Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

The Lord abhors every arrogant person; rest assured that they will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5 (emphasis added)

Humility is NOT having a low opinion of yourself. It is NOT a modest or low view of one’s own importance. It is NOT the quality of being aware of your bad qualities. It is NOT the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others. TRUE humility is freedom from pride or arrogance.

Pride is about US getting praise, getting glory, and attention. Pride is a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements. Sometimes we can take pride in other people’s accomplishments (friends, family, spouses, etc). A key factor of pride is that people OUTSIDE our circle will be talking us up, which brings US pleasure. That OTHERS also acknowledge our achievement, which can easily become worship instead of simple acknowledgement. That’s pride. There is also a good kind of pride that really is simple self-respect about our capabilities without it being a source of pleasure or glory (which is actually humility). Everything else though, is negative pride.

Arrogance is an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions. It’s the quality of being unpleasantly proud and behaving as if you are more important than, or know more than, other people. It is being full of your SELF. It is YOU being in the top spot with no room for anyone or anything else. It often also means demanding that others ALSO acknowledge your superiority. It is the root of MANY evils, such as racism, bullying, and slavery. It is easy to see that sense of one’s own importance showing itself in a proud and insulting way in highly visible professions such as politics, entertainment, and leadership roles (CEOs for example).

Do these character traits remind you of anything? ““‘You were the sealer of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked about amidst fiery stones. You were blameless in your behaviour from the day you were created, until sin was discovered in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I defiled you and banished you from the mountain of God—the guardian cherub expelled you from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom on account of your splendour. I threw you down to the ground; I placed you before kings, that they might see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, through the sinfulness of your trade, you desecrated your sanctuaries. So I drew fire out from within you; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth before the eyes of all who saw you” (Ezekiel 28:12b-18). “Your splendour has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you. Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! You said to yourself, ‘I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!’” (Isaiah 14:11-14). The devil decided he deserved what Elohim was getting. It really is as simple as that. He had to lie to himself to imagine that was a real thing, and he lied until he believed it. He fought not to lose his place, but was bumped out anyway–he didn’t have a hope of staying (Revelation 12:7-9). Like any child not getting his way, he threw a hissy fit and decided to get glory any way he could–breaking Yahweh’s possessions if he could just to add icing to his cake. We bought his lie and fell (Genesis 3). Jesus came and made a way for us to return to our place in Him (John 3:16-18). When we accept Jesus as Lord, we receive salvation. After that, the life of the believer is all about pride.

For what we’re discussing, arrogance and pride are basically the same thing. Pride breeds arrogance and you can’t be arrogant without pride. Humility is the opposite. It is recognising that you have worth, that you have accomplishments, that you have confidence, and it is okay if you’re the only one who knows it. You’ll accept compliments and acknowledgement when they’re merited, but you shun aggrandisement (by others or by yourself). Pride and humility are opposites. They are the choice we have when it comes to our trust (faith). Will we trust in Jesus or will we trust in ourselves? It’s what Ruach HaKodesh convicts us of–the ONLY thing. Are we trusting Jesus? Why didn’t we trust Jesus? It’s that subtle, yet constant, nudge to do everything that we do from a standpoint of TRUST (Romans 14:23).

Whether it is our walk with Adonai or our walk with our fellow humans, pride is a negative thing. A puller down of intimacy. A burier of trust. A corrosion to responsibility. “After pride came, disgrace followed; but wisdom came with humility” (Proverbs 11:2). Just like with the devil, pride will be the springboard to our fall. “But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”” (James 4:6). Notice that Elohim gives us Grace to combat pride. Pride says I did it. Grace says Jesus did it for me because I can’t. It takes revelation. It takes humility–realising who Elohim is compared to who we are. I’m telling you, humans can do some AMAZING things. But they are NOTHING compared to Elohim. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride and the evil way and perverse utterances” (Proverbs 8:13). These are very clear words. Anyone who indulges in pride and arrogance is walking opposite to how He calls us to.

If we want a strong relationship with Adonai. If we want strong marriages. If we want strong families. If we want strong ties with our community. If we want to be a blessing to all we come across. If this is the witness we seek to be and the people we want to be, it REQUIRES Jesus. There are a lot of tools that Adonai has for us to combat pride, remove arrogance, and remain humble. All of them are ONLY available in Jesus. “because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:16). “Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself” (Philippians 2:3). “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited” (Romans 12:16). All of that needs the Fruit of HIS Spirit. We don’t have it outside of Jesus. Inside Jesus, connected to Him, we have an ABUNDANCE of fruit coming straight from Him through us (John 15:5).

In order to be humble–the opposite of pride–we need to be forgiving people. Not letting their mistakes and foibles bug us or give us a false sense of superiority in a given task, ability, or situation. We need to be diligent people. Making sure to always check in with Jesus on how to interact with people as well as on our own motivations. Casting our cares on Him, and receiving from Him the solution to EVERYTHING in front of us. We need to be people who honour those around us–whether they’re ‘nobodies’ or the world’s elite. We need to be lifting those around us up. We need to be encouragers and the builders of other people’s confidence. We need to be putting Adonai first because that is HIS proper place. We need to be giving HIS opinions greater worth than our own and be diligent in letting Him renew our minds so that we agree. We need to be grateful people. Grateful for all the Fruit and sacrifice and correction and guidance and help that Jesus gives us. Grateful that He loves us and shows US how to live. Grateful to our spouses and children. To our parents and friends. To our co-workers and bosses. To all those around us that help us, teach us, companion with us, talk with us, and share this life. Grateful for the opportunity to represent Jesus and point to Him, giving all the glory for all we do, say, and think to Adonai Elohim. If this is how we run our days, how we think, how we speak, and how we act, the pride will have NO CHANCE to take root. No chance to take us off the path to who the Father wants us to be in Jesus. We will reject pride and glorify Elohim.

Do you want a healed marriage? A healed relationship with Adonai? Take this Word to heart. Every day, choose to live by it. Make it so much a part of you, it becomes part of your character. Live it, just like Jesus did. It is a map to a whole, healed, and healthy life in Him. We can’t do it without Him. But WITH Him and IN Him, we are equipped to succeed. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond. Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12-17). Amen.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 53:3

“He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.” Messiah would be rejected. Bringing a message of peace between Elohim and humanity, He would be rejected. By those who didn’t know Him (Psalm 22:6-8), by those who did (Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14), and even by family (Psalm 22:1-2). Messiah would be rejected in some way on every level, while deserving none of it. ““Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”” (Matthew 27:21-23). It wasn’t just these religious leaders and their followers who didn’t believe Jesus. His close friend and disciple betrayed Him (Matthew 26:14-16). Jesus’ own FAMILY didn’t believe Him until He was resurrected (John 7:5-10). Jesus was rejected by EVERYONE in the end. Even Peter denied Him (Matthew 26:69-75). Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b