“But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.”
Daniel 5:20 (LITV)
Pride and Grace
Pride will prevent or remove its victims from their place in God. Obedience is the path to service. Obedience is simply an expression of our submission to His Will. A proud man will say the right things, even appear spiritual to the casual observer, but hidden beneath the façade is a life bound up in unforgiveness, stubbornness and self-seeking.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God…”
James 4:6-7
Submission to God is the evidence of grace. The proud in heart cannot admit its wrongs to another. It is unable to ask for forgiveness or seek reconciliation. Its stubbornness defies the very grace of God it so desperately needs and the peace it craves.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”
James 3:17-18
Pride is the veil that hides His face and His wonder. A humble heart is a teachable heart. A spirit of humility can readily acknowledge its own inherent errors and look to God for the power to amend its ways. The proud may acknowledge their wrongness but not find the grace to effect actual change. Proud hearts do not know the fear of God and therefore “have no changes.” Change is the evidence of His grace.
“Because they have no changes,
therefore they fear not God.”
Psalm 55:19
The “fear of the Lord” is the atmosphere of His presence. In beholding Him, sin, self-will, and the stubbornness of our own carnality dissolve into the brokenness of true redemption. A redeemed heart knows the release from its own wrongness. It is in this blessed place that His joy settles quietly with a peace that surpasses understanding.
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
Romans 14:17
Righteousness is the soil in which peace grows, and joy is the fruit of peace. A soul at rest is like the “still waters” that reflect heaven’s grandeur. Righteous deeds flow from a heart that lives in His presence.
“For the LORD is righteous; He loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold His face.”
Psalm 11:7 (ESV)
Related Post: Seeking The Honour From God
“It is not he who knows most, nor he who hears most, nor yet
he who talks most, but he who exercises grace most, who has
most communion with God.”
Thomas Brooks.
Brian Troxel
The Bond – servant Warrior
Philipians 2:5-7
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Jn 13:3 — Jn 13:5
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
These verses of Scripture are what I see as describing the servant – warrior in my dream.
I had a dream the morning of 08/01/2015. In this dream I was on a battlefield. I had no weapons and no shield. I don’t remember having any shoes either.
I was dressed in a towel or loin cloth which was the dress of a slave in Bible days. To further exemplify this picture, recall the pictures of Jesus on the cross wearing the garment of a slave.
I saw different parts of the armor appear and dissappear as they were needed. For example, I saw a sword appear and then didsappear from my hand.
The point of the dream is that we are to be slaves with no reputation to speak of totally reliant on the Lord’s wisdom and might to defeat the enemy.
Humility is what it will take to defeat the enemy in battle. Pride will result in downfall. To go back to the verse in Philipians, “He made Himself of NO REPUTATION, emphasis mine. People hung up on titles soon get the attitude of entitlement and entitlement is pride
I like the picture given to us in the scripture of the ones working in Nehemiah 4:17:
“who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.” Servant-warriors. A call many miss today.
A good word.
Blessings
BT