GOFAMINT DEVOTIONAL - IT IS A MATTER OF THE HEART

GOFAMINT DAILY DEVOTIONAL

HUMILITY IS THE WAY OF THE GODLY

Monday 6/6/2022

Suggested Hymns: G. H. B. 61, 69.

Devotional Reading. Ezek. 28:12-18

Topic For Adults: God Resists The Proud

Topic For Youths: Walk Humbly With God

Topic For Intermediates: Be Humble

Lesson Scriptures: Prov. 18:12; 16:18; Ps. 51:17, Isa. 66:2; 14:12-15; 1 Pet. 5:5. Jam. 4:5-7. Lk. 12:16-21; Phil. 2:5-11; Ezek. 28:12-17; Deut. 8:2-3

MEMORY VERSE

“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility” (Proverbs 18:12) NKJV.

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IT IS A MATTER OF THE HEART

Psalms 51:17, Isaiah 66:2,1 Peter 5:5

One of the marks of a Christian is brokenness. Today, there are many people in Christendom who claim to be Christians but are not broken. One of the requirements of the godly to walk acceptably with God is a broken and contrite heart. One of the reasons many are carnal and far from being spiritual is this issue of the heart. When the heart of man is not right, his whole life will not be right. This is the reason why many so-called Christians are arrogant, deceitful and unapproachable. In view of this, to receive the word of God and demonstrate practical Christianity will be difficult. A broken and contrite heart is a requirement for you to be godly, imbibe it.

Point of Emphasis: A broken and contrite heart is a necessity for you to be godly, imbibe it.

Prayer Point: Heavenly Father, bless me with a broken and contrite heart that trembles at Your word.

Reading The Bible Through in a Year: Morning: Jam. 5:1 - 12; Evening: Isa. 4-6

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BACKGROUND

The Bible and our contemporary world are littered with examples of both men and women with great potentials, gifts and glorious destinies but who failed miserably and could not live to accomplish their divine purposes because of – PRIDE! There are many who started with all the support and backing of the Almighty God but who got side-tracked as their achievements and successes began to get into their heads. Many of such who have been abandoned and replaced by God are looking for the arms of flesh, to do the work of God. This lesson is meant to remind us the evil of pride and emphasise the blessedness of humility.

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NOTES ON THE LESSON

PART 1: GODLINESS DEMANDS HUMILITY - PROVERB 15:33, 16:18, 18:12

The Merriam Webster on-line Dictionary defines pride in the following ways; “the quality of being proud: such as a feeling that you respect yourself and deserved to be respected by other people, a feeling that you are more important or better than other people; a feeling of happiness that you get when you do something good”. You cannot be proud and be godly. Pride is a feeling of self-importance that makes one to look down on others. A proud man will not give the necessary respect to those that are placed above him or those who are senior to him in age and experience. A proud man is always right, he wants to have the last say in every conversation and would impose his own ideas on others. One of the things that salvation should take away from you is pride. In the Church, there are men and women who are still enslaved by the spirit of pride which they explain away as peculiar to their tribe or town. When they display such vice therefore, they say it is an inborn thing, it is in their blood. Is it a fact that one of the benefits of salvation is a changed life and character? When a man maintains character traits peculiar to his place of origin or birth, it is a sign that such a man though converted is not yet broken. A broken man will submit all at the cross and his life will be rid of the adamic nature, pride, arrogance, stubbornness and the like that are traceable to their place of origin and birth. One of the tell-tale signs that a man is godly is humility. It is true that you cannot be proud and still resemble Christ. A child of God must consciously and deliberately work on himself to get rid of pride because it destroys.

PART 2: PRIDE IS A KILLER - EZEK. 28:12-15, ISA. 14:12-15; REV. 12:1-3

God did not create Lucifer as Satan in the beginning; however, his pride brought him down. The parable of the rich fool in the New Testament is exactly like what happened to Lucifer. He was beautifully created with wonderful precious stones. However, his fall came the day he began to puff up, desiring to be higher than his creator and maker. The rich fool died the day he also arrogated all his achievement to his personal prowess. Isaiah 14:12-15, Satan refers to himself with personal pronoun ‘I’ severally. The vocabulary of a proud man is always “I, me, my and mine”. Many people have forgotten their source and shifted their focus from God because of their worldly achievements. Pride has become an issue in the Church of God today because of what God permitted men to have. Below are some of the signs of pride to watch out for.

 Seeing yourself as too good to perform certain tasks.

 Looking down on others.

 Inability to ask for help when you need it.

 Talking too much about yourself.

 Thinking that you are better than others.

 Having a judgmental spirit towards others.

 Fault finding.

 Approval and praise seeking.

 Inability to admit your mistakes and errors.

 Inability to say sorry and mean it.

 Unwillingness to accept constructive criticism.

 Ingratitude.

 Disregarding the advice of others.

 Unwillingness to submit to authority.

 Justifying your sin instead of admitting it.

Lucifer became Satan - the devil because of pride. Run from pride, it is a killer and robber of destiny.

PART 3: FOLLOW JESUS’ EXAMPLE - PHIL. 2:5-11

Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example of what humility really entails. Though He Himself being in the form of God and equal with God, but;

 He made Himself of no reputation.

 He took the form of a servant, not of a master.

 He was made in the likeness of man and fashioned as a man.

 He humbled Himself, and

 He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The Lord Jesus Christ came to the world simply to carry out the commandment of His Father, pursued it until He accomplished it on the cruel Roman cross. He did not turn away from the will of His Father despite knowing the gravity of what He stood to face. He obeyed to the end. Jesus have both the power and authority over the ones using authority and power over Him. Yet, He maintained both His cool and silence. No wonder He was able to please God and accomplish His divine purpose. Believers should endeavour to emulate Jesus in all things. Christians obedient to constituted authorities and Biblical injunctions. Don’t be a bad example to others; emulate Christ who is both your Saviour and Master.

CONCLUSION

No matter the destiny a man carries, the anointing and how great a man is ordained to be, pride can ruin him in a day. Beware of pride, it kills, rather be humble.

QUESTIONS

1. What is pride?

2. Mention Biblical characters who failed God because of pride.

3. Give five signs of pride to watch out for.

4. In what ways are you displaying pride in your character today?

5. What can you deduce from this passage - Prov. 18:12 - “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty and before honour is humility” (NKJV).

DO HAVE A BLESSED DAY

©2022 THE GOSPEL FAITH MISSION INTERNATIONAL DEVOTIONAL IS BY PASTOR (DR) E.O ABINA, THE GENERAL OVERSEER OF GOFAMINT Worldwide.