Invisible Pride

Pride that is directed in the wrong way can be self-destructive.  One of the problems with pride is when you have it you don’t seem to know it.  It is a characteristic that seems invisible to the one that has it.  I have heard it said that pride stinks and the only one that doesn’t smell it is the one that has it.

Pride is one of the seven things that God hates, read Proverbs 6:16-19,

“These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

Pride is usually accompanied by I, I.  For instance I don’t need anyone, or to say it another way, I am self-sufficient.  I did this, I did that and I can do whatever I put my mind to accomplish.  I can kick this habit myself, I can be anything I want to be without any help from anyone.  A person that is full of pride thinks they are better than anyone else, looking down on everyone else and usually criticizing others.  They think way too highly of themselves.  I think this is a sin that affects all of us at times.  As long as we have this sin nature within us we will be subject to this sin and if we are not careful it could strike us anytime.

Sometimes we struggle with pride in other ways like our appearance and what we look like outwardly.  For instance, I have a tremor which I have had for many years.  In my earlier years it could hardly be detected by others but as the years went by it got easier and easier to see and it is a struggle for me to accomplish anything that I have to use my hands for.  My whole body quivers or shakes at times more than other times and if I get a little cold, forget about it, I am much worse.  I have been embarrassed about this many times.  I have noticed people staring at me at times and it makes me feel like I am a freak for the world to see and laugh at and make fun of.  I think some of this falls under the sin of pride even though it is a physical problem like people with handicaps or who are obese not wanting to be seen in public.  I think all of these can be associated with pride.

What about the perfectionist that has to have everything perfect everything in its place and everything in orderly fashion?  I think that can come under the same umbrella as pride.

I don’t think all pride is sin if you keep it in the right perspective, such as winning at something or being good at something or having pride in a child that does something well.  We should all strive to be the best we can be at whatever we try to do, there is nothing wrong with that and if we do well we can have pride in a job well done.  Positive pride is a feeling of honor and self-respect, a sense of personal worth or satisfaction or pleasure taken in one's own or another's success or achievements.  Negative pride is having excessive self-esteem or conceit.

In my conclusion, read what God’s Word says in James 4:6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”  If people would realize their need for God to come along side of them and help them and that nothing can be accomplished without Him, totally trusting Him and if they would humble themselves and repent of their negative (destructive) pride and draw near to God, He will draw near to them.  If we all could just glimpse at people and gaze at the Lord and get our minds off of us, we could escape this pride issue altogether because we would see ourselves as God sees us.  I have given all of us something to think about and to act on.  God bless and have a super day!!    

Be Ye Separate

As a believer do you ever find it hard to be in the world but not of the world?  What do you think this means in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’”

Paul urged believers not to build binding relationships with non-believers so they would not get into any compromising situations that could cause them to stumble in their commitment to the Lord.  They should be separated, but not isolated, because if you isolate yourself you wouldn’t have many opportunities to witness and to let your light shine before the non-believer.  

In a world of temptations and moral decay we need to not conform to the society’s way of thinking but we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds through the Word of God.  World standards and Christian standards are so different in many ways that Christians stand out if they don’t compromise. The Word says this in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

When believers start compromising and allow sin to invade their life their light starts losing its luster and starts to become very dim and people cease to be drawn to it.  Many times believers get into relationships with non-believers thinking they can change them only to find themselves the ones that have been changed by compromising their convictions.  If our light is shining bright we can start transforming the world and not be transformed by the world.

Read what it says in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

This does not only mean to separate yourself from sinners, but it means to draw close to the Lord each day.  This means to avoid everything that may cause you to sin and also how you spend your time and even your finances.  It is very hard to live in this world with its seductions and temptations without being faced with them but we have a responsibility to resist them and to live godly lives.  We need to stand strong in the faith and never give up or give into our fleshly desires that would cause us to sin.

I am typing this on Thanksgiving morning and I want to wish all who read this a blessed day.  I hope this will be a help to someone and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, a time to think about all the things you are thankful for.  It is a time for family gatherings, a time to reflect back on your life and evaluate where you are and how you got there.  Whether you are a believer or a non-believer you have things that you can be thankful for.  

I believe that believers have much more to be thankful for, starting with God our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ our Savior and the Holy Spirit our comforter and teacher, remembering that God is one God in three persons that we call the trinity.  It is a time to remember how far we had fallen in our sinful state of mind without hope, doomed to a death of fire and brimstone and weeping and gnashing of teeth, like Sodom and Gomorrah, but for eternity, enemies of God without any way for us to change the verdict of spiritual and physical death.  But, praise the Lord, what was impossible for man was possible with God and He made a way that we could be reconciled to Him.

It says this in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

This is the greatest news ever told and we who have received it by faith have received the greatest gift ever, God’s beloved Son Jesus, our redeemer, Savior and Lord for which we can praise and thank God.  Don’t forget God’s Holy Spirit who empowers us and also the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enables us so that we can proclaim the glory of God as a witnessing tool to a lost and dying world.  Then there are God’s provisions, blessings and protection as well as His healing power along with His peace, love and joy and also God’s conviction and correction showing that we are His children and that He loves us.

There are so many other things we can be thankful for, I will name a few.  We still live in a free country with religious freedoms.  We can be thankful for family and friends, for pastors and teachers and jobs.  We all have testimonies of addictions and bondages being broken and what about relationships being restored and healing testimonies we can be thankful for.  What about the times God kept us from tragedies and painful experiences, accidents and devastation that we don’t even know about?  We can be thankful for how this country was founded for freedom of speech and freedom of religion by our founding fathers that loved and served the Lord.  Let’s not forget the soldiers that fought for our freedoms, many paying the ultimate price and what about our law enforcement, the people that put their lives on the line for us daily and also the firemen and women and doctors and nurses and other healthcare providers.  We can be thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the encouragers and for those that are faithful to pray for us.  I am sure I haven’t mentioned everything, what about being fearfully and wonderfully made.

I think I got the message across and I think you could think of more things, so feel free to add to this list and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord in all things for He is worthy.  I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope this encouraged you and gave you something to think about.  God bless you and yours and have a super day!!

PS for those that can’t thank the Lord for all of these things and want to, please pray this prayer:  ‘God I know that I would like to thank you for all these things from my heart in all seriousness but I know I can’t.  I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of your saving grace and forgiveness.  I am sorry for my sins, please forgive me and be my Lord and Savior.  Free me from the bondage of sin and all the addictions in my life and make me a new creation in you and flood my soul with your peace, love and joy.  I thank you and praise you Lord in Jesus’ name I pray, amen!!’

If you were truly sincere, welcome to the family of God, now go share what you have done and what the Lord has done for you and start growing in your new found faith.  Pray for a God fearing, Bible believing church where you can go and grow.  Now you can thank the Lord from the heart for all the things listed above and more and I hope you will!!

Patience in Suffering

This is one of the hardest things for me to do.  Instead of being patient while suffering I grumble and complain and even have a pity party at times.  I also blame God and sometimes throw a fit in my mind accusing God of not really loving me.  How come we can read and hear and study the Word knowing that even believers suffer but somehow we forget these things when it happens to us, blaming God and throwing a hissy fit, to our shame.  We live in a fallen world with fallen people but for some reason we think as believers we should be exempt from suffering.

It would be nice if we looked at our struggles as opportunities for growth and not as things to complain about.  When we are under pressure our true character comes forth.  Think of this, a tree can stand and look strong but until the storm hits you will never know if the tree can stand against it.  It is the same with us, until we face trials and tribulations we will never know our ability to stand and not falter under the pressures of life.  God’s desire isn’t always to keep us from pain but to build our character through it and to change us into His image and likeness.  Jesus is God’s only begotten Son but He wasn’t exempt from suffering, He suffered more than any of us.

It says this in Hebrews 5:5-10:

“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:

‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.’

As He also says in another place:

‘You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek’;

who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek.’”

Read what it says in James 1: 2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

The word temptation here refers to trials or testing not meant as an enticement to do evil.  God never provokes us to sin when testing us.

Read this in James 1:12-15, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Suffering is something we all as believers need to expect, the question is not will we suffer, but what will our attitude be when we suffer?  Read what Peter says our attitude should be about persecution and, I think, any trial.

It is found in 1 Peter 4:12-16, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”

I think I have said enough on this subject, but I want to put this in here, the Bible says this in verse 16, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”

That is what I have done earlier in this ‘Tidbit,’ confessed my sin and I would appreciate your prayers so that I will be healed and not fall into this behavior again.  Thanks in advance!  Something for you to think about!  I hope this ‘Tidbit’ helps all who read it.  God bless you and have a super day!!

How Should We Pray

In Luke 11:1, Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray.  Then Jesus said this to them in verses 2-3:

“So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.”

This prayer may be a little different depending on which version you take it from.  First of all what we see here is that this prayer starts out with praise.  I think Jesus is teaching that we need to praise our Heavenly Father before we make our requests known.  If we do nothing else but ask for things in prayer we may lose our perspective of who God is and pray selfishly, trying to take advantage of God resulting in wasting time and energy.

The Word says this about these kinds of prayers in James 4:1-3, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”  

When believers act like this and pray these kinds of prayers it is harmful, showing that the flesh is in control and needs to be crucified.  Our selfish desires are on display and it can be ugly.  Instead of the power grab fighting for what we want, we need to seek God and what His will is for us and let Him take control, doing our best to fulfill His will in our lives and in our prayers. Remember God knows what we need before we ask.

Think about what it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Before we can expect anything from God, God has to be our first priority and then when we ask in faith we can expect our prayers to be answered.  I think thanking and praising God before we ask anything in prayer is a good thing, it shows where our priorities are.  If we can only thank and praise Him when we receive something from His hands then I think we have a problem.  I have tried to encourage people to thank and praise the Lord for a very long time, not just for what He has done or what He is going to do but for what He is and who He is.  If God inhabits the praise of His people, and I believe He does, then it is important that we praise Him.

Then Jesus went on to say this in Luke 11:4,

“And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus forgave us of our sins at a great price and we need to forgive anyone who has sinned against us.  If we don’t choose to forgive them then we can’t expect to be forgiven.  Another important point is to ask God not to lead you into temptation but to deliver you from evil.

Then Jesus taught His disciples about being persistent in prayer in verses 5-8, “And He said to them, ‘Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”

Not giving up but being persistent in prayer is very important.  

Jesus told another parable about being persistent in prayer in Luke 18:1-8, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: ‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’

Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’”

Something to think about!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!   

PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!