Humility is the virtue that attracts God's transforming grace according to Pastor Francis Frangipane. Scripture makes it clear, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) If we want to become more Christlike, we must allow humility to do its work, because it is the basis for transformation. Meekness or humility must become a way of life.
The root of all sin comes from pride. We must ask ourselves, "What spirit am I rooted in, pride or humility?" Pride is our fleshly nature, and Satan is all about going after it! He is very familiar with pride, because this is the sin that reared its ugly head in him when he lived in heaven and led to him being expelled. Isaiah 14:12-15 describes Satan's fall: "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthrone on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the top of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." Ever since his fall, Satan's goal has been to neutralize our walk with God. He wants to make us ineffective for the Kingdom of God. Keeping this in mind will help us to surrender our souls to the Lord. There are two verses in the Beatitudes that address our need for humility. "Blessed are the poor in spirit (those who recognize their need for constant help from God) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:2, 5) Jesus is our source of humility and holiness. Our goal while we are on earth should be to become more like Him. It is pride that gives us hard hearts so that we cannot see our needs. If we are full of self, we cannot be filled with God. That is why, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) Jesus uses the parable of the wheat and tares to teach His listeners about two types of people who co-exist. The enemy comes to sow tares in the Lord's field of wheat. Jesus, representing the farmer, explains that the tares cannot be uprooted until harvest time because the wheat may be uprooted with them. Both must grow side by side. (Matthew 13:24-30) The wheat represents the Believer whom God is growing in Christlike character, while the tares represent unbelievers. As the wheat and tares grow, it is difficult to discern the difference between them. Yet, one is producing grain in its head while the other is barren. It is through the tares that the wheat learns how to live in a Christlike way. These godly behaviors include forgiveness, compassion for others, humility, and love. At harvest time, when the Lord looks at His field, it becomes evident who is humble. The head of the wheat, heavy with grain or the fruits of the Spirit, bows before its Creator while the tare stands straight with nothing to offer Him. Psalm 25:9 says, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way." Our goal in life should be to become like Christ. When we humble ourselves before Him, He guides us. Our prayer should be that we will grow into the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13) Humility is the key! On Wednesday morning, as I was listening for God's quiet voice, I heard a sentence that led me to do more research on what was said. I heard, "Brokenness is the key to revival." Our church has been contending for revival for quite some time, but this aspect of our pursuit has not been articulated before. Of course, the individuals who make up a church and the way they walk out their faith has an influence on what happens to the entire body. God knows how He made us and our potential for the future. His love for us compels Him to break off areas of our lives that compete with our focus on Him. God wants to be our first priority, so He actively targets for removal areas of our lives that keep us from being completely submitted to Him. He strips away and breaks off anything that hinders our intimacy with Him.
Moses is one that was transformed by the breaking that God sent his way. He went from a position of prestige and privilege, power and pride, to one of humility as a lowly shepherd who lived in a tent. It took God forty years to mold Moses into a God-reliant individual who would follow His directions to bring the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. When we look at the large picture, we should see that God had to break off and remove from Moses all that was Egyptian. Then He would do the same thing to the Israelites that Moses would oversee. God's intent was to liberate His people from bondage so that they could live in the fullness of HIs promises. Spiritual maturity comes after we have been broken. Surrender, change, and growth are a part of being broken. This process is demonstrated beautifully in the life of Peter, the fisherman. Jesus chose him to be part of His inner circle. On numerous occasions Jesus poured into Peter's life to help in his preparation for what was to be his life of supernatural ministry after the ascension of Jesus. Peter needed to be broken of his desire to have everything go his way. He was chastised for his declaration that the Lord would not have to suffer and be killed. Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." (Matthew 16:23) In another Peter refinement moment, Jesus warned him that he would fall away in fright. Peter makes a vow, declaring, "'I never will!' 'Truly I tell you,' Jesus answered, 'This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.'" (Matthew 26:34) We know that Peter went on to deny Jesus three times as he sat in the courtyard when Jesus went before the Sanhedrin. Scripture says that after the rooster crowed, Peter "wept bitterly." (Matthew 26:75) Other situations in the life of Peter contributed to his transformation and made him into a God-fearing, powerful man of God who was able to walk out his destiny of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. Why would God tell me that brokenness is the key to revival? I believe we must look at the components of revival to see the results. They include all the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22, 23) But the foundation for all of these is humility, and in humility we place the Lord in His proper position as head of our lives, and we yield to His plans and purposes for us. Our heartfelt prayer needs to be, "Father, break us and revive us so that you can mold us into Your image." Here is God's Word to us: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17) God gave a major sign to our nation on New Year's Eve. Storms started along the eastern seaboard that included lightning and thunder. At about the same time, lightning struck the Washington Monument and the Capital building in Washington, D.C., and the Empire State Building and the Tower at Ground Zero in New York City. All four of these strikes were confirmed on the day that ushers in our new year, 2025.
Do you think God is trying to say something to America by this quadruple hit three weeks before Donald Trump will become the 46th president of the United States? I would say a strong yes! Rabbi Jonathan Cahn pointed out some interesting facts to consider about these lightning strikes. All four buildings are American icons that represent our nation. Washington, D.C. is our capital city and the center of our political world. New York City was the first capital of our country and the center of our economic world. Rabbi Cahn reminds us that both cities are capitals for abortion. On September 11, 2001, the terrorists struck significant buildings in these cities. Since September 11, the agenda of the darkness has progressed and continues to push forward in our nation. We must ask, "Where is the fear of the Lord in our country?” It would be wise for us to investigate some of the Scriptures on lightning. When Elihu was speaking to Job, he told him, "He fills His hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark." (Job 36:32) The Lord Himself questioned Job: "What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed or the places where the east winds are scattered over the earth?...Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are?' (Job 38:24.35) The psalmist, David speaks of God's power through several of his writings. "The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning." (Psalm 29:7) "The Lord also thundered from the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, amid hailstones and coals of fire. And He sent out His arrows and scattered them; and He flashed forth lightnings and put them to rout."(Psalm 18:13, 14 - AMP) "Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles." (Psalm 99:3, 4) These are just a few of the Scriptures in the Bible that talk about lightning, but all of them carry similar messages that convey to us the power of the Lord, His glory, and the use of lightning to demonstrate judgment. Jonathan Cahn reminds us of a Biblical principle that "in the day of judgment destruction returns to the ground where the nation was consecrated to God in prayer." This principle has already been played out. Our concern should be that the blessings of God on America will be removed if we do not return to Him. I believe God's warning signs are also meant to give us hope and to encourage us to pray for our country to be revived. I have quoted the Scripture from 2 Chronicles 7:14 numerous times. It seems appropriate to do it again. "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This verse is for the Body of Christ. The Lord is giving us signs because His desire is to heal our land. Only our steadfast prayers will do so. A principle that is especially important to God but rarely talked about in the Church is called the "Principle of Firstfruits." What we say to God when we practice firstfruits giving is that we honor and worship Him, we have faith in Him, and we bless Him. The idea is that we are setting aside the first and best portion of what we have in gratitude to Him.
God introduced the principle of firstfruits to the children of Israel as they camped at Mount Sinai and after Moses met with Him to receive the Ten Commandments and other laws. He told them, "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me...Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crop you sow in your field...Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord." (Exodus 23:14, 16, 19) Monthly, the Israelites celebrate what they called Rosh Chodesh (The Head of the Month) or The New Moon Festival. Firstfruits offerings were an integral part of these celebrations. Not only did they set aside the firstfruits of their time to worship the Lord, but also the firstfruits of their possessions and crops. When King Hezekiah was arranging for worship contributions, he assigned priests and Levites to give thanks and sing praises. Second Chronicles 31:4 and 5 tells us what he did next: "He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and all that the fields produced." It seems to me that when we follow the principle of firstfruits we are showing God our hearts toward Him. Only the Lord is worthy of receiving our first and best offerings. What does this look like for us today? How do we acknowledge the one who provides for our sustenance and increase? For most of us firstfruits are no longer tied to fields and growing. Today it is all about our lives and sacrificing in a way that we put Him first in our lives. We must ask ourselves if we are giving the Lord our first and best in time, resources, and love. We must be intentional in what we do and how we do it. Romans 11:16 says, "For if the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches." According to the Passion Translation footnotes, the firstfruit portion of the dough refers to Abraham and the patriarchs, whereas the batch of dough refers to those descended from them. Since the first "portion" was dedicated to God, the rest belongs to Him also and is considered consecrated to God's use. James 1:18 explains further: "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created." With the New Year upon us, it is appropriate that we offer the Lord the firstfruits of our time and resources. Let's remember all the ways He has been faithful to us in the year 2024 and that as the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He will be faithful to us in 2025. Isn’t He worthy of our worship? |
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