Refuse Humility

I do think pride is the root of all sin that is present in my life. I think pride is the number one reason that I and others don’t surrender all to the Lord.  I think I can do things on my own. I’ve learned the hard way (many times) that I can do nothing on my own. I need the Lord’s help in every area of my life. When I’m walking in step with Him and talking to Him about EVERYTHING, pride seems to be very distant. The enemy uses pride to pull me away from the Lord.  The Lord can work with me when I’m humble and tuned in to what He wants to say to me.

Zedekiah was made king of Judah at 21 years of age. He was a puppet king of the Babylonian empire.  He still refused to obey the Lord. This takeover by Babylon was predicted because the people refused to listen and obey the Lord. Check this out….

¹¹ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. ¹² But Zedekiah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the Lord. ¹³ He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.

¹⁴ Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. ¹⁶ But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done. (2 Chronicles 36:11-16 NLT)

Humility is a self-imposed discipline. I believe if I don’t humble myself, then the Lord will humble me. I think humility keeps my pride in check. If I think that “I’m all that and a bag of chips”, then I will look down on others.  Pride cannot co-exist with humility. I have also learned that when I count the blessings from God, I can’t take credit for any of it. Gratitude is the antidote for pride. If I start my gratitude prayer, it’s really clear, Who deserves the credit for any blessings or success that I experience.  The author of Proverbs issued a significant warning about pride. Check this out…

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
    and haughtiness before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18 NLT)

I want to listen when the Lord speaks through His Word.

I want to listen when the Lord speaks through other leaders.

I want to listen when the Lord speaks directly into my heart.

I want to listen when the Lord speaks through my family.

I think listening carefully and keeping myself humble before the Lord will bring clarity to my daily choices. I want to choose humility and choose gratitude every day.

Pressing On!

Dwayne