How Much Better

PRIDE GOES before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18), I don’t consider myself haughty, but pride rises up, from time to time. And it came to me today that pride isn’t necessarily arrogance. It can be not listening when God’s speaking. It can be doing what we want to do and not what He’s asked us to do. That we fill in for Him with our own words is a form of pride.

We are supposed to renew our minds and change our thinking, thus changing our character to be like God’s. As He is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4), we are patient and kind. As He is longsuffering, we are longsuffering. We are not saved from sin and made new creations in Christ in order to add God to how we are. Instead, it is that we become Him now and not ourselves.

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

Romans 8:6 says to be “spiritually minded” is life and peace. To be “spiritually minded” is to think like God within us and to no longer react and make decisions by our bodies or in our own minds. We no longer go by how we feel, our current mood, and even our education, what we’ve learned. When the apostle Paul was taken prisoner aboard a ship, sailing to Rome, the Holy Spirit told him that if they sailed, there would be much loss of life (Acts 27:10). He could not convince the sailors whose job it was to sail the ship. They knew sailing in that part of the world, how the currents steered and what the typical weather was, so they ignore him. But when the storm surrounded them, days into the voyage, and it became clear they were in trouble, it was Paul who heard from God and directed them in survival. They even sat down to eat a meal in the midst of the tumultuous weather!

“But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.” (Acts 27:21-22)

We must submit what we know to God who knows everything and surrender our choices and replace them with His. Years ago, Minister Creflo Dollar felt to cancel a speaking engagement but talked himself into going anyway. While driving down the freeway with several other men, on the way to speak, they collided with another vehicle and almost lost their lives. He came so close to heaven that he had a glimpse of it and a large angel who guarded them, as well. Another man in the car flew through the windshield into the windshield of another car. Both he and that man survived because when Minister Dollar called home, his wife had been praying. He learned to hear the Spirit and obey.

Here's the truth of this. God will always warn us of pending danger. That’s “ALWAYS”! He does not warn some and not others, nor does He warn this time but He didn’t the last time. The key to being warned, though, is listening to the Spirit and knowing His Voice. To truly walk in the Spirit, as it tells us in Galatians 5, we must continually be seeking Him, in every circumstance.

One afternoon, I stopped at our local grocery store and part way in, realized I wasn’t feeling well. I said to myself I’d get just the few things I needed and go, but the more I walked the worse I felt. Then the Spirit rose up within me. He steered me up one aisle and down the next, and I realized when standing at the register how specific my steps had been. Now, you don’t have to believe me, and Minister Dollar said of his vision of heaven, but the Spirit even walked me right past a display of chocolates I wouldn’t have seen if I’d been taking my own steps. God cared that I get what I needed and what I liked, in what seems trivial to some people. I can remember years ago, He partially filled my gas tank just enough to get me back into my driveway, though I was on empty. I’ve never forgotten it.

I cannot stress enough how much better our life is meant to be with God in control of it. We need never be alone, never be frightened or confused, never worry about money or foodstuffs or clothing. He is IN US to be WITH US for every part of our life. I’m all about being self-sufficient when it comes to many things, but I have learned there is a place to set down pride and surrender. It brings such peace. One, because now I am only responsible for my part and not the entirety of something. Two, because I’m in the position God wants me to be in. And He wants us in touch with Him twenty-four seven. For our safety, for His wisdom, for our blessing, but especially for our future.

“You, Eternal One, are my sustenance and my life-giving cup. In that cup, You hold my future and my eternal riches.” (Psalm 16:5 VOICE)

Image by Julien Tromeur from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com