In those days Hezekiah was terminally ill, and he prayed to Yahweh; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah didn't reciprocate appropriate to the benefit done for him, because his heart was lifted up. Therefore there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem. However, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that Yahweh's wrath didn't come on them in the days of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 32:24'26 WEB.Hezekiah once again humbled himself and spared Jerusalem from destruction. The Lord had given him very great possessions, and Hezekiah struggled to retain his humility (2 Chronicles 32:27). Not long after this recovery, some Babylonians came to visit him. Hezekiah's pride returned as he showed them all of the treasures and storehouses he had built. Later, the Babylonians returned to loot all of his riches for themselves, and they destroyed his beautiful city. For pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18).
Many times in my life, the Lord has given me opportunities to humble myself. He would offer me jobs that no one else wanted, allow others to wrong me, or simply withhold the appreciation that I thought I so deserved. At other times, I have dealt with a particular sin or a bad attitude, only to have it show up again later. Just like Hezekiah, when things start going well, it is so easy to drift back to where you used to be.
Sin crouches at the door, and it desires to have you, but you must master it (Genesis 4:7). Sins like pride are especially hard to keep behind you. Yet, whatever sin you have grown weak to is always the most difficult one. Even though you know better, you just can't seem to help it. For some, it is greed or the love of money. For others, it may be lust or pornography, gluttony, drunkenness, or a combination of many. There are so many to choose from. Everyone has their own desires and weaknesses.
The enemy will try to use anything that breaks your fellowship with the Lord as a wedge. I was raised as white trailer trash, so when the Lord tries to raise me up, pride creeps in. As long as I stay focused on Him, He will faithfully deflate it for me. I can tell you so many stories where the Lord put me in a humbling situation right before He would use me as His messenger.
Pride goes before destruction, but humility comes before promotion. (Proverbs 16:18, 1 Peter 5:6, James 4:10).
You can never finally say, "I have dealt with _____ for the last time," because it will try and return when you least expect it. Stay on guard against anything that you have been weak to in the past. What you feed in your mind will grow, and what you starve will die. So don't open that door to the past again, for you know who is waiting out there.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You strengthen me and make me steadfast. I want to serve You the rest of my days and to make a difference on the earth. Please teach me to hear when You are speaking and recognize Your voice. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presence and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! "Ladies in Distress" is a private group, so if you have any problems joining, just post anywhere and we will help you :). Here is the link:
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Yes Lord Jesus, amen.
Amen
Amen Lord Jesus!
Amen
Amen!
In Jesus Name Amen.
Yes Lord, Amen
Amen Lord Amen
Amen!
Amen Good Morning Everyone
In Lord Yeshua's name I pray this, Amen. Thanks pastor Dion, Holy Spirit knew that I needed this reminder this morning. And by the way, Father Yahweh answered prayers yesterday big time! I passed the DOT physical and the next step is going to my appointment at the driver's license office on April 11 to get my CDL reinstated. I pray and believe that it goes well.
Amen
Amen Lord.
Thank you for this devotion today. I know that we all struggle with something and seem to always go back to our mistakes. We are all a work in progress and we just need to dust ourselves off and ask God for forgiveness and get up and keep going forward. We need to stay in The Word every day! When I miss reading my Bible I leave myself open for Satans attacks. Always stay close to God and pray continually. God bless all of you and I pray that you all stay safe. We have been having a lot of odd natural disasters lately, unusual amount of rain and snow, tornados and twisters. I pray for safety to all of Gods people and stay close to God, in the safey of his arms.
Amen!!
Amen
Such a powerful reminder, Pastor Dion! What you feed in your mind will grow, and what you starve will die. Lord, continue to sharpen my self-discipline and keep my eyes and mind on You. Thank you. Amen
Amen!