Humble Yourselves

Good Evening CLMNWA Family,

I told y’all that I was going to be writing more, and at a quicker pace.  I suppose y’all didn’t expect that to begin tonight, but how many of you know that just because it’s the twenty-third hour of the day…if there’s something God wants said then it’s got to get said or I won’t be able to go to bed until I do.

One of the good things that has come from being knocked down a bit with this crap in my chest is it’s allowed me to be less distracted, and focus in more on getting myself back on track.  Some where along the way between the turn of the calendar to 2016, and now I kind of got off into wrong motives for why I was doing this and those wrong motives caused me to wind up being discouraged and a little bit depressed.

However, it’s time for me to get off the sidelines, and back to doing what God’s called and anointed me to do.  I’ve already posted two messages over on the Christlike Ministries NWA Blog, and now to close out the day I have one final message to deliver that is attached to this verse right here…

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)

Do you know what always stands out to me when I read these two verses?  It’s not that God will exalt me in due time because most of you know me well enough to know that I don’t really care about being exalted or popular or well-known.  I love knowing that I can cast my cares upon the Lord because He cares for me, and I have cast many a care upon Him.  I’m well aware of the mighty hand of God, and have seen it at work in my life countless times.  No, the thing that stands out to me is the these two words right here:  Humble yourselves.

Isn’t it funny how the world (and even some Christians) feel like it’s their duty to let you know when you’re being prideful…or they think you’re being prideful?  There are people out there (and that includes people in the church) that feel it’s their job to make sure people in the body of Christ stay humble.  That, however, isn’t what the Bible tells us to do, is it?  No…it tells us that we are to humble ourselves.

Look I can tell you from my experience that God will indeed humble me if I’m not doing a good job of staying humble.  I can also tell you that God is swift to scold me when I get prideful enough to think someone else is being too prideful.  In fact, most of the time I’ve come to realize that when God is showing me the pride in someone else’s heart it’s not because He wants me to tell them they need to be more humble…but because He’s showing me that there’s pride in my heart that He wants to deal with so that I will be more humble.

Come on, I can’t always write feel good messages, friends.  If I didn’t take a moment to get in our business about being in other people’s business when it’s really none of our business because what’s going on in their lives is between them and God.  I love y’all way too much to write nothing but feel good stuff, and not take a moment to get into something real.

I mean we can go on to read the rest of the verse to understand why it is that we need to humble ourselves.  We can read in Proverbs what happens when we don’t humble ourselves, and God has to allow us to fall so that we will be humbled.  The thing of it is, when we’re being humble and walking with God with the right heart and motives…God really does exalt and promote us.

Come on.  How many of you like sitting in a church when the preacher is talking about all they’re accomplishments and all they have done for God?  Oh, don’t shut me down you know just as well as I do you can turn on TBN, and you’ll find some preacher boasting about what great work they’ve done for the Lord.  Do you know the kind of preachers I admire today?  Ones like Clayton Jennings that continue to point the way to Jesus no matter how mainstream or popular they have become.  I like preachers like my pastor at Word of Life Fellowship that freely admits when he misses God and falls and the places where he’s weak.  I like it when preachers say “don’t look at me…look at the Cross” because those are the kind of preachers that understand (as do I) that God doesn’t need us…we need Him.

Well, I believe this is all the Lord wants me to say tonight.  I’ve finished all of my cough syrup, all of my antibiotics, and all of my steroid pills…and there’s still junk in my chest from this bronchitis I’ve been fighting with for two weeks now.  So, I’m assuming I’m going to have to go for a follow-up appointment to check on the progress of the medication I’ve already been taking, and find out if I can get some more because I know for sure that even though I’m better what I’ve had hasn’t totally gone away yet. So, it’s likely that I’m going to need continued prayer, and to make a follow-up appointment to get more medicine to knock this junk completely out of my chest!

I love y’all so very much.  I know y’all probably think I’m just writing that to say it, but the truth is I really do love and care for you.  The most important reason for doing this ministry isn’t for me, and it should always remain that way.  Thank you all so much for hitting the like, follow or subscribe buttons.  I hope I’m continuing to put out content that inspires, encourages, and challenges you to have the kind of relationship with God you desire.

Good night everyone & God bless you!

Blessings & Grace ~ Pastor B