We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

1. Ask God to illuminate your heart so you can begin to see the fruits of pride in your life. Ask friends to point out the fruits of pride in your life realizing your heart is exceedingly deceitful. Be self-suspicious. 2. Ask God to convict you point by point (Psalm 139:23-24) and trust that He will. You don't want or need general condemnation, only specific, godly conviction. 3. Confess your pride to God point by point and ask for His forgiveness. Just as importantly, ask Him to cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). 4. Don't ask God to humble you – the Scripture says to humble yourself (1 Peter 5:6). Humility isn't an emotion; it's a decision of the will to think and act differently. 5. Confess your sins of pride to those you have affected and to your friends. They can help to hold you accountable and bring the on-going encouragement and correction you will need. 6. Ask God to give you a holy hatred for pride and its fruits in your life. Be continually on the alert. Don't allow pride to grow in your heart. 7. Ask God to give you a love for anonymity. Encourage and serve others each and every day. Associate with the lowly. 8. Think much about God and little about yourself. Regularly study the goodness and greatness of God. 9. Live to promote the reputation of God and not your own. Be impressed with God – don't be impressed with yourself. Find your satisfaction in Him and not in your vain accomplishments. 10. Remember your war against pride is life-long. It is not a battle won in a day. But as you faithfully put pride to death and put on humility, you will experience greater freedom and more importantly greater conformity to image and likeness of Christ. In so doing, God will be glorified in your life!
Brent Detwiler

If you cannot give your heart to God now, how is it possible you could enjoy God’s heaven hereafter? Heaven is unceasing godliness; it is to be in the presence of God and His Christ for evermore. God is the light, the food, the air of heaven. It is an eternal Sabbath. To serve God is heaven’s employment, to talk with God is heaven’s occupation. Oh, sinners, sinners, could you be happy there? To which of all the saints would you join yourselves? By whose side would you go and sit down, with whom of all the prophets and apostles would you love to converse? Surely it would be a wearisome thing to you; surely you would soon want to go forth and join your friends outside.
J.C. Ryle

    • XV. The Mutual Confession of Christ and His Disciples.

    Posted on

    MATT. x. 32. “Whosoever, therefore, shall
    confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father
    which is in heaven.”

    FAMILIAR words these, but very wonderful words. How
    astonished should we be if we heard these words from the
    lips of another. Is there is another being who could dare
    to speak thus?
    To confess, as in the text, is to speak openly of anything
    according to its true character.
    We have in this passage two confessions.
    I. The confessing of Christ by men.
    Before we can speak openly of Christ according to His
    true character we must know Him and we must appreciate
    Him. Knowledge and appreciation are both essential to
    this confession.
    This confession is variously made. Sometimes it is a
    verbal acknowledgment of Christ. Sometimes Christ may
    be dishonoured by our speaking of Him with our mouths;
    and we require wisdom and prudence and the exercising of
    judgment in this matter.
    Again, Jesus Christ is confessed by the observance of His
    ordinances. In baptism we especially confess the Holy
    Spirit, in the Lord’s supper we confess the Saviour. How
    is it that some who really do live by faith on the Son of
    God still neglect this sacrament?
    Christ is confessed by the recognition of His disciples
    and servants, specially of such as most represent Him—the
    children of sorrow.
    Jesus Christ is confessed by the worship of His holy
    name.
    Christ is confessed by the endurance of shame and
    persecution for His sake.
    Finally, He is confessed by living to Him and living
    for Him.
    II. The confessing of men by Jesus Christ
    The two are connected.
    The confessing of men by Christ is both present and
    future. Now men are confessed by His providences and
    the ministry of His Spirit. Then He will openly confess
    them before His Father and the assembled world.
    This recognition is full and complete both now and
    hereafter.
    There are two practical lessons.
    1. Secret discipleship can never fulfil our duties or ex-
    haust our obligations.
    2. The trials involved in the confession of Christ are
    light and momentary compared with the weight of the
    reward.
    Samuel Martin

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