Pride

Pride is one of life’s greatest vices and the Bible has a lot to say about it. Pride will keep a person from having a relationship with God. The person that is full of themself has no room for God. Humility, not pride, is the posture we take so we can know God.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” -James 4:6b, ESV

Pride is often the attitude that precedes some of life’s greatest errors and blunders. It is a recipe for disaster when we think we know it all, have it all figured out, or that we are the exception to the rule. It is easy to overlook the dangers before us when we are consumed with ourselves.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. -Proverbs 16:18, ESV

Pride will make you miss out on the things most meaningful in life. Life’s greatest joys are not found within us, they are found when we get outside of ourselves. From God’s perspective, a humble and lowly spirit is tremendously more valuable than any riches of the world or personal achievements made with a proud spirit.

It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. -Proverbs 16:19, ESV

We find ourselves living in a culture where many cling to their pride. We have even begun what some celebrate as pride month. I encourage you to live counter to the culture. When others may think they themselves are the center of truth, humble yourself and look to God for wisdom. When others think that they are not accountable for their actions, choose to live responsibly in the light of God’s truth. When you are tempted to make life all about yourself, choose to love and serve just like our blessed Lord Jesus. Martin Luther said,

The god of this world is riches, pleasure and pride.

So then, we each must make up our own mind, whether we want the god of this world or God himself, whether we walk in self-sufficiency or the grace of Jesus Christ, whether are we will be filled with pride or humility.

Are We Ready to Share Christ?

Are we rooted-in and sold-out to Christ to the point that we will meet the world? Will we show someone who Christ is, what He can do, and why He died for them? Have you felt His presence in your life to be able to share the good news to others?

Before ascending to Heaven Jesus ordered His disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father (the gift of the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:4). They were ready to share Christ with the world only after the Holy Spirit had cleansed their motives and morals. Have you been to Christ to the point all your motives and morals are in tune with the Holy Spirit? I see it as living a holy life; a life that is authentic, practical and real.

Only the Holy Spirit can cleanse us and empower us to face our giants, and the storms coming our way. As Christ followers, one of our primary purposes is drawing others to Christ and telling them about Him. The Holy Spirit enables us to discern good from evil, to make right choices, and to live free from sin. If we are convinced we need to pursue living a holy life, look at these steps.

1 – Surrender: Totally surrender to God’s will for all your life, all areas.
2 – Ask: As a child of God, ask him for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
3 – Obey: Be obedient to all of God’s Word. Walk in the light of truth.
4 – Believe: The Holy Spirit is able and willing to do all God has promised us.

When we allow this to happen and pursue it, people will see a change in our attitudes, be blessed by our compassion, and be drawn to the Lord.  The song “Build My Life” says,

Holy there is no one like you, there is none beside you, open up my eyes in wonder and show me who you are, and fill me with your heart and lead me in your love to those around me. I will build my life upon your love and its firm foundation. I will put my trust in you alone and I will not be shaken.

Encouragement: Safeguarding Our Hearts

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
-Hebrews 3:12-15, ESV

The heart is the center of our being. We ought to watch over it with great care. The scripture passage from Hebrews reminds us that our heart can be tainted with evil. It can be filled with unbelief. It can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We can even choose to harden our own hearts. These all have the same outcome; they lead us away from the living God and our salvation in Christ Jesus. It is the constant work of the devil to lead us away from God, to turn us back to old ways and attitudes. Our hearts are under attack from many angles.

What do we do in response to this? How do we safeguard our hearts so that we continue in this new life we have found? One of the simplest and most direct solutions is encouragement. We speak strength, truth, and love into one another’s lives. We help each other up when we fall. We check up on one another. We love through adversity. We tell of God’s faithfulness. We stick together and hang onto the cross of Christ. And we make sure to do this every day.

How has your heart been lately? Keep taking time to listen to God and be receptive to what He is saying. When He speaks don’t harden your heart. How are the hearts of your brothers and sisters in Christ? If any need encouragement, step out and make a difference. God may very well use your words or actions to help another keep the faith.

Enjoying Everyday Life

Jesus said He came that we might have life and enjoy our lives.  Satan has one goal and that is to kill, steal, and destroy every good thing that God has in mind for us.

Are you enjoying life? Are you enjoying every facet of life or just the "fun" parts? I truly believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can enjoy everything.  We can enjoy our work and our times of waiting. We can enjoy the journey and not just the destination. We spend more time in life waiting than we do arriving at a destination.  We need to learn to enjoy where we are on the way to where we are going. 

One way Satan steals from us is by making us think we can only enjoy certain things and not others.  But the truth is, we can change our way of thinking and enjoy all things in our life.  If we change our way of thinking and focus on God, then when circumstances change, we do not have to change with them.  We can refuse to let Satan to get us flustered.  We can refuse to let him steal our joy.

Life is wasted if we allow ourselves to be miserable all the time.  Jesus said in John 14:27 that He left us His peace and we are to stop allowing ourselves to become upset.  He has given us gifts and responsibilities.  We are partners in this life.  God gives us peace and joy, and we are not to allow the devil to steal it.  Let's all try to enjoy life the way Jesus told us to by staying focused on Him, by not worrying when things get rough, by having unmovable faith in God's love for us, and by remembering God's word in Romans 8:28,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Life is a gift, and let's enjoy that gift to the fullest!