Promises for the Battle
Humility
Prayer #5— Private Answers
When you pray, go into your closet, and once you’ve shut your door, pray to your Father who is in private and your Father who sees in private will give to you. Matthew 6:6 Prayer is not a performance. God prefers to answer private prayers because private prayers are humble and honest prayers. He does … Continue reading
Prayer #2— Forgiving Answers
The tax-gatherer said, “Be merciful to me, the sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified … for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted. Luke 18:13–14 This is the simplest of the prayers that elicit the forgiveness of God. While it does … Continue reading
Grace #2—Grace for Service
Toward scorners Yahweh is scornful, but to the humble he gives grace. … Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Peter not only knew the Scripture he had been taught, he also learned from the example … Continue reading
Thinking #7— Insightful Consideration
Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you insight into it all. 2 Timothy 2:7 God’s hope for Bible readers: If we exert ourselves to think carefully about what he has said in Scripture, he will bless us with insight into how to apply his wisdom to our lives; we will be able … Continue reading
Encouragements to Love #5—Worthy Love
Live worthily of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and meekness, patiently tolerating one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1–3 Embarrassing God is foolish. We do this is when we misrepresent our claim of allegiance to … Continue reading
Habakkuk #8—Quiet Profit
What profit is the carved image when its maker has carved it? … Woe to him who says to the wood, “Awake!” … But The Eternal is in his holy temple; hush before him all the earth. Habakkuk 2:18–20 Physics frustrates god-makers. We can’t get more energy out of a device than we put into … Continue reading
Habakkuk #5—Humble and Right
Behold, the puffed up one; his soul is not upright within him, but the righteous, by his faith, shall live. Habakkuk 2:4 Truly rational thought eludes the proud. Try as we might, attempting to solve problems with any hubris in our hearts keeps us from thinking straight and eventually leads to disaster. For arrogance erects … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About Being Humbly Rescued
Each of us needs to be reminded (frequently, for me) that God’s great objective in dealing with his children is to teach us “to rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). Somehow my natural instinct is to think that only as I use my wits and work hard … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About Humble Exultation
Because the gospel writers frame their narratives differently, we sometimes need to weave them together in order to see the big picture. Only Luke reprises Jesus’ parable about the noble who went to a distant land in order to receive the authority to rule as king. Because he was near to Jerusalem, and because his … Continue reading
Success #7—Wise Success
If the axe is dull and the user does not sharpen its edge, then he must use more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Success involves completing all the steps of a process that lead to the outcome we desire, so that when we finally achieve our goal, we are able … Continue reading
Promises for the Battle 