakness and temptation. For some, she must be number
one and powerful forever. Birthed in 1776 on Independence Day, we are the offspring of Europe and many other nations who bathed in the
freedom offered in this new land. Our forefathers dedicated baby America to
God, and He blessed and blessed us with freedom. Our schools taught the Bible
and prayed. Hardships came with the new land and sometimes, we learned through
our mistakes. We went through wars and experienced depressions, droughts, harsh
storms, floods, and plagues and the sorrows of many deaths. We learned to be
frugal through the great depression and not to waste a thing. Then after
another war, prosperity knocked on our doors and we started rocking and rolling
with all the seducements offered. Life became easier. Slowly we began to forget
about God and allowed idolatry to come into the land. We were a young child in a fairy tale of a
land of abundance. People began buying homes and cars on time and the bankers
smiled with glee.
America,
you went from not having anything to having an abundance of everything in such
a short time. But, in your early years, you always honored the God who sent you
here. You were once a child, but now it is time to grow up.
When a child is given everything and has never
heard the word no, that child will demand its way
because that is the way he was raised.
Why?
Because he can.
If a
two-year-old is asked permission from the parent if it is all right for him to stop disobeying, who is running
the household? For example: “Johnny, stop hitting your sister, all right? “
Why?
Because he can.
If a
child is raised in an environment that never had to be without anything, how
does he develop a thankful heart? If a child has had everything done for him,
including his thinking; how will he learn to function when he goes into the
world? If he has never learned to wait or work for something, how will he begin
to learn from the testing’s that produces patience? When
he is grown and works for a living, he will begin
to learn that life is not a comfortable buggy ride
after all and that the principles of sowing and reaping are indeed truth. In
time, we learn what we sow comes back to bite us in the derriere.
Will
that child be able to marry successfully when he was taught to be number one and selfish and already married to
himself?
When a
nation is nestled in a self-serving habit of believing a battery of lies, pride
is produced. A self-destructive form of complacency and decay begins to come in
many forms of darkness, and the nation becomes blind to God’s mercy and truth.
“All the paths of the Lord are
mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
Psalm 25:10 kjv.
That nation begins to shun truth and gives
into the idolatry of perversion, lies, greed in every abominable area and not
only promotes it but teaches it.
America has become caustic.
Good people slept and languished while a
thief came and began to successfully steal truth from the most innocent of
hearts and the accusers flourish while declaring good is evil. If you do not
believe in Satan wake up and listen to what is going on today. Most people can
see we are fighting a spiritual problem against good vs evil. And the Laodicean
church simply turned their head.
The
greed of materialism watered their palates as boundaries came down in every
area of the land. Many began to walk away from their faith and believe in the
lie that we have all, is all and can do all. The arrogance of pride gives a
blind false confidence.
Jesus
Christ laid His life down so we can have forgiveness of our sins, freedom from
being a slave to those sins, and receive God’s truth in His Son. Only then, can
we say, “I can do all things in Christ.”
Will you believe it? In Him we
have our hope.
He
gave. We are to give. Pride never wins
or apologizes. I have heard pride justify itself even with the word of God.
Then pride falls.
Love is
not permissiveness. Love is caring enough to jump into the water to save a
person who is drowning because he chose the wrong way. Love is doing because
this is when pride eventually retreats. And, God Himself will make a way for
you to do this good,
We
depended upon things first and God later and if we do
not correct our behavior, God will because He still loves us more than any
good father here on earth. What a powerful Father we have!
Have you
given thought of what true humility really is? True humbleness is admitting
that we are wrong. That we have sinned many times. That we have left the God of
Creation to do things independently and not Gods way. Unbelief
and doubt are the foundation of all sin. You cannot be humble if you do not
believe in the truth, nor can you see clearly.
Years
back, before I was born-again, I was driving my vintage 1953 VW beetle tin can
of a car home from a bar in the blackest of night. I noticed an oncoming car
was headed towards me in my lane. I could barely see under its blinding lights.
In nanoseconds I jerked the steering wheel first to the left and saw the car
race past me. I noticed I was going to go into a ditch and tore the wheel to
the right and it was then that the bug rolled and bounced 3 times in the air
like a giant heavy basketball. I remember hearing a lady scream as I bounced.
Right before I landed, [no seat belts back then] the door popped open with me
falling on the ground. Laying there I noticed I couldn’t move my legs. My
thoughts? “Oh Father, please not that.” [I had previously met my Holy Father in
a Catholic Orphanage when I was 5 years old.] Little by little I started moving
my toes, then my feet and got up on my legs. By that time, the police and
ambulance were there. Did the lady who screamed call the ambulance? Did she
pray for me? They couldn’t believe I was alive. I looked over at the VW that
was completely flattened. If I hadn’t fallen out, I would have been flattened
too. Yes, there are always consequences from our decisions! During that time, I
didn’t have any thoughts or fear of what could have happened. If I had the fear of God, I would not have
even been at the bar or on the road. It is only by the grace of God that I
walked away with bruises.
You
could be thinking; “I thought we had a loving God? Why should I fear Him?” The
Bible tells us to “Fear God and live.” After I was born-again, I realized that
fearing God keeps you from sinning. This is the realization of knowing when you
step out of His will and deliberately sin, you are going to be chastised. He
cares enough to stop us from ruining our lives. Real humbleness and wisdom
begins with the fear of God.
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to
depart from the snares of death.”
—Proverbs 14:27
We
still have hope. Yes, we must keep praying in faith; but now it is time to give
up your own self importance and trust in God with everything you have in
yourself. It is time to get right with God and time to grow up.
“Through love and faithfulness sin is
atoned for: through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.” Pr.16:6 niv
That
man fears God because he has chosen to believe in Him. This is a heart choice.
We
learn humility through repentance, and this is the only thing that will bring a
family and a nation back to God and it begins with a heart reckoning. It begins
with us. It begins with accepting the truth about Jesus and how He went to the
cross so we could have forgiveness for our sins and have eternal life. It all
begins with you.
“When I shut up the heavens so that there
is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my
people. If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2Ch. 7:13, 14 niv.
Pray
with me:
Heavenly
Father,
I know
I have sinned, and I realize I have hurt many people through my selfish
choices. I need You in my life. I need a miracle. I desperately need your help.
I ask that You would forgive me for [name them]_________. I repent and put down all my pride and ask
that Your Holy Spirit would fill me up and teach me everything I need to know
to be that new person in Christ. Work in my heart, my mind and soul. Give me
the strength I need to be that overcomer that believers need to be. I ask that
You never give up on me, for Your word says that You never start something that
You do not finish. Send me Your people to pray with me and help me grow. In
Jesus I ask, amen.
If you have prayed from your heart in
humble sincerity, I wholeheartedly welcome you into the family of God. Though
you will still have trials, you will have the Body of Christ to help you
through the rockiness. Grow and learn about Jesus Christ and learn wisdom that
will give you the strength to obey His precepts, stand upon His promises and
see His hand in your life everywhere you go. Find a good Bible believing church
and make good friends that will be by your side while you journey. Never
forget, you are loved and you are not alone!
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