Who is your Master?

These are notes taken from a sermon given by my pastor, Randy Nation as few months ago.  These are mostly his words with some of my own added.  His message was entitled “Debt or Freedom”.  I call it “Who is your Master?”

Our Mistake:

Have you ever bought something you wished you had never bought?  As most of us do at times we buy because get talked into things we think we need or should have.  That happened to us a few years ago when we went on a vacation get-away for only $69.  It sounded like a good deal.  We went to beautiful Sedona.  It was breath-taking.  When we arrived, we were told we had to sit through a short sales pitch with no obligation to buy.  Right!  We left with a Time Share.  They made us think this was something we must have and we were convinced.  Bad mistake! 

Yes, we used the time share points each year and had great family vacations.  However, every time we arrived at our vacation resort we had to sit through another boring time consuming “update to our time share account”.  Each time they tried to talk us into upgrading to a bigger and better time share.  Of course we would say no thank you but received a free dinner coupon for our trouble.  Also we received numerous sales calls at home – at least 3 a week wanting to rent our points, give us another free vacation because we were an owner, buy our time share, or something.  This was very aggravating and they would not stop!  I think our time share people put our names on a list and all these calls were from others who wanted to benefit from a sucker like us.  Also, did I mention we had yearly maintenance fees that went up every year?  My advice is NEVER BUY A TIME SHARE!!

Several times we tried to sell it, but all the companies seem to be a scam.  They all wanted money to try to sell it for us.  Finally, we did sell it and took a huge lose.  I guess we learn by our mistakes. 

What is debt?

Debt is not a tool – People say it’s a way to use other people’s money.

Debt can be an idol – An idol is where we spend our energy.  Our credit card can be our idol.
Debt plays to our weaknesses – We don’t have self-control.  We are a slave to our Master Card.
Debt is our master – we can’t say “no”.

The world says we are who we hang out with, where we live, what kind of car we drive, etc.  We want to keep up a good appearance so we buy what we want when we want it.  Proverbs 22:7 – “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” 

There are 2 kinds of slavery: (1) Imposed – we didn’t volunteer; (2) Selective – we volunteered to be under someone.  This is what we’ve done.  We sacrifice our family for debt by arguing about money, worrying about money, and working more to pay on the debt.  Instead of saying, “Do I need this or how much does it cost?” we say, “Can I afford the payments?”  Debt is a cruel master. 

Do you serve God or Money?  The Bible says we cannot serve two masters.  1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”  There is freedom in Christ.  Which master do you serve?  Credit cards are deceptive.  When you make a purchase, they don’t remind you will get a bill at the end of the month.  It’s liked being chained up.  It controls you like a weight around your neck.  Believe me there is grief when there is debt.

There are 4 aspects of debt:  (1) Mentally it says I will never be free.  (2) Physically says I desire it.  (3) Emotionally says it will make me happy. (4) Spiritually it says God isn’t taking good care of me.  People want to give more generously to others, but there are tied up financially and mentally.

We need to wait on God if we can’t afford something.  The average family debt is $8,000 – $15,000.  After paying the interest, you’ve paid it back 3 times over.  Americans have an average of 3 ½ credit cards.  The divorce rate is 52% and divorce in the first 7 years of marriage is 90%, because of money. 

What can you do?

Romans 13:7-8 says “Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect then respect; if honor, then honor.  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.”  So bankruptcy is not the answer.  One debt you won’t have to pay is the debt you owe Christ.  What happened to that?  The debt of sin had to be paid and Jesus paid it for you.  You can’t pay that debt, because God is good! 

We could be victorious and do something about it.  1 John 4:4 – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”  We have freedom in Christ.  He paid our debt and will help us manage our finances, if we will let Him.  Just say “I will do something about this” and ask God to help you.  How can you fail?  He will give you strength and wisdom.  Why is it important?  You can give to people in need and spend your money on whatever you want.  We own him our allegiance.  Allow God’s Holy Spirit to control us.  That’s the master we want.

There is also Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University which is usually is offered in churches for a small fee.  Dave also has many books on the subject of debt and how to get out of it.  He teaches you exactly what debt is, how to get out of it, how to make a budget, how to save money and how to build wealth.

We need to be content with what we have.  Contentment is real financial freedom.  “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have…” – Hebrews 13:5.  Jesus talked more about money that He did heaven or hell.  There are over 700 verses that talk about money in the Bible.  Financial freedom is found as you apply the biblical principle of work, investing, budgeting and avoiding debt in your life.  Every financial decision is a spiritual decision and obedience in giving to God helps us remember to keep God first in our finances.  It’s not our money; it all belongs to God.  Make Him your master.

Who Is God?

By ourselves we can never discover God.  We could never know Him unless He revealed Himself.  Has God revealed Himself?  The Bible says yes!  From cover to cover, the Scriptures are filled with insights into His character.

God exists as three Persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  God exists everywhere.  He knows everything.  He has all power and authority.  He is just, loving, truthful, holy, compassionate, merciful, and shows us grace.  God judges sin, but also offers forgiveness.

God created the universe and everything in it.  He is executing His eternal plan that involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death by drawing people to Christ.  God in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ became human and bridged the gap between God and man.  It is through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins and be reconciled with God.  Jesus offers us eternal salvation and all we have to do is believe and trust Him.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” – John 4:3.  Jesus also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6.

What is God like?

Some of the names for God recorded in Scriptures are:

“God Almighty” - Genesis 17:1; “the Lord our Maker’ - Psalm 95:6; “Father” - Luke 11:2; “Ruler”, King of kings and Lord of lords” - 1 Timothy 6:15

Read Isaiah 45:18-24 for a list of truths about God.  We also discover more about Him in Isaiah 40:28 – “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power to the weak.”  John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

God is all-powerful (omnipotent) – Rev. 19:6

God is all-Knowing (omniscient) – Heb. 4:12-13
God is everywhere (omnipresent) – Ps. 139:7-12
God is eternal – Ps. 90:1-2, Deu. 33:27
God never changes (immutable) – Mal 3:6, Heb. 13:8
Deuteronomy 7:9 – Know that He is God and is faithful and keep his promises.
Psalm 119:37 – He is righteous and His laws are right.
Psalm 130:3-4 – He keeps no records of our sins.
1 Peter 1:15-16 – He is holy.
1 John 1:5 – He is light.
1 John 4:15 – If we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, He lives in us.

Psalm 90:2 – “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Jeremiah 32:17 – “You have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you.”
James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
1 John 3:20 – “For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is the sovereignty of God.  He is in control of everything.  These verses affirm the sovereignty of God:  Proverbs 21:1, Isaiah 14:27, Acts 4:26-28.

What does God do?

God knows what is going on in the world today.  2 chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

God is the ultimate judge.  Psalm 75:6-7 – “No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.  But it is God who judges:  He brings one down, he exalts another.”

God loves us.  Jeremiah 31:3 – “I have loved you with an everlasting love…..”.  Ephesians 3:19, and John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God is there to help us.  Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

What does God expect from you?

Where do you turn for help when in trouble?
Do you turn to God first or as the last resort?

What does God expect from us?

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God;”

Psalm 95:6 – “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.”
Luke 10:27 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.”
Acts 5:29 – “We must obey God rather than men!”
Romans 2:13 – “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.”
John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 15:10 – “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
1 John 3:14 – “Those who obey his commands live in him and he in them.  And this is how we know that he lives us:  We know it by the spirit he gave us.”
1 John 5:2 – “This is love for God:  to obey his commands.”
Matthew 28:19-20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Do you believe that God is the Creator?

Do you love God?
Do you find it hard to obey God’s commands?
Do you ask Him to help you to obey?

Why should we know God?

The following references explain some of the essentials in knowing God.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 - "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your."

Psalm 100:4 - "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who come to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

What was David’s counsel to his son?  1 Chronicles 28:9 – “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understand every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

Do you teach your children to serve Him?

Do you live as an example for them?

God is our Guide

Ex. 33:13-15 – God is always present with His people.

2 Sam. 22:29 – God is our lamp who turns darkness into light.
Ps. 5:8 – God leads in His righteousness.
Ps. 23:2-3 – God leads to places of quiet rest and righteousness.
Ps. 25:5, 9 – God guides the humble according to His truth and way.
Ps. 27:11 – God leads in a straight path.
Ps. 31:3 – God’s guidance is for the sake of His name.
Ps. 48:14; Is. 58:11 – God always guides His people, even to the end.
Ps. 61:2 – God guides us beyond ourselves to Him.
Ps. 139:24 – God helps us identify sin and leads us to repentance.
Is. 40:11 – God guides those who have young.
Is. 42:16 – God guides through unknown, unfamiliar, dark, and rough places.
Is. 57:18 – God comforts as He guides.
Luke 1:79 – God guides us into the path of peace.
John 10:3-4 – God goes before His people to show the way.
John 16:13 – God guides into all truth.

Do you read your Bible daily? 

Do you look to God as your guide?
Do you pray and if so, How often?

How can I get to know God and how can I apply the Bible to my life?

You can’t apply it, if you don’t read it.  The goal in reading is to get to know God and learn His ways and understand His purposes for you and the world.  When reading the Bible, you can see what a Christian life should look like.  Not only do you need to read the Bible, but you need to study it.  How do you study it?  To study it means to prayerfully devote time and attention to acquiring knowledge on a particular person, subject or passage in the Bible.  Psalm 1:2 says anyone who meditates on God’s Word is blessed – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  Rev. 1:3 – “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

 
There are many helpful study guides available as well as many Bible studies.  One of my favorites is attending Bible Study Fellowship International.  BSF is an in-depth, interdenominational Bible study with classes in 38 countries with people of all ages and cultures.  BSF walks you through a book of the Bible, verse by verse and gives you application questions to think about.  This study draws you closer to God and gives you a better understanding of God and His love.  To find out more about BSF, just look on the internet - https://www.bsfinternational.org/ for more info on a study near you.

Walking In The Light

This is one of my original poems taken from 1 John 1.

When walking with Him I walk in the light.

In God there is no darkness.

For Jesus’ blood does purify me from sin,

with Him I have forgiveness.

 

He’s with me each and every day

and His commands I try hard to keep.

He is always faithful and just.

He makes my joy complete.

 

The message I’ve heard from the beginning

to love one another.

I have passed from death to life,

because I love my brother.

 

What I will be in heaven

has not yet been made known,

but I know someday I’ll be with Him

as He sits on His heavenly throne.

 

God has given me eternal life

and this life is in His Son,

For my faith in Jesus Christ will carry me through

and the battle together He and I have won.

                                                                 --- by Linda Vittitow

What Does It Mean To Believe?

The definition of believe from the dictionary is:  to be persuaded of the truth or existence of; to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of; to accept the truth of something.

Even the demons believe.

To believe means to have faith.  The Bible tells us in James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”  Demons believe in the existence of God and that He has prepared a place called hell for Satan and his angels.  They shutter because they know they are going there.  They were the first to recognize that Jesus was the Son of God, but they did not submit to Him.  They believe as much or more that you do about Christ.  Their faith is purely intellectual.  It does not change their lives.  We humans can believe in the existence of God, too.  We can believe in the Bible, but still we could go to hell for eternity just like the demons.

The Bible tells us in John 4:16-53 about a nobleman who had faith.  He had historical faith, intellectual faith and trusting faith.  When he had trusting faith, he was saved.  Heb. 11:6 tells us “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

What is the gospel?

We need to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What is the gospel?  It’s the story of Jesus:  That He is the Son of God; He came to earth in human form; He lived a sinless life; He was crucified on the cross as a substitution for you and I; He was buried; God raised to life three days later, which is called the resurrection; He ascended into heaven and is preparing a place for us forever.

Before He ascended into heaven He appeared to Peter, John, the 12 disciples, to Thomas and then even to as many as 500 people at once.  His brother James did not believe He was who He said he was, but after His resurrection James was convinced.  He wrote the book of James.  Later, Jesus even made a special appearance to Paul on the road to Damascus.  These are just some of the appearances the Bible tells us about.  There may have been many others. 

We believe a lot of things.  We believe in magic, even we know it is not true.  We believe the car will start when we turn the key.  We believe the electricity will come on when we flip the switch.  We don’t know how, but we believe it.  So if we believe without seeing, we are more blessed.  We trust everything based on creditable witnesses.  We have never seen Abe Lincoln, but we know he existed.  The resurrection proves that everything Jesus said is true.  It’s the proof that everything about Jesus is true.  See John 20 and 21 for the full account of the resurrection of Jesus.

Without the gospel there is no hope.  You will not be saved if you do not believe.

Are you one of thousands of people who believe in Jesus, but don’t trust Him as Lord?  Believing in Jesus means you acknowledge God as Creator, admit you are a sinner, confess your sins and repent (turn away from) of them.  It means trusting Him as Lord.  It means accepting His teachings.  It means obeying His laws.  It means believing His Word.  It means being baptized.  Baptism does not save you, but it is an outward symbol of a person’s new life based on turning from breaking God’s laws to obeying God’s laws.  

If you are a child of God then there are things to practice for spiritual growth:  unite with a Bible-believing church, pray daily in all circumstances, read your Bible daily, and witness for Him. 

Remember you are not perfect.  Only God is perfect.  You will mess up from time to time.  But God is always with you and He always forgives.

God is waiting for you to come to Him.  He doesn’t want you to go to hell.  That’s why He’s waiting and waiting before He returns again.  He wants to give everyone a chance to believe and trust in Him.

 

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9

“To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” — John 1:12

“He asked, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.’” — Acts 16:30-31

My Secret to A Life of 70 Years

People say I am too active and look too young to be 70 years old.  They want to know my secret.  I have looked younger than my age all of my life.  A lot of it is probably due to heredity.  My mom always looked young for her age. When I was a teen, people use to think she was my older sister. 

Living a clean life:  I was never a party girl and don’t smoke or drink and never have.  I think those things take a tole on your skin and overall health. 

Attitude:  Attitude is also a key.  You take what life has given you and you make the best of it.  You should never throw yourself a pity party.  Look at all your blessings and thank God for them.  Also always look for the good in people and in life.

Being thankful:  I thank God that I have always had good health, plenty of food to eat, shelter over my head, parents that loved and provided for me as a child, a good job making good money, and a husband and children who love me and are there with me through all the ups and downs. I also now have grandchildren who are the joy of my life.  I think they may be keeping be active and young, too.

Church and Christian friends:  There is also my church and many Christian friends who are always there to encourage, support, and pray for me.  Fellowship with other Christians has always been very important.  If you don’t have a church or Christian friends, you are missing out on many blessings God has for you.  We all need good friends to do life together. 

Don’t worry:  I never really worry about tomorrow, because I know God will take care of it.  When my husband was laid off from work, I looked at it as a new chapter in life.  Then God provided a better job.  When my company was downsized and I lost my job, I never worried about it either.  I got a better job making more money that before.  Then a few years later, that company moved out of state and I lost that job.  Again, I never worried.  I took that opportunity and retired.  Now my life is better than ever before.  Through all the changes in finances due to job losses, we still survived. 

It is God who blesses:  Most of all it is God who has blessed me.  I know God is in control.  He will take care of tomorrow.  He always wants what is best for me.  All I can do is try to live a life pleasing to Him, stay trusting Him, stay on my knees, and He takes care of the rest.

 

Prayer

What is prayer? 

It is a spiritual communion with God as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.  We can pray anywhere and anytime.  There is no specific way to pray and no specific times we should pray.  All we need to do is speak to God from our heart.  We can pray silently or audibly.  We can pray alone or with a group.  We can pray while driving to work, school or to the grocery.  We pray over our food, when we lie down to sleep, when we awake each morning.  We pray when we are troubled and when we are happy.  We are to pray without ceasing.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer.  There is no certain posture for prayer.  Your prayers don’t need to be wordy or have impressive speech.  "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again." – Matthew 6:7.  “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few”. – Ecclesiastes 5:2.

Why should we pray?

Prayer develops our relationship with God.  Prayer is communicating with God and helps us grow closer and more intimate with Him.  God instructed us to pray and when we pray we are obedient to Him.  “Keep alert and pray.  Otherwise temptation will overpower you.  For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!” – Matthew 26:41.  “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” – Luke 18:1.  We pray so we will know what God’s will is for our lives.  We pray to seek direction and wisdom.  Praying demonstrates our faith in God.  We pray for forgiveness of sins.  We pray for those who don’t know Jesus.  We pray for God’s provision.  We pray thanking God and praising Him for who He is and for what He has done.

If you don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will help you.  “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” – Romans 8:26-27.

The Bible says we are to pray with a humble heart and if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him – Jeremiah 29:13.  We are to have faith when we pray. – Mark 11:24.  We are to be sure we have confessed our sins, because “… The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” –  James 5:16.

 God hears our prayers and always answers them.  It may not be the answer we want, but He answers with, yes, no, or not now.  God wants us to pray with other believers and also to pray alone and in secret. 

How should we pray?

 The “ACTS” Prayer is a good example of how pray.

A – Adoration – Praise God for who He is – holy, perfect merciful, loving, powerful, etc.

C – Confession – Confession allows us to clear away things which are displeasing to God by seeking His forgiveness.

T – Thanksgiving – We should thank God for the blessings He gives to us and for what He will give us.

S – Supplication – Now we can ask God for our needs and the needs of others.

God wants a relationship with us.  For our relationship with Him to develop we must talk with Him regularly.  

The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus is a prime example of living a life of prayer.  He prayed for God’s guidance and leading.  He prayed prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for healing, prayers for His disciples and prayers for believers both present and in the future.  In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches how to pray.  We do not need to use these actual words, but use them as a model.

“Our Father in heaven,” - He is the creator and the Great Parent of us all.

“hallowed be your name,” – God is essentially holy.  We are to acknowledge the supremacy of God and His relationship to us. 

“your kingdom come,” – This is a wanting God to reign everywhere and that His laws be obeyed till the world is filled with His glory.  

”your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” – God’s will is that men should obey His law and live holy lives.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – He tells to pray for both our physical as well as our spiritual needs.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  – We are to have an attitude of forgiveness.  If we forgive others, then God will forgive us.

“And do not lead us into temptation,” – We are to trust God for deliverance over temptation (anything that tests our virtue) and sin.

“but deliver us from the evil one.” – The evil one is Satan.  Deliver us from his power, snares, temptations.

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” – God has control and power over everything and with Him all things are possible; and not our honor, but His be displayed through all the earth.

How does prayer affect our lives?

When we face trying circumstances, it pays to pray.  Prayer relieves stress.  If we truly trust God, there is no need to be anxious or worry about the future.  Prayer does work.  There are numerous accounts in the Bible of answered prayers plus we all know stories of answered prayer from those around us.  God wants us to seek His help for our needs and desires.  When we pray, it draws us closer to God.

When do you pray? 

Do you only pray before the Thanksgiving meal or when you need something?
Do you find it hard to make time to pray?
We can take an hour out to exercise, watch TV, etc. so why not give time each day to God?
Do you offer praise and thanks to God for all He has done in our life?
Do you trust God will hear and answer your prayers?

Pride

Is pride always bad?  There are two kinds of pride.  Pride is reasonable or justifiable self-respect; or improper and excessive self-esteem known as conceit or arrogance.  Paul expresses the positive kind of pride in 2 Cor. 7:4 when speaking of the confidence he has in Christians.  The pride of doing a job well and the pride that comes from self-righteousness are very different.  God hates the self-righteous, because it hinders us from seeking Him.  Sinful pride appears in the Scripture frequently in both Old and New Testaments.  Pride is a sin of attitude.  It is evaluating self over God.  Examples of proud people are found in both Testaments.  It was the downfall of King Uzziah, Hezekiah, the Pharisee in the temple, Herod, and others.  It can bring down individuals and nations.

At the top of the Seven Deadly Sins list is Pride.  It is the root of so many sins; however it is not considered to be a deadly sin in society today.  We are taught to have pride. We are told as early as elementary school to “believe in yourself”.  We don’t see pride in ourselves, but we do see it in others.  Pride is looked up to and we think it is something we should aspire to.

The Seven Deadly Sins never occur as a list in the Bible, but does occur many many times individually.  Scripture condemns all seven.  God hates pride.  It’s hard to image that God hates anything, but He does hate pride.  “God opposes the proud – but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6, Proverbs 3:34.  He hates it, because He loves us.  Pride is like a cancer.  It brings destruction to relationships. 

All people have pride in their lives and it surfaces in many ways.  It shows up in businesses, when executives are unwilling to listen to their people or their customers.

It shows up in our personal lives in many ways -----

It makes us ignorant – We think our opinion is better than others.  Prov. 2 says we think we know better.
It makes us argumentative with our spouses, our children, etc.
It makes us defensive.
It can show up in the way we look at another person.
It makes us not want to do things we think are beneath us.
It makes us boast about our accomplishments – We are seeking admiration and Acknowledgment of others.  We take credit for abilities given to us by God.
It makes us desire to be admired by others.
It makes us stubborn – We can’t say we are wrong. 
It makes us critical of others – We find fault in others and we are quick to blame others.
It makes us ungrateful – We should be thankful in all circumstances.
It makes us selfish – We focus on self.  We should be humble.
It makes us have selfishness ambition – Doing things for the wrong reasons and not doing them to glorify God.
It makes us self-conscious – We are always focused on looking good or appearing to be better than we really are.
It makes us prejudice – We want others to measure up to our standards.
It makes us unteachable – We think we know it all and don’t need to learn more.
It makes us bitter, angry and lack forgiveness of others.
It makes us trust ourselves instead of God – This makes us lack a prayer life.
It makes us jealous of other’s successes.
It keeps us from God – Keeps us from praying, because we think we can do it by ourselves and we don’t need God’s help.
It makes us not want to admit our sins. – It sets the wrong example that may keep others from accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

Who do you think of when you read this list?  Do you think of other people who might fall into this category and not think of yourself?  That’s the pride in you.  “The pride of your heart has deceived you…” – (Obadiah 3).  What keeps you from seeing the pride in you is pride.

When was the last time you admitted you were wrong about something?

How do you keep your head from becoming too big?

Who keeps your pride in check?
How has pride affected you?
How does pride manifest itself in your life?
What actions do you need to take to combat pride?

Moses struggled with pride.  He was raised with riches for 40 years then became a shepherd.  His heart changed.  When God called him, he said “Who am I”. – (Ex. 3:11).  He became humble.  Humility is the key to be used by God.  We look to people who have talents, confidence, and knowledge, but God used the humble throughout scripture. 

God chose Abraham and Sarah to birth a great nation, because they were humble.  He used Jacob, because he was insecure.  He used Leah who was unattractive, Rahab who was immoral, Gideon who was poor, David who had an affair, Jeremiah who was depressed, Jonah who was reluctant and dishonest, Naomi who was a widow, John the Baptist who was eccentric, Peter who was impulsive and hot tempered, Martha who was a worrier, Thomas who was a doubter, the Samiration woman who had several husbands, Paul who was in poor health, Timothy who was timid and the list goes on and on.

God gives grace to the humble.  “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – (James 4:10).  What would happen if you said, “God, I humble myself before you?”  It’s a hard thing to admit you are wrong and have sinned and to humble yourself.  We like to be important and we always want to be first in everything.  We always want to win in everything and be on top.  “… but in humility consider others better than yourselves. “ – (Philippians 2:3).  “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” – (Philippians 2:5).

Being humble is not being insecure.  What’s God calling you to do?  We need to understand who God is.  We need to have His confidence not confidence in ourselves.  It comes from God not for what we have done.  The good we’ve done is not from us, but from God.  He takes unlikely people and circumstances and uses them in His plan.

What do we do about our pride? 

First thing to do is recognize the pride in you, then you can get rid of it by asking God to reveal it to you and He will help you overcome it, work on acknowledging the accomplishments of others, and be inspiring and not arrogant.  Imitate Christ’s humility – (Phil. 2:1-9)  

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves.” – (Phil. 2:3). 

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded….. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.” – (James 4:7-10).

 “… Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” – (Rom. 12:3) 

“Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.” – (Rom. 12:16)

More Scriptures on Humility:

Job 40:12, Psalm 37:11; 119:21; 131:1; 138:6; 147:6; 149:4, Proverbs 3:34; 8:13; 10:8; 15:31,33; 16:5, 18-19; 29:23, Isa. 5:21; 57:15; 66:2, Micah 6:8, Matt. 18:3-4; 23:12, Luke 1:52; 14:7-11; 16:15; 18:9-14; 22:24-27, Mark 9:35, John 5:44, Rom. 12:3,16, 1 Cor. 1:28; 3:18; 13:4; 1 Peter 5:5-6, and many more.