Pride the Arrogance of Destruction

Lesson from 01-27-17

Pride the Arrogance of Destruction

2 Chronicles 7:14   ¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.

First of all, God is speaking to the Jewish people regarding a prayer of Solomon. In Chapter 6 Solomon ask God to make provisions for the people when they sinned. God answered with four conditions for forgiveness.

1.      Humble yourself by admitting your sins.

2.      Pray to God asking for forgiveness.

3.      Seek God continually.

4.      Turn from sinful behavior.

True repentance is more than talk. It is a changed behavior. Follow these steps and God will answer our earnest prayers.aa

When you ask god for forgiveness of sin you are showing humility toward God. Sin causes the fellowship between God and man to create a lacking of God’s presence. We must stay humble before our God.

Jeremiah 10:23   ²³ O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Gods ability to direct our life is far superior to our ability. Don’t be afraid to let God correct your plans. He will give you wisdom if you are willing.

Psalms 37:23-24   ²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

The steps of a righteous man or Godly man, are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives, even though we are human and are likely to stumble and make mistakes, we will not fall. For the Lord holds us by the hand.

James 4:10   ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor. This is humbling yourself.

Bowing before the Lord, means recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. To be humble involves leaning on His power and guidance and not going our own independent way.

Let God know we need Him. Have confidence in what has already been done. Then God can work for you in your life.

When we don’t humble ourselves, and have confidence in our own abilities and not in God, it means we are getting over into arrogance and pride.

Psalms 10:4   ⁴ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Wicked people are too proud to seek God, they seem to think God is dead, some people succeed in everything they do, and brag about and say nothing is going to keep them down. Bragging is prideful.

Pride! A higher opinion of oneself, conceit, exaggerated self-esteem, haughtiness and arrogance.

Psalms 11:2   ² For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

When pride shows up, it leads to disgrace, then causes shame. Pride is self-centeredness. A humble person is God centered, a prideful person is self-centered. 

Being self-centered will maintain pride. When that happens, Grace is not with you. Pride is a deceptive state of arrogance which will rob you of the blessings. It puts you in a negative position to where God’s grace cannot keep you.

Pride is saying I can do it my way better than Gods way. That kind of thinking will deceive you and let you down. Gods way will lift you up.

1 Peter 5:5-6   ⁵ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Both young and old can benefit Peters instruction. Pride often keeps older people from trying to understand young people and keeps younger people from listening to those who are older. Peter told both young and old to be humble and to serve each other.

Young men should follow the leadership of older men, who should lead by example. They should be humble enough to admit that you can learn from others.

We must learn to be humble. If you will move to God’s dependence it means you are humble.

Proverbs 15:32-33   ³² He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.

³³ The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

If you reject criticism you will only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you will grow in understanding. Fear of the Lord teaches a person to be wise, humility precedes honor.

Proverbs 18:12   ¹² Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.

Before destruction the heart of man/woman is haughty, and before honor is humble.

It is not in us to know our way to be able to give direction to self. That is getting over into self-centeredness which is nothing more than pride. This takes us away from being dependent on God.

In the natural it is so easy to rely on self. Why? Because we are comfortable in our own way of doing things.

We humans are creatures of habits and old traditions, and we humans are comfortable in those old habits and traditions.

However, when these habits get to the point of not depending on God in your life it is time to change.

Philippians 4:19    ¹⁹ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God will supply all our needs according to His riches by Christ Jesus. Who made grace possible. God owns everything. Grace makes it possible through the manifestation of faith.

When we move from being dependent on God, we move towards being dependent on ourselves. That takes us from humility and ushers us into pride.

Proverbs 29:23   ²³ A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.

This means you have fallen from grace, the issue is when you fall from humility to pride, you’re not going to flow where grace is. This will put you under the law.

Galatians 5:4    ⁴ Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

When we go back under the Law, Christ and what he made available for us through grace becomes of no effect. Stop trying to figure things on your own. That is under the law.

Galatians 2:16   ¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

You cannot be justified by the works of the law. Only through Jesus Christ by faith, that we might be justified.

FROM MILK TO MEAT

Lesson from meeting on 1-20-2017


FROM MILK TO MEAT

Hebrews 5:11-14

¹¹ Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

¹² For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

¹³ For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

¹⁴ But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Paul is speaking to the Hebrew people.  These Jewish Christians were very immature.

Some of them should have been teaching others. Instead they still needed someone to teach them.

Paul was saying, you still need milk, not solid food.  They were reluctant to move beyond old traditions and doctrines.

If you are still living on milk you will never experience what is right for you. You are still spiritual babes in Christ.

Strong meat belongs to Christians who are mature in the Word of God.

Too many times Christians won’t pay attention and are dull of hearing (the word).

Romans 10: 17 says: faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

When Jesus made, the statement come to him as a little child, he certainly wasn’t speaking of milk fed adults.

The devil is having a hay day with milk fed adults through your lack of knowledge.

1 Thessalonians 5: 5-6   ⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.   ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober

Once you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in your spirit.

At that time, you become the children of the light.

Notice it stated Children… when you made Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Lord of your life, a new spirit was born in you.

This baby spirit has no knowledge, same as a natural born baby.

You and I know that the natural baby doesn’t know the things of the world and cannot protect itself.

This new born natural baby needs parental support, training, feeding and protection from this evil and unsettled world.

You can’t produce a new born baby and expect it to have knowledge like a grown person.

The only thing a newborn knows is to cry when it is hungry and cry when it is in pain.

Your new born spirit is a baby same as a natural born baby. It too needs parental knowledge and training. Otherwise it will suffer the consequences of being unlearned and untrained same as a natural born baby.

If the natural newborn isn’t trained in the way it should grow it will have a disastrous life. It must be fed and nurtured so it can grow up to be strong and wise.

It is the same way with the spirit child; it will also have undeveloped wisdom and not have the necessary biblical skills it needs if you do not feed it the word.

Both babies have to be fed, nourished and have parental training to be used for life’s purposes and Gods purpose.

If you never spoke to your new born it could never speak itself, because it never heard the words to learn to speak.

If you never speak Gods word to your newborn spirit child it too will never develop in the word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

It takes words to train both children. Words develop them for the world they must face each and every day.

They will need common language and spiritual language for the development of both natural and spiritual children.

You need to think about what you are feeding your spiritual child. Are you ignoring your inner spiritual child or are you feeding it the word of God, your spiritual child needs more than just one meal a week? Life is not about just having a one-time meal.

Your spiritual child needs to be fed often, just as you would feed a natural child.

Proverbs 4:20-23   ²⁰ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.²² For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.²³ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

My son… we are his children.  He says, listen to what I am saying, open your ears to my words, and don’t lose sight of them.

Keep them deep within your heart, because your heart is this spirit child. The word is life to those who find it, and health to the physical body or inner child.

Both children win when the word of God is applied to their daily lives.

Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die to get there. If you do not feed your natural baby it will die, if you don’t feed your spiritual baby it too will die.

You need Gods word daily to feed your inner spiritual child. If you don’t feed your inner spiritual child it will never mature in the word of God.

No one with common since would take their natural child to Disneyland and turn it loose and walk away without giving that child the proper training.

We must not turn our spiritual child out to the things of this world without the proper training.

What are we feeding our spiritual child today?

The word to the spirit child is like food or medicine to the natural child. If your natural child was sick you would take it to the doctor to get it healed.

If your spirit child is sick from lack of knowledge, just feed it the word… it will get well.

Taking care of both children is a daily thing, but it is something that is necessary to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.

Paul is speaking to the Hebrew people. These Jewish Christians were very immature.

Some of them should have been teaching others. Instead they still needed someone to teach them.

They were reluctant to move beyond the age-old traditions and established doctrines commitment to Christ moves people out of their comfort zones.

Don’t be afraid to step out in faith and speak to people about your Christianity. Ask the Lord for wisdom and knowledge to increase in you.

In order to grow from infant Christians to mature Christians we must learn discernment. Discernment means to see or understand the difference; Or to make a distinction between good and evil.

Romans 12:2   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We must let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. We as natural beings cannot transform our thinking for any length of time, only the word and discerning of the word by the Holy Spirit supernaturally will transform and redirect our minds.

If we don’t redirect our minds, we will eventually get weak in our faith, Jesus came down with faith, we have a measure of faith but our faith has to be developed. That is why we need to renew our minds daily, with the word of God.

Romans 12: 2-3    ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

³ For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

There are different levels of faith.

Mathew 14:31   ³¹ And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

This is little faith.

Mark 4:40   ⁴⁰ And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Romans 4:20   ²⁰ He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

He had strong faith which is a growing faith.

This goes right back to if our minds are not fed with the word, our faith will go dormant. This measure of faith that we started out with is like a dead battery, if it is not charged with the word, it will stay dormant.

The anointed word is the charger for dead faith.

Romans 10:17   ¹⁷ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith comes by hearing the word of God.

Proverbs 4:20-23   ²⁰ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

²² For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

²³ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Make sure your desires keep you in the right direction. We need to desire what the Lord has for us in our lives. Keep your mind on the things of Christ Jesus.

Babes in Christ

Service from Fridays Meeting

Babes in Christ

1 Thessalonians 5: 5-6   ⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.   ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober

Once you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in your spirit.

At that time, you become the children of the light.

Notice it stated Children… when you made Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Lord of your life, a new spirit was born in you.

This baby spirit has no knowledge, same as a natural born baby.

You and I know that the natural baby doesn’t know the things of the world and cannot protect itself.

This new born natural baby needs parental support, training, feeding and protection from this evil and unsettled world.

You can’t produce a new born baby and expect it to have knowledge like a grown person.

The only thing a newborn knows is to cry when it is hungry and cry when it is in pain.

Your new born spirit is a baby same as a natural born baby. It too needs parental knowledge and training. Otherwise it will suffer the consequences of being unlearned and untrained same as a natural born baby.

If the natural newborn isn’t trained in the way it should grow it will have a disastrous life. It must be fed and nurtured so it can grow up to be strong and wise.

It is the same way with the spirit child; it will also have undeveloped wisdom and not have the necessary biblical skills it needs if you do not feed it the word.

Both babies have to be fed, nourished and have parental training to be used for life’s purposes and Gods purpose.

If you never spoke to your new born it could never speak itself, because it never heard the words to learn to speak.

If you never speak Gods word to your newborn spirit child it too will never develop in the word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

It takes words to train both children. Words develop them for the world they must face each and every day.

They will need common language and spiritual language for the development of both natural and spiritual children.

You need to think about what you are feeding your spiritual child. Are you ignoring your inner spiritual child or are you feeding it the word of God, your spiritual child needs more than just one meal a week? Life is not about just having a one-time meal.

Your spiritual child needs to be fed often, just as you would feed a natural child.

Proverbs 4:20-23   ²⁰ My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.²¹ Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.²² For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.²³ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

My son… we are his children.  He says, listen to what I am saying, open your ears to my words, and don’t lose sight of them.

Keep them deep within your heart, because your heart is this spirit child. The word is life to those who find it, and health to the physical body or inner child.

Both children win when the word of God is applied to their daily lives.

Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die to get there. If you do not feed your natural baby it will die, if you don’t feed your spiritual baby it too will die.

You need Gods word daily to feed your inner spiritual child. If you don’t feed your inner spiritual child it will never mature in the word of God.

No one with common since would take their natural child to Disneyland and turn it loose and walk away without giving that child the proper training.

We must not turn our spiritual child out to the things of this world without the proper training. What are we feeding our spiritual child today?

The word to the spirit child is like medicine to the natural child. If your natural child was sick you would take it to the doctor to get it healed.

If your spirit child is sick from lack of knowledge, just feed it the word… it will get well.

Taking care of both children is a daily thing, but it is something that is necessary to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.

Hebrews 5:11-14   ¹¹ Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

¹² For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

¹³ For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

¹⁴ But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Paul is speaking to the Hebrew people. These Jewish Christians were very immature.

Some of them should have been teaching others. Instead they still needed someone to teach them.

Paul was saying, you still need milk, not solid food. They were reluctant to move beyond old traditions and doctrines.

If you are still living on milk you will never experience what is right for you. You are still spiritual babies in Christ.

Don’t be afraid to step out in faith and speak to people about your Christianity. Ask the Lord for wisdom and knowledge to increase in you.

RESTING IN GODS GRACE

RESTING IN GODS GRACE

Hebrews 4:1-6    Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

² For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

³ For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

⁴ For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

⁵ And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

⁶ Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

Resting in the Lord does not mean quitting your job. It means to not worry about things of this world.

Rest is not in the area of working and laboring. It is a place of confidence and trusting, where you can receive the blessing and the manifestation of what has already been done.

If you just have to labor, then labor in rest. Spiritual warfare is not fighting the devil. Spiritual warfare is maintaining the victory that Jesus made available through the cross. Jesus already defeated the devil at the cross. The good fight of faith maintains our victory. Faith puts a hedge between you and Satan (you do this by claiming the bloodline around you). Therefore, our spiritual warfare is keeping the faith.

We already have the victory, God did not make us to operate out of stress and worry. God created us to operate out of rest.

When you rest in God’s grace, and the world is falling apart, you will have peace. Knowing that your confidence and trust will sustain you.

But how can you rest in God if you don’t know what has already been done?

Romans 15: 4   ⁴ For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The knowledge of the scriptures in hope effects our attitude toward the present and the future. How is it possible to maintain a godly life without hope?

Scripture was written aforetime for our learning, and also patience and comfort. The more we know about God and what he has done in the past, the greater the confidence we have about what we will do in the days ahead.

Hebrews 11:1   Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. The substance of things hoped for. Faith is our servant of hope, hope brings trust. God doesn’t need your help, God wants your trust.

Your help doesn’t move the hand of God, it is your trust that moves the hand of God.

Psalms 9: 9-10    ⁹ The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁰ And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed. A refuge in time of trouble. The ones that know His name, or His mercy, will look to Him for help, for He has never yet forsaken those who trust in Him.

In our hurting world, sometimes hope can be hard to hold on to. From the constant negative bad news on our televisions and smart phones, to the difficulties of everyday life in a fallen world, we spend much of our time gathering pieces of sorrows. That can add up to a to incredible weight upon our shoulders.

As believers, we are encouraged to live lives characterized by hope. Biblical hope is not a feeling and it is not wishful thinking.

It is an attitude of holy expectation, based on God’s promises to us found in His word. The saints of the old bible did not live in times that were easier than ours.

They encountered the same problems with prodigal children, unjust political systems, failing health, broken relationships and struggling churches. They rested on these same promises.

Hope is the anchor for your life. It will restore your belief that God has a purpose for our trials, and a plan for our future. It is a promise He intends to keep.

For anyone who is feeling beaten down by life, Gods word will transform your outlook and refresh your heart.

Deuteronomy 6: 5   ⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Enter into a life that is fully engaged with God. We are to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are to love God and think constantly about His word.

So? How can a person rest in God without hope?

1 Peter 5: 6-7   ⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

We often worry about our position and status. Hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. Peter advises us to remember that Gods recognition counts more than human praise.

God is able and willing to bless us according to his timing. Carrying your worries, stress and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. Letting God have your anxieties calls for action. Giving Him both large and small struggles; before we can reliably know and understand Gods will, we must know God himself.

If you have not trusted God fully with your life, letting God have your anxieties call for action. Don’t submit to circumstances, but rather submit to the Lord who controls every circumstance.

This year seek out God’s word, and let God demonstrate His power in your circumstances large and small; before we can reliably know and understand Gods will, we must know God himself.

Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. True faith is forever connected with hope. Your faith and hope in God develops by renewing your mind in His word, learning about His exceedingly great and precious promises.

Exodus 23:17-20   ¹⁷ Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.

¹⁸ Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.

¹⁹ The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

²⁰ Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

In the old testament, Israelite men were required to go up to Jerusalem three times each year to worship God at the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of the harvest, and the feast of ingathering.

Why? Because it was a way of keeping hope alive, and keeping their relationship with God fresh and current.

They would offer sacrifices, worship, and take renewed inspiration back to their families and clans.

Under the new covenant of grace, we offer a different kind of sacrifice, it is the sacrifice of praise to God, and not just three times a year, but many times each day.

So how does praise and worship keep hope alive for us? By giving thanks to His name; as we thank God for his blessings of provision and protection in our life, we never lose sight of Him as our hope in all things.

Hope is being confident in God’s grace by faith, and trust. With the expectation of the fulfillment of manifestation through resting in the assurance that God will do what His word says He will do.

Isaiah 55:11   ¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.


Let us all endeavor in this new year to seek God and to praise Him with our trust and love.