JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick…”
“Follow your heart”!
How many times have we heard someone advise or counsel someone else with this creed?
A creed embraced by billions of people.
It’s a “statement of faith”… as one of the great and popular “cultural myths” of the western world… a “worldly gospel”… proclaimed in stories, movies, and songs.
Essentially, it’s a belief that your heart is a compass inside of you that will direct you to your own “true north”… if you just have the courage to follow it.
It’s a creed that says that your heart is a “true guide” that will lead you to true happiness… if you just have the courage to listen to it.
The creed says that if you are lost…your heart will save you.
This creed can sound so simple and beautiful and liberating.
For lost people it’s a tempting gospel to believe.
But it is a creed that is a false doctrine and a false hope!
Did you, or do you realize that your heart has “sociopathic” tendencies?
The truth is our heart continually thinks things that you would not wish to repeat.
Jesus stated in (Matthew 15:19) “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander”
My heart likes to think the best of me and the worst of others… unless those others happen to think well of me… and then they are wonderful people and I can allow them to be a part of my life and or world.
But if they don’t think well of me, or even if they just disagree with me… well then something is wrong with them.
And while my heart is pondering my virtues and others’ errors... it can suddenly find some “immoral
or horribly angry thought” very attractive... and then our heart will actually condemn us for what it contrives (1st John 3:19-24)
The truth is, our hearts will not save us... we need to be saved “from our hearts.”
The “follow your heart” creed certainly isn’t found in the Bible.
No, the Bible actually teaches that our hearts have a disease!
(Jeremiah 17:9) puts it like this. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (wicked)… who can understand it?”
The truth is, no one lies to us more than our own hearts.
Our hearts don’t tell us the truth… they just protect the sinful nature that lives in all of us.
The bible says… “the heart is at enmity with God”.
(Romans 8:7) explains that "the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God… it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so,"
Our hearts are not “naturally benevolent”… they are pathologically selfish.
In fact, if we do what our hearts tell us to do… we will pervert and impoverish every desire, every beauty, every person, every wonder, and every joy.
Our hearts want to consume these things for our own self-glory and self-indulgence.
No, our hearts will not save us… instead, we need to be saved from our hearts.
We need “a new heart”, that’s what God offers humanity thru Christ.
In fact the writer of Psalms prayed and begged God to “create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10)
It’s true we all need a leader, someone to “lead us into all truth”… but it must be someone who is not influenced or led by the deceptive heart of sinful man.
We need a leader, a guide, one will not lead us into deception, or evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”.
Our hearts were never designed to be followed… but to be led!
Our hearts were never designed to be gods in whom we believe… they were designed to “believe in God”.
If we make our hearts as god and allow them to lead us, they will lead us to narcissistic misery and ultimately damnation.
Our hearts cannot save us!
Our hearts cannot save us, because what’s wrong with our hearts… is the heart of our problem.
But if our hearts believe in God as they are designed to, then God saves us (Hebrews 7:25) and leads our hearts to exceeding joy (Psalm 43:4).
Therefore, don’t believe in your heart… direct your heart to believe in God.
We must not follow our heart… we must follow Jesus.
Note that Jesus did not say to his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled, just believe in your hearts.”
No… He said, “Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God… believe also in me” (John 14:1).
“Don’t follow your heart… follow Jesus.”
(Proverbs 14:12) says… “there is a way which seems right unto a man but it is the way of death”.
Though your heart will try to dictate your activities, do not follow it.
It is not a shepherd.
It is a pompous arrogant and rebellious sheep that due to the nature of sin… has wolf-like qualities.
What we need is a new heart.
That’s what God said through the prophet (Ezekiel 36:26) “and I will put a new heart in you”
Remember, your heart only tells you what you want, not what God wants.
Jesus is your shepherd (Psalm 23:1) – (John 10:11)
A shepherd leads sheep! Jesus said “my sheep know my voice”
Listen to His voice thru His word and follow Him (John 10:27)
In the words of one of the great hymns, “Let Him be the “heart of your own heart, whatever befall.”
Jesus is the Truth, He is the Way, and He will lead you to Life (John 14:6).
Follow Him not your heart!
Good day!
The truth is, our hearts will not save us... we need to be saved “from our hearts.”
The “follow your heart” creed certainly isn’t found in the Bible.
No, the Bible actually teaches that our hearts have a disease!
(Jeremiah 17:9) puts it like this. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (wicked)… who can understand it?”
The truth is, no one lies to us more than our own hearts.
Our hearts don’t tell us the truth… they just protect the sinful nature that lives in all of us.
The bible says… “the heart is at enmity with God”.
(Romans 8:7) explains that "the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God… it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so,"
Our hearts are not “naturally benevolent”… they are pathologically selfish.
In fact, if we do what our hearts tell us to do… we will pervert and impoverish every desire, every beauty, every person, every wonder, and every joy.
Our hearts want to consume these things for our own self-glory and self-indulgence.
No, our hearts will not save us… instead, we need to be saved from our hearts.
We need “a new heart”, that’s what God offers humanity thru Christ.
In fact the writer of Psalms prayed and begged God to “create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10)
It’s true we all need a leader, someone to “lead us into all truth”… but it must be someone who is not influenced or led by the deceptive heart of sinful man.
We need a leader, a guide, one will not lead us into deception, or evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”.
Our hearts were never designed to be followed… but to be led!
Our hearts were never designed to be gods in whom we believe… they were designed to “believe in God”.
If we make our hearts as god and allow them to lead us, they will lead us to narcissistic misery and ultimately damnation.
Our hearts cannot save us!
Our hearts cannot save us, because what’s wrong with our hearts… is the heart of our problem.
But if our hearts believe in God as they are designed to, then God saves us (Hebrews 7:25) and leads our hearts to exceeding joy (Psalm 43:4).
Therefore, don’t believe in your heart… direct your heart to believe in God.
We must not follow our heart… we must follow Jesus.
Note that Jesus did not say to his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled, just believe in your hearts.”
No… He said, “Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God… believe also in me” (John 14:1).
“Don’t follow your heart… follow Jesus.”
(Proverbs 14:12) says… “there is a way which seems right unto a man but it is the way of death”.
Though your heart will try to dictate your activities, do not follow it.
It is not a shepherd.
It is a pompous arrogant and rebellious sheep that due to the nature of sin… has wolf-like qualities.
What we need is a new heart.
That’s what God said through the prophet (Ezekiel 36:26) “and I will put a new heart in you”
Remember, your heart only tells you what you want, not what God wants.
Jesus is your shepherd (Psalm 23:1) – (John 10:11)
A shepherd leads sheep! Jesus said “my sheep know my voice”
Listen to His voice thru His word and follow Him (John 10:27)
In the words of one of the great hymns, “Let Him be the “heart of your own heart, whatever befall.”
Jesus is the Truth, He is the Way, and He will lead you to Life (John 14:6).
Follow Him not your heart!
Good day!
(Hebrews 8:12) "I will remember their sins no more".
When we have a situation where we have made a mistake or even worse, fallen to temptation, it is so hard to rise up after ward in our own strength.
We have our heart condemning us, we have the disproval of acquaintances around us, and we have the enemy of our soul accusing us!
That’s why we need to run to the cross and hide in the shadow of the Almighty… and let Him lift us up out of the mire and the condemnation.?
(1st John 3:20) "brethren for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things".
When Satan brings up your past, remind him of what God has said:
(Hebrews 8:12) “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness… and their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
(Isaiah 43:25) “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
It's not that God is forgetful… it's that He chooses not to remember your sins.
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And when you choose otherwise, (that is to keep dwelling on your sin) you question His forgiveness, which allows the enemy to guilt-trip you,
And then you wind up forfeiting “the confidence you need” to receive what God has promised you.
(1st John 3:21-22) “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God… and whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
It’s not that we do those things that are pleasing in His sight to earn His forgiveness or His favor or His love or His blessing.
But we strive to do them because we love Him despite what we have done or the mistakes we have made!
When you keep rehearsing your past you not only keep it alive, you empower it. ?
What you keep on deposit, you're more likely to withdraw and act on in a moment of weakness.
“As a man thinketh in His heart so is He” (Proverbs 23:7)
Only by accepting God's forgiveness, and forgiving yourself and others, can you break the hold your past has over you.
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Shame isn't a blessing… it's a weight Jesus took from you and carried for you on the cross… so set it down and walk away!
God's Word says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
Notice, there's a north pole and a south pole… but no east or west pole.
Why is that?
Because that distance between east and west is infinite and beyond measure.
Once you start in an easterly direction… you always go east… It never turns into west and vice a versa.
Once you start in a westerly direction you will always continue to go west… it never turns into east.
Are you getting the idea?
East and west never meet… and that why God tells us that He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Any time Satan brings up your past, it's because he hopes you're ignorant of the truth, and he fears your future and the potential power you have in Christ and he wants to rob you of it.
Don't take the bait!
Point him to the cross of Christ, refuse to discuss it further, and keep moving forward.
Now forgive yourself… walk in is forgiveness… and go do exploits ofr the kingdom of God.
Good Day!
(Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked… who can know it?”
The immediate context of this verse speaks of Judah’s sinfulness in spite of all the blessings of God.
The Hebrew word translated “desperately wicked” carries the idea of a terminal incurable illness.
Thru out the Old Testament, the nation of Judah is an example and illustration of the human heart of mankind.
Theirs was a condition that theologians have called “total depravity.”
The first three chapters of the Book of Romans also speaks of the “total depravity” of mankind.
The following verses serve to illustrate the point:
(Romans 1:29-32) “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.
They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful.
They invent ways of doing evil… they disobey their parents… they have no understanding… no fidelity… no love…no mercy.
Although they know God’s righteous decree (that those who do such things deserve death)… they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.”
(Romans 3:9-18) “What shall we conclude then? As it is written… There is no one righteous, no not even one… there is no one who understands… there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless… there is no one who does good, not even one.
Their throats are open graves… their tongues practice deceit… the poison of vipers is on their lips… their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness… their feet are swift to shed blood… ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
“Total depravity” describes the nature of every man woman and child ever born.
Every human being ever born was born to sin… and is completely consumed by sin!
And there is no hope of him or her turning it around and “getting better’ on their own.
We are all “desperately wicked.”
(Romans 8:8) says, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
“In the flesh” refers to the natural person who has not been regenerated by the Spirit of God.
The “illness” is terminal and incurable… so much so that Paul describes the unregenerate as “dead in trespasses and sins”.
(Ephesians 2:1)… (Colossians 2:13) “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins”.
The only hope for the sinful human heart is to be supernaturally changed.
To be transformed from above.
Where sin was once inscribed on the hearts of His people, God provides a new inscription…(Jeremiah 31:33) gives the solution…
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.
I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Jesus came to inaugurate a “New Covenant” with humanity, so that sins could be forgiven and sinners could be set free.
As “desperately wicked” people, we cannot “reform” our hearts by our own effort.
The only solution is for God to make our hearts new, washed clean from sin, and fundamentally transformed by His power.
Folks we cannot trust our heart, unless it has been regenerated and born again.
It must be filled with the Holy Spirit and His Word.
We need our “stony hearts of clay” renewed… or given a transplant as it were.
(Ezekiel 11:19) God says “A new heart will I put in my people”
Its part of what Jesus was talking about in the process of being “Born Again”.
I often wonder why it is… that some in this Christian walk… or journey of faith, continue acting out as if they are still part of the world and it’s system?
And the thought crosses my mind, “I wonder if they have ever been truly born again”?
Have they ever been given a heart transplant.
Not a judgment… just a thought!
(Matthew 7:15-20) Jesus says, “we will know the tree by the fruit that it produces”.
(Proverbs 4:23) tells us “that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.
(Luke 6:45) “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”.
So what is in your heart today?
Do you have the heart of the world still… or do you have the heart of God?
If you have the heart of the world then you are bound for chaos, heart ache and trouble.
If you have the humble heart of God, then you will be pliable and teachable and can begin to experience peace that passes all understanding and a joy that is un-describable and full of glory.
You be the judge today and be honest with your self.
(1st Corinthians13:5) “let a man examine himself and see if he be in the faith.”
You can’t be in the faith of God if you’ve an old stony heart of clay that is at enmity with God and in agreement with this world.
It’s like beating your head against a stone wall?
Do you need a heart transplant… do you want a heart transplant?
Call on Christ today and begin to walk with Him.
He says “behold I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5)
He says with man this is impossible, (Matthew 19:26) “but with God all things are possible!”
(3rd John 2:5) says “brethren I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers”.
Friend your soul can only begin to prosper when you have received the heart of God.
What are you waiting for?
Good Day!
It’s like beating your head against a stone wall?
Do you need a heart transplant… do you want a heart transplant?
Call on Christ today and begin to walk with Him.
He says “behold I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5)
He says with man this is impossible, (Matthew 19:26) “but with God all things are possible!”
(3rd John 2:5) says “brethren I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers”.
Friend your soul can only begin to prosper when you have received the heart of God.
What are you waiting for?
Good Day!
(Ephesians 5:2) "Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us"
When it comes to walking in love and forgiveness, it's very difficult on several fronts.
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First, it goes against the carnal nature of sin that we were all born with.
(Romans 3:23) ?”for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”
(Galatians 5:17) "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."
Second... there’s a chance others may never know you forgave the offence and the hurt and mental anguish that you went thru… so we don’t want to let it go or forgive because of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15)
Third, your heart breaks as you watch the offender live their life in total ignorance of your pain… as if they’d never sinned against you in the first place.
John Calvin pointed out that praying for the ability to forgive others unconditionally "is exceedingly difficult"… and early church theologian John Chrysostom called it "the highest summit of self-control".
The Bible says in (Job 42:10) that Job’s suffering ended and his prosperity was restored… once he was able to pray for those who’d become a thorn in his side.
When you pray this way you put into practice the words of Jesus in His famous Sermon on the Mount… "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44-45)
That’s Christ’s standard of forgiveness, and yes it’s a high one.
Maybe you’re wondering how anybody could possibly live that way.
Unfortunately our world and our society live with an attitude of revenge.
If someone hurts me they must pay.
But God says, "vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord… I will repay" (Romans 12:19)
Look at the life and death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr of the early church.
Even while his enemies were stoning him he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).
Therein lay one of the secrets of Stephen’s great witness, influence and effectiveness in the early church.
True forgiveness is the medicine that heals the deepest of our emotional wounds. ?
It closes the door on the past, and gives you grace and motivation to move forward and enjoy the life God wants you to live.
Forgiveness doesn't just set your offender free, but it actually sets you free!
I believe that the differences we fall into, the conflicts we get into with our brothers and sisters, husbands and wives… its all a matter of pride.
Because of the human sinful nature we all possess… we are all faced with the temptation to demand that our rights be respected… that my thoughts be considered worthy… that I be given preference and that I be looked up to.
And when we are not given that kind of respect or latitude… we tend to go into a defensive mode of self preservation… lashing out at those whom have offended us or, are not treating us in a manner we think we deserve.
But friend let me tell you this.
It’s all a matter of pride.
Pride is what causes humanity to say “I don’t need God I can do it on my own”.
Pride says I’m not a sinner I am a good person… I go to church… I don’t cheat, steal or lie.
Pride wraps itself in so called “good works”… but never truly looks at the heart.
But the fact of the matter is, the Bible teaches that the human heart has a disease.
(Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked… who can
understand it?”
Jesus the Great Physician, lists the grim symptoms of this disease… “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness and slander” (Matthew 15:9)
The truth is… if we are not on guard and aware of the “true nature” of our heart,
The devil will provoke us and stimulate our hearts with worldly or carnal thought processes…
Jesus the Great Physician, lists the grim symptoms of this disease… “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness and slander” (Matthew 15:9)
The truth is… if we are not on guard and aware of the “true nature” of our heart,
The devil will provoke us and stimulate our hearts with worldly or carnal thought processes…
causing us to inadvertently be a tool of dissension within the family of God stirring up strife… and there by thwarting the peace of God that is there to help us walk in true forgiveness.
I challenge you today with this thought.
If you call your self “a child of God”, then you are “duty bound to forgive”!
You have a responsibility to pursue peace in the body of Christ at any cost.
If you consider your self a child of God, then it is your “responsibility” before God to pursue peace with your brother, yes even if he has hurt you and is in the wrong.
The bible says (Colossians 3:15) “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body”
How do you do that?
You forgive, forgive, and then forgive some more!
Lay your pride down!
Let it go, give it to God, and choose to walk in love!
I challenge you today with this thought.
If you call your self “a child of God”, then you are “duty bound to forgive”!
You have a responsibility to pursue peace in the body of Christ at any cost.
If you consider your self a child of God, then it is your “responsibility” before God to pursue peace with your brother, yes even if he has hurt you and is in the wrong.
The bible says (Colossians 3:15) “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body”
How do you do that?
You forgive, forgive, and then forgive some more!
Lay your pride down!
Let it go, give it to God, and choose to walk in love!
And when I say “give it to God”, I don’t mean flippantly saying “ok God it’s your problem, deal with it”.
But with prayer and thanksgiving… yes even with tears and sorrow over the broken relationship…
Give the issue to God and ask Him to truly bring about His peace and give you the strength and the power to truly walk in forgiveness with the offender.
When you do, you will set yourself free from the chains of hurt, bitterness, unrest, anger, anxiety, and open the door for God to truly do a miraculous work of restoration and regeneration!
Good Day!
(Romans 12:2) “Do not be conformed to this world but be ye transformed”
There’s a question I find I am often asking myself in the face of conflict and stress.
In the face of challenges or decisions/choices that I have to make… that question is… “What would Jesus do”.
In order to answer that, we need to know the character of Christ.
It’s one of the reasons we need to study and hunger for an understanding of His Word, “The Bible”.
In that “book of the ages” we find these character traits of Christ.
:Humility (Matthew 20:26)
:Humble Service (John 13:1-5)
:Holiness (1st Peter 1:15-16)
:Righteousness (1st John 3:7)
:Purity (1st John 3:3)
:Love (Ephesians 5:1-2)
:Forgiveness (Colossians 3:13)
:Compassion (Ephesians 4:32)
:Endurance (Hebrews 12:2-4)
:Submission (1st Peter 2:21-4)
:Obedience (Philippians 2:5-8)
:Kindness (Luke 6:35)
:Generosity (2nd Corinthians 8:1-9)
All of these traits that I have listed here are qualities that we as His followers should have emanating from our inner most being to the world around us… that is if we truly want to be witnesses of Him.
But the truth is that we all fail in that… but it doesn’t mean we should stop trying.
I realize that we will never succeed in our own strength, to fully accomplish or see these traits fully manifested in our lives.
But if we don’t know what they are… then we won’t know what needs to be sought after.
For me I want to be known as a kind man, a loving man a “gentle” man… so I concentrate on these attributes and try to discipline myself to seek after them and let them become a part of me in my thoughts and actions.
Through prayer and daily reading of His Word, and thru daily soul searching at His feet, with these character traits on my mind... I find I don’t react to stresses like I once did.
It’s a continual journey.
Unfortunately I have to confess that I am not yet the man I want to be… but I can say “thank God I am not the man I was”.
And I thank God daily that He never gave up on me… nor will He give up on you for that matter!
So keep running the race, keep on practicing the traits of Christ in your life!
As you do you will find that little by little, line upon line, precept upon precept you have changed… and you no longer react to the challenges and the stresses of life as you once did.
Good Day!
(Matthew 5:5) "God blesses those who are gentle."
(Philippians 4:19) we read "The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you".
Jesus said in (Acts 1:8) "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth".
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, has a guard 24 hours a day.
Every hour on the hour, 365 days a year, a new soldier reports for duty.
When the new guard arrives, he receives his orders from the one who is leaving.
The words are always the same: "Orders Remain Unchanged."
The same could be said of the orders that Jesus gave to His disciples.
Just before He ascended to heaven, He told His followers, "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth".
One of the great aspects of Jesus life and ministry was that of "gentleness".?
Jesus said, (Matthew 5:5) "God blesses those who are [gentle]... for they will inherit the whole earth."
St. Francis de Sales said, "Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing so gentle as real strength."
Just as you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, people respond more readily to gentleness than aggressiveness.
The famous football coach John Wooden told the following story: "My dad, Joshua Wooden, was a strong man in one sense, but a gentle man. ?
He could lift heavy things men half his age couldn't, but he would also read poetry to us each night after a day of working in the fields raising corn, hay, wheat, tomatoes, and watermelons. ?
We had a team of mules named Jack and Kate on our farm.
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Kate would often get stubborn and lie down on me when I was plowing.
?
I couldn't get her up no matter how roughly I treated her. ?
Dad would see my predicament and walk across the field until he got close enough to say, 'Kate'!?
Then she would get up and start working again.
He never touched her in anger. ?
Coach John Wooden said “It took me a long time to understand that even a stubborn mule responds to gentleness."
When the bible speaks of "meekness", it's not speaking of "weakness".
Meekness simply means "power under control."
An unbroken horse is useless; an overdose of medicine kills rather than cures; wind out of control destroys everything in its path.
Jesus was powerful but He was gentle.
And you and I are called to follow in His footsteps and be His example to the world around us.
"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats (1st Peter 2:21).
So my challenge today is this.
Are we walking in the gentleness of Christ?
Seeing, reaching out, and doing our utmost best to be a resource to others that haven’t seen or experienced His love, His gentleness and His mercy?
Our orders remain the same...
Are we truly a witness of Him to the world around us?
Good Day!
Are we truly a witness of Him to the world around us?
Good Day!
(James 4:10) “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up”
I want to make a statement that I believe is one of the foundational evidences of anyone whom professes faith in God, and is a follower of Christ.
That statement is… “Humility is the evidence of genuine repentance”!
Humility and repentance are deeply intertwined foundations of the Christian faith… essential
for spiritual growth and a genuine relationship with God.
(Proverbs 16:18) "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
The verse emphasizes that when a person becomes overly self-confident… they are setting themselves up for failure or disaster.
Pride is the root cause of sin, producing entitlement, self-interest, conflict, and destruction in almost every aspect of life.
Humility however is the direct opposite… and the moral stance God requires for restoration and elevation by Him in His kingdom.
True repentance is not merely remorse.
It is an active, public submission to God’s authority… a turning away from sin, and a turning toward God that is demonstrated in visible behaviour and relationships.
(James 4:10) declares, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up”…
(Proverbs 16:18) "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
The verse emphasizes that when a person becomes overly self-confident… they are setting themselves up for failure or disaster.
Pride is the root cause of sin, producing entitlement, self-interest, conflict, and destruction in almost every aspect of life.
Humility however is the direct opposite… and the moral stance God requires for restoration and elevation by Him in His kingdom.
True repentance is not merely remorse.
It is an active, public submission to God’s authority… a turning away from sin, and a turning toward God that is demonstrated in visible behaviour and relationships.
(James 4:10) declares, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up”…
stating a clear… “if–then” principle.
Humility precedes divine exaltation.
Humility is a deliberate decision to submit to God and His authority…
Humility functions as the root cause of divine blessing because it aligns the heart with God’s will… “you before me”… “less of me and more of thee”.
Placing God and others ahead of ones self… opens the way for God to lift and bless those who genuinely humble themselves.
Memorizing and internalizing James statement (James 4:10) serves as a practical safeguard against the recurring temptations of pride.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up”
Humility must be evident in our relationships with one another…especially when facing conflict.
A humble person refuses to slander or speak evil of others, resists judgmental attitudes, and takes responsibility for their part in disputes, rather than shifting blame.
Public submission under God’s authority… transforms how conflicts are handled, disarming pride-driven responses… restoring right relationships
Humility is a mindset that produces concrete and positive actions of submission!
Genuine repentance and submission to God and His will… is proven by a life of obedience and by consistent choices that reflect submission to God’s will in everyday behaviour.
(2nd Corinthians 5:17) “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature… old things pass away and behold all things become new”
Knowing the right thing to do and failing to do it, is itself sin often fuelled by pride.
Obedience becomes the “measurable evidence” of true repentance and humility.
The phrase "I require obedience more than sacrifice" (1st Samuel 15:22) reflects a biblical principle in which states humble obedience… (that is)... “to obey” is better than sacrifice.
God values obedience to His voice, His Word, His commandments, more than He values sacrifice.
Obedience signifies a relationship with God... while sacrifice often reflects a desire for approval
from others, rather than from God Himself.
In essence, true worship and obedience are more important than external rituals or offerings.
Humility is the active display or truth entailing trust in God’s sovereignty.
Instead of boasting about personal plans or arrogantly judging others,
Humility submits to God’s control over outcomes and leaves final judgment to Him… as in… “if the Lord wills”… surrendering ultimate judgment to God.
This surrender is integral to repentance, and is part of how a humble heart is positioned for God’s blessing
Obedience is the natural fruit of humility and the decisive proof of repentance.
When humility leads to doing what is right, God’s promise to “lift up the humble”… is fulfilled.
Humility and repentance are inseparable.
Repentance opens up the hearts door… and humility animates the life.
Living under God’s authority, trusting His sovereignty, and practicing obedience in relationships and daily choices… are the marks of a transformed life positioned to receive God’s blessing.
Good Day!
In essence, true worship and obedience are more important than external rituals or offerings.
Humility is the active display or truth entailing trust in God’s sovereignty.
Instead of boasting about personal plans or arrogantly judging others,
Humility submits to God’s control over outcomes and leaves final judgment to Him… as in… “if the Lord wills”… surrendering ultimate judgment to God.
This surrender is integral to repentance, and is part of how a humble heart is positioned for God’s blessing
Obedience is the natural fruit of humility and the decisive proof of repentance.
When humility leads to doing what is right, God’s promise to “lift up the humble”… is fulfilled.
Humility and repentance are inseparable.
Repentance opens up the hearts door… and humility animates the life.
Living under God’s authority, trusting His sovereignty, and practicing obedience in relationships and daily choices… are the marks of a transformed life positioned to receive God’s blessing.
Good Day!