Pride

I have heard it said that pride stinks and the only one that doesn’t smell it is the one who has it.  Read Proverbs 16:18-25, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning. Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Did you ever see anyone that was so confident and so haughty and arrogant that they didn’t think that they ever needed correction because they were so far above all that?  If you threw them a life line, or rope, they would rather dangle over a bridge on a thread rather than to admit that they might be wrong?  Pride comes in different forms, and I think we all have experienced it in one form or another; I know I have and thank the Lord when He has to, He humbles me, and then I need to repent and adjust my way of thinking.  Think of this, Peter and the other disciples had to deal with pride also.

Read Mark 14:26-31, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’ But he spoke more vehemently, ‘If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And they all said likewise.”

They were all so sure that they would die with Jesus, but what happened?    Peter ended up denying the Lord three times and the others denied Him also by running away.   

                                                                                   

Have you ever desired to help someone you considered a friend and then they got offended, and suddenly they stopped being your friend, basically because their pride may have been wounded?  It really hurts because you care so much.  This is my advice, pray for the person or persons and leave them in the Lord’s hands, He knows what is best in every situation.  

Enough said, may you and yours have a blessed day and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!

Truth

I guess I am not the kind of person who likes conflicts.  I realize sometimes it seems unavoidable, especially in the world we live in today.  All you need to do is speak the truth and you will upset someone or offend them.  Jesus tried to tell people the truth and what did He get for His efforts?  He was humiliated, spit on, scorned, beat and whipped, and then hung on a cross with nails pounded through His hands and feet and He also was pierced in His side and a crown of thorns rammed down on his head; and all this for telling the truth, a man who had never sinned was treated like a criminal.  And since then, there have been many others all through history that have suffered for telling the truth.

I have heard it said that the truth hurts, but I feel this way; although the truth may hurt it is the reaction to the truth statement that hurts the most not just the truth itself, it all depends on what side of the truth you are on or whether you even hold to a standard of truth at all.  I like the way the Berean church responded to the truth about the Word of God, read Acts 17:8-12, “And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”

Some people find the truth and to them it is like finding treasure and they just keep seeking for more truth and the great thing about it is they get freer and freer.  Read what it says in God’s Word John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

On the other hand, some people will never know the truth because they can’t seem to grasp the truth, believing that there is no truth in the first place so, falling into falsehood they become deceived, plus the enemy of their soul blinds their minds so they cannot receive the things of God, which is a real shame.

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Now read the good news, there is always hope because the Lord can open anyone’s eyes and ears and remove the veil from anyone’s mind because He is much more powerful than the enemy and He wants to set the captive free.  Some people may read this, but they won’t believe it.  I guess it is like this, if you won’t stand for something you will end up falling for anything.

Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life.  Read John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

No matter how long you study God’s Word, I don’t know if anyone would ever know all there is that can be known.  Many times, the Word is taken out of context and many good, solid evangelists and preachers have fallen into this trap along with teachers and many saints that don’t have either one of these titles.  

As for me, I want to always have a hunger and thirst after righteousness, also for the Word of God and I hope you feel the same way.  Hopefully this has been a blessing and encouragement to you.  May you and yours have a blessed day!!   

Thanks, And Praise to Adonai

Some people try to give the impression that a testimony needs to be either a miracle or something that hinges on the miraculous and I strongly disagree.  We take so many things for granted in our lives.  If you got out of bed this morning, that is a testimony in my way of thinking.  It is sort of like being raised from the dead.  Think about it, when you are sleeping you are aware of nothing, to say nothing about how the good Lord kept you from the evil one throughout the night.  Now think of this, not everyone, because of physical problems, can get out of bed in the morning and others may never see another day so they don’t wake up in the morning.  Maybe that is why I don’t hear many people testifying in church, because maybe they haven’t had what some people call a miraculous healing in their lives.  What about this, we could give a testimony on how many things the Lord has kept us from in our health and in so many other areas of our lives.

Maybe we aren’t so sensitive to other people’s problems because we don’t have to face these things in our own lives, so they just seem to dull our senses.  Personally, I love to hear people thanking and praising and giving a testimony of what the Lord has done and what the Lord has kept them from during their walk with Him, but I think that many are hindered because of feeling out of place or being told that they can’t because it may not have anything to do with a miraculous healing.  It is nice to be miraculously healed, I know that first hand because I have been miraculously healed for which I have thanked and praised the Lord many times giving testimonies about it.         

I have some scriptures on praise from the book of Psalms I would like you to read.

Psalms 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalms 106:1, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Psalms 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

Psalms 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Psalms 146:1-10: “Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

While I live I will praise the Lord;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Do not put your trust in princes,

Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;

In that very day his plans perish.

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that is in them;

Who keeps truth forever,

Who executes justice for the oppressed,

Who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

The Lord raises those who are bowed down;

The Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the strangers;

He relieves the fatherless and widow;

But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

The Lord shall reign forever—

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!”

And the last one, Psalms 150:1-6; “Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!”

We should thank and praise the Lord in all things, giving Him adoration and exaltation for He is worthy, praise His holy name!!

They sure knew how to thank and praise the Lord in David’s day!! Regardless of what we are facing or going through, we all need to praise and thank the Lord, even if we are in such a struggle and it is so hard to praise and thank the Lord for it, the best thing we can do is give the good Lord a sacrifice of praise.  I don’t think anyone should be hindered in their testimony or hindered from thanking and praising the Lord for He is worthy!!  

Now think of this, the Lord inhabits the praise of His people, yes, He loves it when we thank and praise Him, and I believe that He loves it when we testify about the amazing things he is doing and has done in our life, praise the Lord!!  I hope this has been a blessing and an encouragement.  May you have a super day, and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!