The Second Greatest Threat

Not Second as in, "slightly less than the first", but second as in, "this is the order we are discussing these things.

The Second greatest threat to our purpose in life (to bear the Image of God to His glory) is shame.

In worship this weekend, we talked about the difference between ungodly guilt from others (shame) and the godly sorrow, which the Holy Spirit uses to lead us to repentance - then it is gone.  The shame we are talking about is the former.

Shame threatens us as Image Bearers because it can cause us to look to the standards, expectations, and approval of others which may or may not be Biblical.

When others shame us, and we believe their assessment more than God's, our ministry is threatened, because we can start to perform for the approval of others or for the objectives that others have for us, rather than for the stewardship of what He has entrusted to us personally.

When Shame comes upon us and we don't bring it to the throne of grace, it threatens our love for God.  It is not possible to carry the illegitimate shame from others and still have a proper view of God.  You can not believe others testimony of you and still believe God's testimony of you.  Your love for God will be hindered if you are striving to prove yourself to others AND yourself.

God tells us that others don't think like He does and don't have in mind the things that He does, no matter what they claim or how spiritual they are.  They still don't have a direct line to God regarding your account.  Only Christ is your personal intercessor.  Not even you know yourself as well as God does and He says, "You are mine."  That makes you invaluable.

Don't let illegitimate shame rob you of the fullness of life that God has for you.  He loves you.  Of course, you are not perfect, but He has given you instructions on how to humble yourself, repent and return to Him and pray for forgiveness (2 Chronicles 7:14; 1 John 1:9).  Then it's done.  Bear the Image as only you can!  God Bless.  You can listen to the sermon here: www.Wordofgodbiblechurch.com

With you for His glory,

Pride: Our Greatest Threat

It is the greatest threat to our purpose:  Bearing the Image of God.
It is the greatest threat to the ministry He gives us.
It is the greatest threat to loving Him and becoming like Jesus.

This week, we looked at 1 Peter and what it tells us about Pride and how to overcome it.

It's really quite simple.  The battle is agonizing at times, but the antidote is simple:

"In your hearts, honor Christ as Holy."  1 Peter 3: 15

When pride rears it's ugly head, honor Christ.
In your heart.
As holy.

The antidote to serving self; to exalting self; to saving face, is to honor Christ.  It's not about us, it's about Him.  He has a purpose for all things and He has a purpose for us in the midst of all those things.  He wants us to honor Him and leave the "saving face" to Him.

But lip service isn't the issue.  Glorifying Christ; honoring our Creator isn't about saying simply, "It's all you Lord!"  It's about honoring Him is the quiet, tumultuous depths of our hearts.  Especially when Pride tries to claim the throne.  Honor Christ in your hearts, quietly, personally, powerfully.

Jesus is not like our earthly best friends though.  He isn't like our parents or lovers who grow accustomed to our frailties and weaknesses and accept them as character traits.  He is our best friend, Almighty Father, and the Lover of our Souls, but HE is not like any one or anything else.  He is Holy!  He is completely different and worthy of all honor and glory and power.  To honor Him is not to seat him where we seat our earthly idols or heroes.  To honor Him for what He is, is to make Him everything; to make everything about His everything.

When I do that, there really isn't much room or energy left for saving my own face, defending my own pride.  Come to think of it, there isn't much thought of it either.

1 Peter chapter 5: 5-10 tells us that if we trust in His mighty hand to work in His perfect timing according to His perfect will, knowing that our Christian family all over the world suffers the same way, that He will not only restore us, but He will confirm His work in Us, strengthen us more than before, and establish us.  I think it's worth it to see what happens.

What about you?  Are you fighting the good fight of the faith against pride in your own life?  Be humble friends.  For His glory...and your blessing.  Trust that He will show up and bring it about.

With you for His glory,