Arrogance and conceit can only bring out the worst in people. A prideful spirit will tell you that you’re better than everyone else and can do as you wish, but this only leads to problems when you come across someone with that same attitude! This Proverb advises instead that we take our practical spirituality and accept counsel from others.
Tag: religion
II Corinthians 4: 1-2 ” Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.”
In a Believer’s life I think there isn’t anything potentially more volatile than secret sins. Hidden sins will lead us to compromise and dilute the truth in our own mind…rationalizing things until we can live with ourselves. They cause us to hide things out of shameful awareness and dispair…which spirals us down the slippery slope into depression. Secret sins need to be dealt with…not left to simmer and develop into more. Besides, you’re only fooling yourself if you think that hidden sins are really hidden.
Jeremiah 23: 23-24 ” ‘ Am I only a God nearby?’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I can not see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”
God is omnipresent…present everywhere at the same time, which is extremely difficult for the human brain to wrap itself around. We would like to put God in a nice simple box, but He can’t be contained…His power and majesty unable to be held within the boundaries. So attempting to escape the Lord is futile…there is simply no hiding place that the Lord can’t find you. You may run, but you can’t hide. The Lord will pursue you to the ends of the earth until you finally turn to Him…so why not do it today? Really, aren’t you tired of running?
Numbers 13: 27-28 ” They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.’ “
In Exodus 3:8, the Lord had promised Moses a land flowing with milk and honey, and the 12 spies hadn’t denied this was what they observed. But of the 12 spies, only Caleb and Joshua brought back a good report…the rest only saw the negatives and potential threats. How many times have you allowed the word “but” to totally stop the will of God in your life? How many times have you heard the voice of the Lord, but the “giants in the land” scared you into doing nothing? It’s time to move beyond fear, and what we perceive as unsurmountable odds…it’s time to claim our nation again for God.
Psalm 47: 7-8 ” For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.”
God is still on the throne. The Lord’s sovereignty and dominance is in operation in the world, and no amount of human speculation can compare to His plans and purposes He has in store for this nation…this world. Lord, You sit on Your throne judging righteously and reigning over the nations with grace and mercy. We ask for a spirit of unity to sweep over the earth that we may become one under You.
Ezekiel 37:3 ” He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ “
The Lord had brought Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones and asked him this question. The only appropriate answer Ezekiel could give is, “O Lord God, You know.” Rather running ahead of God “doing something”, Ezekiel was waiting on the Lord’s direction and working within His Will. Many times it’s so much easier to “do something” rather than to just trust in the Lord and wait on His timetable. What we see as good works and “helping” God is more panic than inspiration.
Exodus 2:11 ” …when Moses was grown…he went out to his own people and looked at their hard labor.”
Moses saw the oppression of his fellow Hebrews, and in that righteous indignation attempted to right the wrong…under his own power, in all the wrong ways. What followed was discouragement and 40 years in the desert with God teaching Moses how to go about setting His people free – the Lord’s way. Like Moses, we may have a vision, and maybe even a clear understanding of what God wants…but we’re not ready yet. We may also need our “40 years” in the desert being discipled by the Lord until He feels we are prepared to do His work.
II Peter 1: 5-7 ” For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. “
Your Christian walk starts out on a Christ-shaped foundation…grounded in His Word…built on the solid rock of His love for you. But then starts the journey all Believers must make towards maturity. This scripture shows the progression from baby Christian to deeply rooted saint. Like a house being built on a stable foundation, each moral quality is stacked on top of the next…teaching, disciplining, and encouraging as we go. And in the end, a perfectly built structure will stand before our God.
Matthew 5: 21-22 ” You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Raca was an Aramaic term of contempt meaning stupid. But Jesus was more concerned here with the term Moros – You fool – being thrown around. Moros was actually a more serious reproach than Raca as it conveyed a person being morally worthless… a scorning of the person’s very heart and character. The Lord was warning of the dangers of character assassination…of killing the very spirit of a person with angry words.
Judges 21:25 ” In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
Have you ever gone to a committee meeting that has no set head person? Lots of ideas get bounced around…many people express their opinions…emotions can run high, but without someone to run the meeting, not much gets accomplished. That’s what it’s like without leadership in our world today…we’re all just out there “doing our own thing”. But the problem with that is, what I think is just and prudent to do, you may think is inappropriate or outrageous. What happens in the end is chaos, conflict, and confusion.
Safetypinlove 