Bible In One Year-Day 219 (Wednesday, August 07, 2013)

Commentary: Ezekiel28-30. Further punishment was pronounced against more nations which God had used to mete out judgment to the Israelites. The nation of Tyre was accused of great pride.
Ezekiel 28:2 “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:”
God addressed him as Satan and his acts likened to what transpired in the Garden of Eden, Ezek28:12-15.
Egypt was also not exempted from God’s wrath because of the corruption she brought into the midst of God’s people, Israel and Judah. God hates pride with perfect hatred. It is really disturbing to realize that many are having this evil spirit but never realize it. Pride is the first sin committed by the devil. Pride is arrogating praise to oneself.
Proverbs 27:2 “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”
Pride could be hidden and it could be opened. The manner of response to an uncultured approach at you determines whether you have a hidden or an open pride. Pride is a tree that yields evil fruits; hatred, rivalry, jealousy, murder, slander, bitterness, malice, contentions, evil conspiracy, complacency, indifference etc. These are silent killers. When you see a proud person, you have seen somebody God has taken the sword of defense off the hand.
Leviticus 26:19 “And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:”
Anyone who fears God will hate pride, i.e. will not identify with pride
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”
Pride makes one to conceal mistakes instead of seeking for prompt correction. Liars are all proud because they try to protect their corrupted ego. Lying spirit finds good landing place inside of the proud, 1Kings22:22. A proper study of the scriptures shows that God is always in serious contest with the proud to humble him and to show that He (i.e. God) is the Lord.
Luke 1:51 “He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”
The pride of man is incapacitated while he sleeps and this is the time God comes to seal instruction in him; God hides pride from man in his sleep. We need to pray hard for God to hide pride from us. The most powerful demoting spirit is pride.
Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”
A proud person counts himself or herself as the best and no one could get it done in a better way. Such never gives up under another’s leadership and never ready to learn from others. A proud person is a complainer and never appreciates deeply but shallow in expressing appreciation. The proud rejoices in the fall of another person especially, a contemporary.
Psalms 10:2 “The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.”
The conclusion of a proud person is shame. The bible tells us that we are blessed when you put the proud in the right place; they always want to go beyond their boundaries.
Psalms 40:4 “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”
Do you want your prayers answered hastily? Humble yourself before the Lord. When God sees a proud man standing before Him, He regards the person as Satan standing. Reconciliation is never part of the ministry of the proud.
Proverbs 6:16-19 “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.”
Pray to God to repair your attitude and character. Without this one cannot go far with God. King Saul’s pride killed him and his appointment with God. He was not sober for what he did; rather he was begging God not to put him to shame before the people;
1 Samuel 15:30 “Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.”
Saul weighed the mouth of the people more than the judgment of God. He desired and regarded their praise better than a good relationship with God. Though he wanted to worship God but it was based on getting respect from the people. There are many people with collar on the neck and very big Bible in their hands but with no good relationship with God. Such are the ones Jesus says you should not call “daddy” or “father” because they love the praise of men.
Matthew 23:5 “But all their works they do to be seen by men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,”
Though, Saul was anointed by God, unfortunately, he turned the grace of God to self glory. A taste of the gift of the Holy Spirit popped up his head. This was not David’s case. David sinned also but he deeply realized it and never cared what the people said for as long as the relationship with God is intact. He realized his filthiness and knew that he needed help from God, the merciful. He thought within himself that he needed to be washed and cleansed and it is only by God. When you read Psalm51, you can see the genuine content in David’s heart. He did everything in his power to repair that relationship. When God saw the content of his heart, He showed His mercy. Saul wanted the praise outside to cover the filthiness within the heart, but David wanted a clean heart not minding what the outside holds.
Psalms 51:10-12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
As far as the proud is concerned, his idea, choice, view and preference are always better than God’s. Pride is a perforation to the heart which makes it not to retain God. Pride damages a character and the consequence is a bad attitude. Without repairs to the proud heart, the journey with God cannot be long, just like Saul;
Psalms 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Ezekiel131-33. Keep the fire of burning and alive.
Pastor Supo Abayode
+1-302-230-6792
Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries
Delaware, USA