pride

While the Dew is Still on the Roses…

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. When I stepped outside to take my first breath of fresh air for the day, it was only in the 30s, BUT it was magnificent. Every day, I see more of the trees budding out, and pretty soon, Virginia will be in full bloom. As I sat there taking it all in, I noticed that the ground was covered in dew, and I smiled when I considered how God had watered the earth even without the rain. That’s my God for you! He thinks of everything. By the Time I stepped into the Presence of the One who gives Instructions to the dew, I was eager to be Taught. The first order of business is ALWAYS to examine my Heart to be sure there is nothing within me that could grieve the Holy Spirit. It takes Humility to ask the God of all Creation to look inside your Heart – especially when we know He will see it all…good, bad, and ugly – But that’s the ONLY way to draw nearer to Him each day. So, here I am again, Ready and Willing to be Molded by my Maker so that I can be all that He Created me to be. Isn’t that the way your Relationship with the King of all kings is, too?

There are lots of reasons why people don’t continue to Grow for as long as they live, but I think the biggest reason is pride. It’s often said, “pride comes before the fall,” but that’s just the “Reader’s Digest Version” of the Words in Proverbs that drive the message home – “pride goes before destruction, a haughty (arrogant) spirit before a fall”. Pride is what prevents us from being willing to be transparent (even to the Living God), and pride is what keeps us from Sharing our Trials. Pride is where we convince ourselves that we’re something we’re not, and that we’re bigger and better than what we really are. Pride is what makes us run from the Spirit of God when it’s Lesson Time, and pride is what stands in the way of revealing our weaknesses. Pride is what prompts us to judge someone else, and pride is what makes us lie to ourselves about who and what we really are. Pride drives greed, and it drives lies. It’s pride that prevents us from helping the helpless, and it’s pride that leads us to find our identity in wealth. A prideful heart refuses to admit when it’s wrong, and pride stands in the way of forgiveness of another. There’s no end to the destruction that pride brings with it, and eventually pride will build a shell around the heart that it is so hard, that we’re no longer recognizable as God’s people and we’re useless to the King. There’s no room for pride if we want to grow, and unless we get a handle on pride, we can’t find Humility.

I’ve been slapped around by people of Faith more often than I can count when they hear me Confess my Weaknesses or Share my Trials or temptations as if Christians live a flawless Life. Long gone are the Testimonies we heard in church – in part because the Church no longer makes time to hear what God is doing within the flock – but also because they don’t think the “imperfections” should ever be discussed. Their pride drives them to believe that if you are a person of Faith, all those things (including sin) are just things of the past. They stifle the Holy Sprit by choosing to remain silent about what God is doing (and has done) in their lives. They’ve been lied to by the Father of ALL lies into believing that it’s best to remain silent about what God is doing in our lives…good, bad, or ugly. But isn’t that what a Good Testimony is? From where I sit, I believe these people reject the idea of sharing a Good Testimony because they might be asked to Share their Story one day too…something they’re far too prideful to do. As for me, I have NO pride when it comes to being a Vessel for the Living God. He saved a wretch like me, and I want the world to Know it. I am confident that the more I Share about my own Life, the more inclined God will be to use me to help someone else. It hasn’t been pretty, but it has absolutely “worked together for Good” because I LOVE HIM AND I’VE BEEN CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE”.

My Life hasn’t been a “big mess”, even though it’s felt that way (and may have looked that way too) sometimes. My valleys have been deep, BUT my mountaintops are glorious, and the Molder of my Faith never stopped providing the dew even when it refused to rain. My Life is a Living, Breathing Witness to the Power and Might of my God, and I’ll NEVER be too proud to Share it. Every experience has Grown me, and all the pain has made me Stronger. But most importantly, I Know that “all things God works for the good of those who LOVE HIM, who have been CALLED according to His purpose”…so ALL of it has been used for Good- Hallelujah! My Life has Purpose, and I’m Humbled to be used by the King. So, whenever the spirit of pride tries to sneak in, and I’m inclined to take credit for things in my life, it’s time for a Lesson in Humility straight from the Throne of the Living God. I invite Him to look inside my Heart and to show me ALL my flaws so that I can make things right before the One Who died for me. I may not like it much when it’s Lesson Time, but I’m ready and willing to be Molded by my Maker so that I can be ALL that He intends for me to be for as long as there is breath in my body.

How about you?

Go Tell It On The Mountain…

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I had an Intense meeting with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith this morning and He spent some time Refining my Heart. The One who Created me is Kind and Compassionate BUT when He is doing business on the Heart He doesn’t pull any punches. He shined a Heavenly highlighter over a few of my weak spots and He reminded me of His Might. Part of my Lesson this morning made me Repent and weep with shame, and part of the Message made me overflow with Joy – but none of the Message would have been possible, nor would it have any impact on my Life whatsoever, had I refused to be willing to be Molded by my Maker again this morning. When it comes to things like Heart and Character, there’s no such thing as being “complete”…at least not on this side of Heaven. There’s always room for Improvement and I’m driven to be all that I can be for Him. Isn’t that the way you look at your Lessons too?

There are lots of reasons why most people don’t continue to Grow for as long as they live, but I think the biggest reason is pride. It’s often said, “Pride comes before the fall” but that’s a spin-off from Words in Proverbs that drives the message home a little deeper… “pride goes before destruction, a haughty (arrogant) spirit before a fall”. Pride is what prevents us from being willing to be transparent, and pride is what keeps us from sharing our Trials and Victories. Pride is when we convince ourselves that we’re something we’re not and that we’re bigger and better than we really are. Pride is what makes us run from the Spirit of God when it’s Lesson Time, and pride is what stands in the way of revealing our weaknesses. Pride is what prompts us to judge someone else, and pride is what makes us lie to ourselves about who and what we really are. Pride drives greed, and pride drives lies. It’s pride that will stop us from helping the helpless, and it’s pride that leads us to lose our identity in wealth. A prideful heart refuses to admit when it’s wrong, and pride stands in the way of forgiveness of another. There’s no end to the destruction that pride brings with it, and eventually, pride will build a shell around the Heart that it is so hard that we’re no longer Recognizable as God’s People and we’re useless to the King. There’s no room for pride if we want to grow and until we get a handle on pride we can’t find the humility that Jesus Christ is looking for.

I’ve been slapped around by people of Faith more often than I can count when they hear me confess my weaknesses or when I share my trials or temptations. I’m a Child of the Living God but that doesn’t mean I’m flawless – I’ll always be a Work in Progress! It’s actually their pride that would have them believe that if you are a person of Faith, all those things are “in the past” and shouldn’t be shared with the world. They’re only fooling themselves. All of us were instructed to “go tell” – unless I “tell my story” the world will never know how Powerful my God is! Unless I tell them how He Transformed my Life and molded me into a usable Vessel they may never Know how Good He is and what’s possible for them!

I have no pride when it comes to being a Vessel for the Living God, and I know that the more I Share about my Life and His Work, the more inclined God will be to use me to help someone else. My History isn’t just a pile of junk…even though it’s felt that way sometimes…my Life is a Powerful, Living, Breathing Testimony, and I’m not too proud to share it. Every single piece has Grown me, and every pain has made me Stronger. But most of all I know that “all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to HIS purpose” …so ALL of my “mess” has been used for Good in my life too.

My Life has Purpose, and I’m humbled to be used by the King. I’m a Loud Voice for His Majesty and Grace. My Testimony is shared without shame OFTEN and I’ve learned just to pray for the ones who Profess my Faith but believe “good Christians” don’t talk about “bad” things while they refuse to SHOUT praises to the God who saved them from things they’re likely “ashamed” of too. Whenever the devil tries to sneak pride into my thoughts and I’m inclined to take credit for things in my life that I have no business owning at all…it’s time for a Lesson on Humility straight from the Throne of the Living God. The more He Teaches…the more I Tell…and I shout His Goodness from the mountaintops! I don’t necessarily like it when it’s Lesson Time, but I’m Ready and Willing to be Molded by my Maker so that I can be ALL that He intends for me to be for as long as there is breath in my body.

How about you?

Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”