"God Pride?"

Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise.

"the love of one's own excellence"

Sin Of Pride - Preoccupation With Self
The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self. It is thus very fitting that the middle letter in the word is "i." Pride is all about "me, myself, and I." So even as the word "pride" is centered upon an "i," the sin itself is also centered upon "I."

Two well know examples:

1) Lucifer's fall, For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

Satan's enmity against God began with "I". And so it is with us. If you are preoccupied with yourself, you are suffering from the sin of pride.

Ezekiel 28:17
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty...

We all like our own opinions, but that can cause pride to be puffed up with in us. We even fight to get our opinion heard or agreed with.

Why do we argue? I know... I know... I am right...

pride can led to offense

2) "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."⁴

^{Pharisee = Jimmy Swaggart’s notes, a fundamentalist, who claimed to believe all the bible}

^{Publican = Jimmy Swaggart’s notes a tax collector, referred to by Israel as a traitor & there by beyond salvation.}

^{Pharisee -} I am not like other men, I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.

How do we look at others.

Other thoughts about pride:

1. 2 Kings 14:10
   Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
   2 Kings 14:9-11 (in Context) 2 Kings 14 (Whole Chapter)
2. 2 Chronicles 25:19
   Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

Meddle - Interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one’s concern, to touch or handle something without permission.

These men in 2 Kings and 2 Chron. we lifted up in pride.

Pride also causes you to hold on to your hurt

You do not have permission to hold on to your hurt...

We hold on to our pains. We look at others and say our pain is worse.

You have no right to hold on to something that the word of God says to let go of.

But he hurt me... But I was... This happened to me...

Why are you giving your pain more glory than God!!

Women beware the women's lib movement can cause you to not receive what God has for you. I have my rights... I know what I am doing... I am just as good as him... I,I,I...

A lot of divorces can be stopped if the spouses would humble themselves and say they are sorry... or not always have to be right...

Pride can led to deception. (I know the bible...)

We must look to Jesus who humbled himself and died on the Cross for us. We must forgive and not let our hearts be puffed up in Pride.

Pride can cause you not to seek God: Psalms 10:4

Psa 10:2

The wicked 7563 in [his] pride 1346 doth persecute 1814 the poor

Not just the physically poor, prideful people attack people they consider week. Pride causes one believer to believe that they need to be doing what the other believer in front of them is doing, ( they also believe they can do it better)

Be content where you are... God has a plan and purpose for you right where you are. He has called you for a specific task and He has you right where He wants you to be. He will lift you up in due time. If you will just hold fast to God, trust Him and follow him, He will bring you to the place He has for you...

Pride will cause you to stop having faith in what Christ has done for you at Calvary, because you are self sufficient, independent.

Lay aside your ways, your thoughts,... Only way to do that is...

Remember the process of sanctification, believe in the finished work of Christ, then the Holy Spirit will work in your life and then the outflow of that will be right living, right thinking,...

Today is a new day, start here, then tomorrow also is a new day, start here,... and again... do not let yesterdays hurts come over to today’s living.

Look to Christ, Look to what He has done for you at Calvary, let the power of the Holy Spirit work in you and let what God has always wanted for you to come into your life.

Pride can cause a person not to get saved...

Are you putting. “I” on the throne?

Pride is at the very top of the list of things God hates. "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19).

David Wilkerson:

Christians also recognize pride in others because they may appear to be stuck up, self-centered, ambitious and high-minded. But few Christians would consider themselves proud.

Pride is independence - humility is dependence. Pride is an unwillingness to wait for God to act in His own time and in His own way. Pride rushes in to take matters into its own hands. One of the greatest temptations true Christians face is getting ahead of God. It is acting without a clear mandate from God. It is taking things into our own hands when it appears that God is not working fast enough. It is impatience.

The Cross Represents the death of all my own plans, all my own ideas, my own desires, my own hopes and dreams. It is most of all the absolute death of my own will. This is true humility. Humility is associated only with the Cross. "He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death at the cross. (Philippians 2:7-8). He had told His disciples, "My meat, My fulfillment in life, is to do the will of Him who sent me (John 4:34). He said "I can of mine own self do nothing: As I hear, I judge..." (John 5:30). In other words, I refuse to take matters into my own hands. I wait to hear every direction from my Father!, He who is the Light, absolute intelligence, knowing all things, humbles Himself, makes Himself totally dependent upon the Father in all things. I can't do it on My own" Jesus said.

John wrote, "As He is, so are we in this world ... (1 John 4:17). There is not a true Christian but who can say, "I really want to do His perfect will." But here is where we miss it, we set our hearts on something that we want, something that looks good that sounds logical, but is not God's will. We will fast and pray and intercede for it! Cry a river of tears! Claim it! Bind demons hindering possession of it! Quote Bible! Get others to agree with us! One of the biggest traps to Christians is a good idea which is not God's mind, a good strategy which is not His, a well-conceived plan that is not His. The question is - can your desire survive the Cross? Can you walk away from it and die to it? Can you honestly say, "Lord, maybe it's not the devil stopping me, but You! If it's not Your will it could destroy me. I give it up to the Cross! To death! Do it Your way, Lord."

It is when you go down into the grave of death to all self, all ambition, all self-will, that you hear His voice. Jesus said, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God... All that are in the graves shall hear His voice" (John 5:25,28), This is why thousands of Christians today are getting into trouble hearing still small voices. There is confusion, things are not coming out right, because there has been no dying to self-will. Yes, I believe God does speak to His children. You can hear His true, holy, unmistakable voice, but only after crucifixion of self-will and self-desire. Jesus heard clearly from the Father. So did Paul, Peter, John and Stephen; but only because they were dead to this world. They were consumed with doing His will only.

Examine your heart. Do not be lifted up in Pride. Humble yourself!!!!!

"The Trial of Your Faith"

1 Peter 1:6-7

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Greatly rejoice: Jimmy Swaggart’s notes refers to the time when this earthly sojourn will be finished, the Trump of God sounds, & “we shall be changed” (1 Corn. 15:51-54)

Now: in this life, just now, this moment, now at this time, at this very time, this moment...

Season: little, small, few, of time/short, of degree or intensity briefly (will pass)

Heaviness: to make sorrowful, to affect with sadness, cause grief, the throw into sorrow. to grieve, offend, to make one uneasy, cause him a uneasy,

It is necessary, there is a need of, it behooves, is right & proper necessity, lying in the nature of the case, Necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct of others towards us. Necessity in reference to what is required to attain some end.

Though now for a season (this to will pass) A season has a beginning & and end. We know it is coming ( Think it not strange (1 Peter 4:12-13), we are not ignorant (2 Corinthians 2:11), we are not alone (1 Thessalonians 2:14 ...for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen...), seasons come & go..(Ecclesiastes 3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...)

Trial - an experiment, attempt, trial, proving, the trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy...

Manifold -all sort of adversities are temptations, or trials of faith, patience, & constancy...

Just as the Law was to show us we need a Savior, so is the trying of our faith to show us we need Jesus.

They show our weakness, our shortcomings, & the areas that we have not surrendered or yielded.

The Cross of Christ must be our only focus & when it is not the trying of our faith will show it.

In our weakness He died for us... In our sin, He died for us...

Only as we place our faith in the Cross can the Holy Spirit bring us though our trials victorious.

IF NEED BE: the “if” will be when we take our eyes off of the Cross

If need be: need/ to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son...)

Sometimes it is needed... We don’t always understand why or how long... But God has a reason why He allows all things

Seasons: many types of seasons, many trials, many temptations.

That the trial of your faith (is your faith genuine?) All faith is tested(Is your faith really on and in the Cross or not? Is it on or in self? or Others? (They show our weakness, it separates the impurities..

Think is not strange

(Don’t dwell on.. Don’t meditate on... don’t even think about it... Don’t ponder, wonder... Don’t think you are the only one... Don’t be surprised & be moved from your faith...

Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Spirit.

Luke 4:1-2 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil...

God will drive us to a place to where what we have been given will be tested.

God has given us the power from the Holy Spirit to come through the wilderness. It is not in our own strength. In Christ Jesus there is no test, trial, or opposition you can’t go through.

You may be in a wilderness, BUT NOT FOR YOUR DESTRUCTION...

Don’t be afraid of the test... Remember... “IT CAME TO PASS...”

Also remember this is an OPEN BOOK test...

Reasons for testing: to show us what is in us, to show us that in us is no good thing (it is only through Him), to show us the need for a Savior, to show us our weakness, to conform us to the image of Christ...

You do not have the ability or strength to get yourself through the wilderness. You must place your faith in what Jesus did and that gives us the help of the Holy Spirit to come through it victorious. It is not about you!! It is about Him, about who He is, about what He wants to do in you...

Don’t be like Peter

Matthew 26:33-35 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

First see the “I”. I will never, I will not...

Don’t make yourself your own Savior!

Matthew 26:74-75 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

The issue is not to just prove to us that we are weak, our battle is not to be strong in our own strength, but to stay in the plan outlaid by God, “Christ and Him Crucified”. He paid the price, 1 John 3:8 ...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

He did not bring us this far to just let us go now. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...

What you are going through is not for your destruction... He will, He will, He will bring you through.

Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified Bible)

...for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

GOD SAID . . . .

If you never felt pain, then how would you know that I’m a Healer? If you never went through difficulties, How would you know that I’m a Deliverer? If you never had a trial,
How could you call yourself an overcomer? If you never felt sadness, How would you know that I’m a Comforter? If you never made a mistake, How would you know that I’m forgiving? If you knew all, How would you know that I will answer your questions? If you never were in trouble, How would you know that I will come to your rescue? If you never were broken, Then how would you know that I can make you whole? If you never had a problem, How would you know that I can solve them? If you never had any suffering, Then how would you know what Jesus went through? If you never went through the fire, Then how would you become pure? If I gave you all things, How would you appreciate them? If I never corrected you, How would you know that I love you? If you had all power, Then how would you learn to depend on Me? If your life was perfect, Then what would you need Me for?

WE NEED A SAVIOR!!! WE NEED JESUS!!! ONLY JESUS CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED!!!

"Forgetting those things behind" By Rev. Len Paxton

“Embrace Change”

It seems a lot lately that there has been many changes in my daily life. I started to think about change and how it can be harder the older you get to change. I started to think about the Gospel and how we have been changed and are being changed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

This Gospel is a changing one, we are changed. The Gospel itself does not change, but when people experience the true Gospel there will be a change. Come as you are, but you will never be the same again. There must be a change. If there is not, you have not received the true Gospel.

It changes self focus, which is on us, to focus on Him. You are going to have to leave some things behind. You are not going to be able to bring the world into Christianity. You are going to have to let go of some thoughts. You are going to have to let go of some activities.

Many people today try to have Christianity and the world at the same time. This must not be. Everything must change. I know some people who live a “R” rated life style and think listening to “Spiritual” music, or talking about “Spiritual” things can be mixed with their so called faith.

When we came to Christ we were changed and we are being changed. The way we think. The way we act. The way we walk and talk all changes.

When one comes to Christ then they are more interested in doing the work of the Lord, than in their own advancement.

We are being changed and conformed to the image of His Son!

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Get ready things will change. We will have opposition. We will experience things. Things will not always be in your control. But in spite of our circumstances and our situation we can give thanks unto God. We can be glad He changes not. Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not...

BUT: Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ... 2 Corinthians 2:14

ALWAYS...... ALWAYS...... ALWAYS..... causeth us to triumph.....

Things will change, we will change,... But thanks be unto God He always causeth us to triumph in Christ.

So embrace change. He is ever working in you. Remember He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified Bible) ...be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

We must press forth to the things God has for us. Even the good things in our lives can hinder us if we stay there. He does not want us to stay in past defeat or in past victories. Press forth, Go forward... Always moving forward. Praise God!

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

"No Condemnation"

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Condemnation is not an emotion. It is a state of being. Condemnation has to do with punishment. We are born in Condemnation. All have sinned and fallen short... Praise God He has made a way to leave condemnation behind...through our faith in the Cross!

t doesn't mean we will not have sorrow about our sin. We will have conviction about our sin. Which will led to repentance. If you sin and do not have an conviction you are in trouble. Conviction is an emotion. Sorrow is not to stay. You do not beat yourself up, you receive what Jesus did for you, repent and go on.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Praise God as we are in Christ we are justified and now we have no condemnation!!! We have peace with God!

Not based on our performance!

Praise God Jesus paid the price!

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sometimes other Christians will not allow you to receive the forgiveness. They look at what you did, no matter how long ago it was, they condemn you. No sin is not right, but praise God we are washed in the blood!

We are even guilting of bringing up our own past. We dwell on who we were and what we have done. Even yesterday weighs us down. Let us set a side all that pulls us down. We are not to put condemnation on ourselves. We are to walk in Christ, not walk in our past. Oh Father help us to see you sent your Son so we could be free. Set your children free today!!

Let the conviction come. Then let it be turned into Joy.

Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Arise from condemnation today and go to the Cross! Be Justified, in Jesus Name.

"No Condemnation" video By Len Paxton

"Being Renewed in Him" By Len Paxton