#808 - THIS WEIGHT IS TOO HEAVY

There is a spiritual weight that comes with spiritual leadership—a spiritual “weightiness” that comes with the responsibility for and awareness of (among many other things):

• The salvation of souls.

• The health of hearts.

• The brokenness of humanity.

• The opposition of the enemy.

This is a weight that is overwhelming. This is a weight that, if we’re not careful, can become all consuming. This is a weight that is much too heavy for me to carry.

Heavenly Father, please help your servants, today, carry this weight with your grace and in your power. In Jesus name, Amen.

#807 - FIRST PLACE ON THE WRONG LIST

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV)

These six things the Lord hates; Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him: A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others]…
Proverbs 6:16-17 (AMP)

“Hate is a strong word.”

My mom used to say this all the time to us growing up as kids. Why? Because words like hate shouldn’t be used flippantly. “I hate school.” “I hate vegetables.” “I hate doing the dishes.” In those cases, hate is too strong of a word for not serious enough of a situation.

But unlike children, God doesn’t use the wrong word for the wrong occasion. He says what he means and he means what he says. God doesn’t exaggerate. Therefore, when God has a list of things that He hates, we need to pay attention. We need to know, he really does deeply detest and despite these things.

And what comes in first place on this list? Haughty eyes.

John Phillips in his commentary on the Proverbs explains haughty eyes this way…

We use a similar expression when we speak of a person “looking down his nose” at someone else. Pride is the father of all sin. The proud look is scornful and contemptuous, the person who imagines himself to be much better than others.

Haughty eyes is the sin of our day!

Politics. Vaccines. Masks. Social Justice. Abortion.

The problem isn’t that we hold views on these issues, the problem is how we hold our views on these issues. For most of us, we hold our views on these issues in a way that belittles, discounts, and even disrespects those who hold a different view.

OUR DIFFERING VIEWS AREN’T OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM. OUR POSTURE OF SUPERIORITY TOWARDS THOSE WHO HOLD DIFFERING VIEWS IS OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM.

This is haughtiness, and God hates it!

Consider this. With each of your views, you are very likely taking a particular side because you believe you are hating what God hates. But, if you are holding that view in a prideful way, God also hates the way you are standing for what he hates!

Are you aware?

God might hate racism, but he also might absolutely hate the way you are standing against it. God might hate abortion, but he also might absolutely hate the way you are standing against it. Position and posture. Both matter deeply to God. God hates haughty eyes. Recognize.

Please pray with me…

REVERENCE
Heavenly Father, we praise and worship you as God. You can love what you want to love, and hate what you want to hate. You are God. Thank you for making it crystal clear to us today that you hate haughty eyes.

RESPONSE
Forgive us for our arrogance. Forgive us for our moral superiority. Forgive us for not realizing that the posture in which we are holding our positions is just as important to you as the positions we are taking. We surrender every injustice and every “wrong” we see to you. Not our will, but your will be done. Your will. Your way.

REQUESTS
Give us humility. Give us a kindness, respect, and love for those who hold different positions than we do. Give us a desire to understand others more than desiring to be understood. Give us grace. Give us compassion. Give us empathy.

READINESS
Lead us not into the temptation of thinking more highly of ourselves, our positions, and our views than we ought to. Deliver us from the evil of an over-inflated self-importance that leads to haughtiness. Help us God by the power of your Spirit to stay humble. We love you and pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#806 - GOD'S POSTURE TOWARDS THE PROUD

Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
Proverbs 3:34 (ESV)

Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, Yet He gives His grace [His undeserved favor] to the humble [those who give up self-importance].
Proverbs 3:34 (AMP)

I had no idea.

Every time I willfully ignored the commands of God. Every time I foolishly took for granted the grace of Jesus. Every time I arrogantly avoided the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Every time I ungraciously corrected a friend. Every time I selfishly didn’t consider the feelings of others because I was pridefully believing my feelings were more important than theirs. Every time I hastily disregarded feedback.

Every time. Every. Single. Time.

EVERY TIME I TOOK A POSTURE OF PRIDE, I WAS UNKNOWINGLY, NEGATIVELY SHIFTING GOD’S POSTURE TOWARDS ME.

About Proverbs 3:34 Matthew Henry comments…

Those who exalt themselves shall certainly be abased: Surely he scorns the scorners. Those who scorn to submit to the discipline of religion, scorn to take God’s yoke upon them, scorn to be beholden to his grace, who scoff at godliness and godly people, and take a pleasure in bantering and exposing them, God will scorn them, and lay them open to scorn before all the world. He despises their impotent malice, sits in heaven and laughs at them, Ps. 2:4. He retaliates upon them (Ps. 18:26); he resists the proud.

But this explains it.

This explains why, during the seasons in my life where I prioritized my pride, I lacked intimacy with my Heavenly Father. This explains why I could sit in a life-giving church service, but not feel the presence of God. This explains why everything I did always felt like striving. This explains why every pursuit felt like an uphill climb. This explains why the winds of life always felt like they were blowing against me…hard.

My pride was causing God to resist me. To scorn me. To have contempt for me.

Are you aware?

Are you aware that your pride and arrogance towards God and others pits God against you? Are you aware that at the exact point that you resist God, God resists you? “Towards the scorners he is scornful.” Recognize.

Please pray with me…

REVERENCE
Heavenly Father, we praise you for truth that clarifies. We praise you for truth that explains. We praise you for passages of Scripture that give us insight into your nature. You have resisted us, because we have, first, resisted you. We praise you for this revelation. We worship you as a God who reveals.

RESPONSE
Forgive us of this grievous sin. We repent of our sin of pride. We surrender our pride, our arrogance, our desire for our way, in our time, into your hands. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. Not ours. Not ours!

REQUESTS
Open up our spiritual eyes to the spiritual reality that a posture of pride shifts your posture towards us. Help us to not be fooled into thinking that we can be prideful and not experience adverse effects in our relationship with you. Convince us Lord, by the power of your Spirit, that pride pushes you away. Convince us. Convict us!

READINESS
Lead us not into the temptation of thinking we know best. Lead us not into the temptation of disregarding your will and your way. Deliver us from our ego. Deliver us from the naïveté that minimizes the impact of our pride on our relationship with you. Help us Lord. Help us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

#805 - A NEW WRITING FOCUS STARTS TODAY

For quite some time now, I’ve had a deep conviction about doing some extensive writing on the topic of pride and humility. Though I have many fears, hesitancies, and insecurities about why I shouldn’t take on this task, I also have some compelling and convicting reasons why I should…

1. Because thinking more highly of myself than I ought to comes way too easily to me.

2. Because writing clearly about humility will require me to think critically about my own pride.

3. Because if there was ever a time when I needed to be more on guard of becoming susceptible to greater degrees of pride, it’s now—when the platform from which I minister from has grown larger and opportunities for wider impact may become greater.

4. Because I need to crystallize in written form, for myself and for the benefit of others, what God has taught me about pursuing a life of humility.

5. Because not being able to get a handle on pride has been the reason why so many people destroy their lives and their ministries.

6. Because I have experienced, in increasing measures, the blessing and favor of pursuing a humble life, and I want others to experience this blessing and favor also.

7. Because one’s view and vision of God is directly proportional to one’s humility.

8. Because one’s potential for growth is directly proportional to one’s humility.

9. Because one’s potential for glorifying God is directly proportional to one’s humility.

10. Because the spiritual pandemic beneath this viral pandemic is pride.

In summary…

Because I have, for too long, personally experienced the destructive effects of pride, I must, in this hour, thoroughly engage God’s clarion call to a life of humility.

With these motivations and convictions in mind, over the next month, each day, I will write a blog post with…

• A scripture referencing pride and/or humility.

• A personal reflection.

• A practical application.

I encourage you to join me on this journey. Interact with me in the comments. Provide feedback. Ask questions. Let’s grow in humility together! First post goes live tomorrow at 8am…stay tuned!