5/25/13

James 4:6 - "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Vs.  Therefore submit to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The definition of pride - Arrogance, and conceit, which is an unduly high opinion of oneself.

The definition of humble - Meek or modest.  Meek = yielded, power under control.

These are the most common definitions of pride, and humility.  It can evoke images of the big bully in school, who thinks he's better and stronger than anyone else, and the quiet submissive guy who minds his own business, and avoids confrontation at all costs!

I want to share another perspective on this scripture that became revelation to me.

  First of all, Jesus was the meekest, most humble Man that walked the face of the earth.  He was by no means weak, nor did He ever lack the fortitude of confronting the religious mindsets of His day!  If we are going to really understand what this scripture is saying, and how it applies to us currently, we must look at how Jesus fulfilled His course on planet earth.

John 1: 17 - For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus understood the rhythm and flow of His graces and the boundaries God set for employing them.  Grace has been defined as God's unmerited favor.   Grace is also understanding ones own God given gifts, the purpose of the employment of those gifts, and when, how and who to employ them with! Jesus knew the seasons and times of His life because of His intimate connection with His Father in heaven, which enabled Him to employ and impart those grace gifts to humanity!

Jesus operated in humility by waiting on His Father in prayer.  He only did what He saw His Father do, and only said what He heard His Father say.  

Jesus had the power to go wherever He wanted to go, and reach all of humanity at one time if He chose to.  The Lord had a boundary even for Jesus.  It was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.   He also ministered in a circuit, which is a closed circular line around an area.  He stayed His course from start to finish, depending on His Father every step of the way.  He never  went His own way,  did  His own thing, or spoke His own thing.  Jesus brought much glory to the Father by governing His life this way.  

John 7: 18 -  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

We are now able to have the same relationship with the Father through Jesus, because of His obedience in following God's plan.

How does this way of operating apply to us now? 

-  Jesus, through sending us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, has given us the same ability to hear and do what the Father has planned for our destinies on planet earth.  It takes the same relationship through prayer, and hearing and  obeying the spirit anointed Word of God!

We can short circuit our own destinies by falling into the same traps that the enemy has employed since the beginning of time!
What is the enemies game plan to side track humanity?

It has always been to seduce mankind into operating independently of God!  Even Jesus in the wilderness was being tempted by satan to worship him in order to gain all the kingdoms of the earth!  All the kingdoms of the earth became the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus!  Rev. 11: 15. It happened however, in God's way and His time!  Satan will tempt people with what God has already freely given them, or has called them to do.  The seducing part is the enemy will try and push us out ahead of God's timing and ways.  He will also press us into trusting our own power and intellect to accomplish our destinies apart from The Lord !  When this happens we become our own gods and the pressure on us becomes too intense to bare!  

God's yoke is easy and His burden is light!   When we take the matters of life into our own hands, God is a gentleman and backs off.  He will never compete with us over who we assign Lordship to.  Satan is the one who presses us into taking control of things, rather than surrendering and trusting the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

Another way the enemy tempts humanity is under the guise of trying to help others in genuine need, through our own power and intellect apart from God's sanction and timing.  This seduction is the hardest to unveil, because the scriptures teach us to love and help each other?

How can helping others get us into a rut?  

Again, Jesus is our example.  He stayed within His calling and boundaries, and God was able deliver the human race in three years of His ministry on earth!  Amazing!  

Helping others is fine when it's within our sphere of authority to do so as well as fits along the lines of the priorities of our lives.  

Example:  Many in ministry would try and help those of the opposite sex alone, only to become emotionally enmeshed and bound up.  Many in trying to help extended family members would abandon the priorities of taking care of their immediate family and lose their spouses or entire family. Many in trying to be the saviors of their communities get out beyond their graces and carry the world on their shoulders, only to break under the pressure of  trying to meet everyone's needs and demands!  God loves humanity.   He created us.   He knows how to meet our needs as well as the needs of others,  best!"  He has a way that is higher than our way!

Why don't we trust the ways of God?  

Many are still carnal christians, and immature emotionally as well as spiritually.  Therefore we are governed more by the five senses (the soul) then we are by listening to the voice of the Spirit of God in line with His Word.

How does God meet the needs of humanity best?

He has set gifts within the Body of Christ!    Each ministry as well as each person within each ministry has specialized gifts and callings.  When those gifts are administered correctly in their seasons and times, we are knit together by the Holy Spirit and we all grow!  Each one in their divinely ordered place!  This takes each of us doing our part in staying close to The Lord so we can hear and do what He is asking us to.  

The enemies job is to get us out of bounds doing what someone else is called to do, and we get knotted up instead of knit together!

The bottom line:

When we yield to The Lord and become pliable to His ways, (which is true humility) we receive His grace to fulfill His plan for our lives!

When we stubbornly try and do things out of our own power and strength, (which is pride!)  we actually make God our opponent.  We are taking His place and becoming a god to ourselves and to others!   Even if what we are doing is applauded by society and looks so good on the outside, it is still idolatry!

Life becomes hard when we have made the one who loves us and died for us our opponent !  Even when done unintentionally.


Nugget from The Lord -

We cannot serve two masters!  Don't let anything or anyone else become a god before God.  That includes you and me!