My name is Pride

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6

Now read all of Daniel 4

If every believer had a spiritual day planner complete with a "to do" list, we might find one common denominator—the challenge to overcome pride is at the top. Perhaps no other spiritual obstacle is quite like this one. A simple reason exists for its Goliath proportions: pride is Satan's specialty.
Pride is the characteristic that most aptly describes him. It is the issue that had him expelled from heaven. It is still one of Satan's most successful tools in discouraging people from accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that pride is a problem only for the lost. The most effective means the enemy has to keep believers from being full of the Spirit is to keep us full of ourselves. No wonder the Bible states and restates that God hates pride. It is the enemy of genuine ministry. It is the end of many homes.
Scripture exhorts believers, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand" (1 Peter 5:6). God's Word also makes that very unsettling statement in Daniel 4:37: "Those who walk in pride he is able to humble." I believe the sum total of those two verses is that we can humble ourselves, or God can humble us. God won't put up with pride in His own children very long without dealing with it. He's much too faithful—and far too much is at stake. I know from personal experience that humbling ourselves is far less painful than inviting God to humble us. He tends to make sure His lessons "take." I am absolutely convinced that the most painful season God has taken me through to date was primarily to shatter my yoke of pride. A yoke, incidentally, I didn't even recognize I had. Believe me, I'm on the lookout for it now every single day.
In some ways, Christians have to be more alert to pride than anyone. If we don't presently have an issue that is actively humbling us, we veer with disturbing velocity toward arrogance and self-righteousness. We are wise to remember that Christ never resisted the repentant sinner. He resisted the religious proud and Pharisaic. Remember, pride wears many masks. I once spoke on pride only to have someone remark afterward that she had far too little self-esteem to have pride. Pride is not the opposite of low self-esteem, but rather the opposite of humility. We can have a serious pride problem that masquerades as low self-esteem. Pride is self-absorption whether we're absorbed with how miserable we are or how wonderful we are. We are wise to be on the constant lookout for pride in our lives. I believe we can safely say that if we're not deliberately taking measures to combat pride, it's probably doing something to combat humility.
Pride is the welcome mat in every figurative prison cell. All we have to do to remain bound in any area is to refuse to take responsibility for our strongholds and repent of the sin involved. Pride is a monumental boulder in the path toward breaking free.
These are some thoughts God gave me on the subject several years ago. May He use them to speak about the biggest injustice of pride: it cheats wherever it plays.

My name is Pride.

I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny...

because you demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment...

because you "deserve better than this."

I cheat you of knowledge...

because you already know it all.

I cheat you of healing...

because you're too full of me to forgive.

I cheat you of holiness...

because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.

I cheat you of vision...

because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you of a genuine friendship...

because nobody's going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love...

because real romance demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of greatness in heaven...

because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.

I cheat you of God's glory...

because I convince you to seek your own.

My name is Pride.

I am a cheater.

You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you.

Untrue.

I'm looking to make a fool of you.

God has so much for you,

I admit,

But don't worry...

If you stick with me

You'll never know.

Lord, please help me to remember the ugliness of pride as I go about my day. Thank You for showing me the dreadful effects of this sin. How I want to live a righteous life, in the name of Jesus! Take out my prideful heart and give me instead a genuinely humble heart that is pleasing to You. I love You, gracious Lord. Amen.

Adapted from Praying God's Word, by Beth Moore, pages 57-60. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000.

Sunday Morning March 22 2009

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Warm Inviting Hospitality

~Use hospitality one to another without grudging.~

1 Peter 4:9

Travel-weary and hungry, our family arrived in town just before dark.

Mama carried the baby while I, being the oldest boy, helped Papa with the luggage.

The scent of cinnamon and cloves drifted out to the yard to greet us. Suddenly the door flew open, and we were assaulted with hugs and greetings by a happy crowd of curly-blond Miller children.

"Here, let me carry that for you," they all seemed to say at once. The oldest daughter asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"

_______________________________________________________

So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.

At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. ______________________________________________________

Mr. and Mrs. Miller met us in the doorway grinning. Mama hugged Mrs. Miller and whispered her thankfulness for good friends and warm welcomes.

The Millers house was always warm and cozy, and without a word, we always knew we were welcome; Mrs. Miller and her daughters served our family with joy and ease. It seemed so natural--as if they were doing what they were created to do.

I observed how Mr. Miller pulled back Mrs. Miller's chair before she sat,
and I noticed a lump in my own throat as he prayed over our meal at dinner with such passion and genuine gratefulness to his God.

The Millers were Christians, but I have met Christians before--the man screaming on television and asking for money was a Christian. And the lady who lives next door to us must be a christian because she has one of those fish symbols on her car--and she handed me a gospel tract once-- but she must not like being a Christian much because she never smiles.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller seem to smile all the time.

But Papa says the Millers are a different kind of Christian.
Papa says being around the Millers makes him 'consider his ways'.
Tonight I saw him sitting in the corner thumbing through the Bible...and as I drifted off to sleep, I saw Mama kneeling beside Papa and I could have sworn I heard him weeping.

_______________________________________

Let no man seek his own, but every other man's wealth.

___________________________________________________

By showing hospitality to others, specifically unbelievers, a family exemplifies the Gospel in a living way.

By revealing what a Godly Christian marriage looks like, your parents demonstrate the wonder of Christ and His Bride.

By honoring your father and serving in your role as a maidenly daughter in your home, you display the appeal and loveliness of contented femininity.

A Christian family working together in love to bless and honor someone else beautifully communicates the scripture directive of putting others before ourselves.

Living out our Christianity in this fashion enables us to develop relationships and credibility with our guests. We may even be asked how in the world our family can function as it does, As God goes before us in this way, we are then ready to share the answer.

Since our righteousness in not due to our own personal human enlightenment, mere coincidence, or any unique spark of goodness we possess on our own, we have the opportunity to testify of the One to whom all glory and honor are due, We can tell of our gratefulness for the inestimable grace and love of our Savior and the power that He has to cleanse us of our sins and transform our families. Compare this ancient method of communicating the Gospel to the modern practice of passing our Christian tracts or street witnessing, and you may decide that you have found a quite natural ministry for your family--one where the whole family can be involved.

Imagine how the simple example of a Godly, loving family working together and joyfully serving others at hearth and home speak honestly of the transforming power and loving nature of God. Consider how communicating the Gospel in a living way, within the biblical roles of a real family, can be and effective means of exemplifying the grace of God and causing others to "consider their ways," When we seek God's wisdom and strength in living our lives and glorifying Him with all we have and do, we communicate Him and His Truth to the world.

Excerpts from Stacy McDonald

Noah Webster

"In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.
- Preface"

Noah Webster

I posted a link to the Noah's 1828 Dictionary so we can look things up.

Keepers At Home

Titus 2:4-5: "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their own husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, Keepers At Home..."

According to the words of God, I, one of the aged women, am commanded to teach the young women to be Keepers at home. This is not a suggestion; it is God's will for wives.

"I would therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully" 1 Timothy 5:14

God's will for a young women, according to the verse above, is that she guide the house and provide no occasion to bring reproach upon the family from Satan.

Let us give each other confidence with joyful noises and love offered through words of encouragement ~ this can mean the difference between gaining ground and giving in. Lady's it is a biblical mandate --it is fun -- and it is something we ought to do more of.

Let us Glorify God by feeding his sheep.

To Falter A Moment Would Be To Imperil Holy Interest

..Sorrow came to you yesterday, and emptied your home. Your first impulse now is to give up, and sit down in despair amid the wrecks of your hopes. But you dare not do it. You are in the line of battle, and the crisis is at hand. To falter a moment would be to imperil some holy interest. Other lives would be harmed by your pausing, holy interest would suffer, should your hands be folded. You must not linger even to indulge your grief...

J.R. Miller (1840-1912)

So true we must stay the course!!

Mrs. Susan Pollock Posted this and I think it is wonderful so I posted it as well.

Stand Firm & You Will See the Deliverance of the Lord

There are so many things in life that can make us discouraged.

This week was filled with many things that have me on the roller coaster of discouragement and feeling as if I were powerless to step off it.

Satan will very subtly sneak his way into our thought life and we must not allow him a foothold.

Emotions rise and fall; they deceive us, blinding us to ‘true purpose’ leading us astray, unable to fulfill our Lords calling.

Discouragement drains me. Leaving me feeling weighted down and tired, without motivation or creativity. We must be vigilant on meditating on the truth and being sober-minded as commanded to women in the Bible. We have to be very careful to carefully guard our thoughts and minds. Renewing our thoughts with Scripture is mandatory.

Our joyous spirits are ment to encourage and strengthen our husbands - to be help meets.
Oh how great an infulence we have over our homes ladies. Again I say...

Oh how great an influence we have over our homes ladies.

Power to enrich and warm
Let us fight a good fight and not grow weary in doing good.
The discouraging things are temporary. What matters is how we handle it all and knowing the Lord has a purpose for it; To turn us closer to Him and never to rely on ourselves. Praise God for His mercy and kindness towards us!

So many challenges threaten to topple us. Derailment is not an option. We have a post that is ours alone;
to honor God is to stand firm.

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. Exodus 14:13

Changing The World With The Vision Of Multigenerational Faithfulness

Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller