Humility God's Way

A believer who is mocked by Christians is more likely to walk away and dis-fellowship from this group than they are non-believers. Why?

Perhaps it is because believers are suppose to know better. We don't expect non-believers to like us, but often they are far more civil than the believers in one's own church gathering.

Pride often wells up in the hearts of those who think they are "special", however, a true believer who has come to Christ in brokenness over their sinful nature, is more likely to be humble, because he/she knows what they were saved from and what they were saved to and Whom they were saved through.

When we know the price Christ had to pay to bail us out of hell, then we are far less likely to have any sense of specialness left in our souls.

Those who walk in pride elevating themselves above others may not be born again. When we know what we were, basically pond scum, before Christ got hold of us, then we have no sense of personal arrogance.

Humble people take correction well, they listen, they ponder and they pray to see if what is being said, is actually true, to fix what might be broken. They have already been humbled by the salvation experience, another beat down is not a big deal, but merely an opportunity to grow a little more.

A prideful person will fight, argue and exact revenge for the perceived injustice of a correction or rebuke. If there is still raging anger in us over a correction then it is time to go to God to ask if we are born again, or if we know we are, then perhaps we need to confess that pride to be cleansed of it.

Psalm 51:2
"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin."

1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Psalm 51:7
"Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Leviticus 16:30
"for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD."

Ezekiel 36:25
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols."

Jeremiah 33:8
"'I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me."

We are not here in this life to enjoy ourselves, we are in training, we are here to glorify God while growing in holiness to be more useful to Him.

Sort of crimps the style of those prosperity preachers doesn't it. Those who think no one should be sick and everyone should be wealthy.

If we follow the example of Christ, we will not be rich, but our needs will be met, we will not be popular, instead we will be hated and we will take a beating without feeling a need to exact revenge.

Romans 12:18-20 "…18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”…"

Praise the Lord we do not have to follow our flesh, the world or the devil. Christ lives in the believer, guides us and gives us what we need His WAY.

Can You Hear Him?

"God has nothing to say to the frivolous man." A.W. Tozer

The Tears of the Psalmist

"The Psalmists often wrote in tears, the prophets could hardly conceal their heavyheartedness, and the apostles Paul in his otherwise joyous epistle to the Philippians broke into tears when he thought of the many who were enemies of the cross of Christ and whose end was destruction. Those and all men of sorrows whose witness to mankind welled out of heavy hearts. There is now power in tears per se, but tears and power ever lie close together in the Church of the First-born."
A.W. Tozer

Born Again, What Does It Mean?

Romans 10:8-10 "…8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.…"

Mankind is sinful and without remedy for that sin. Christ came to earth to die, it was death of the Perfect Lamb, He is that Lamb, to die for the sins of the whole world. There had to be a shedding of blood, this is just how serious the smallest sin is in our hearts, even before there are actions, the sin in our hearts is enough to condemn us to hell. God the Father cannot look upon us if we do not have Christ. When we have Christ then the Father accepts us as His.

All that is necessary to gain salvation is to express to God that we know we are sinful and believe Him, what He did on our behalf on the cross. He paid the pride for our sin.

When we confess that we believe and want to be cleansed, then Christ sends His Holy Spirit to live in us, beginning the process of cleansing over a lifetime until He comes to take us home, through death or the rapture.

The hope of the believe is immense, we do not look to this life for our joy, happiness and pleasure, we are looking to our heavenly home in which Christ our husband dwells with the Father!

It is interesting that Christ said this to those who have been born again:

John 15:14-16
"…14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.…"

Seven Subtle Signs

Follow the Link:
http://gochristianhelps.com/tracts/stl/7ssigns.htm