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: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” James 5:13 ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network. If you are interested in joining the prayer team, here is how to get started Prayer Partners.