Unwavering, unchangeable and reliable
“Be proud of yourself, follow your heart, love yourself”. These terms dominate the media pretty much every day. I continue to find it fascinating how God’s Word is so opposite to the world! The words “pride,” “self-love,” and “follow your heart” all sound very loving and wise. Yet, according to God’s Word, it is anything but that. God’s Word teaches us to be humble, not proud, and most importantly, not to follow your heart (Jeremiah 17:9). Pride is not of God (Romans 12:16, 1 John 2:16, Proverbs 11:2). For everything in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life comes not from the Father but from the world. – 1 John 2:16 Humility is the exact opposite of the worldly path of exalting oneself at the expense of all others. God’s Kingdom is based on the principle of “humility for honor” (Proverbs 29:23). Jesus shows us this clearly. He was humiliated and written off by the world like no other before He could then receive all the honor from God the Father. Jesus is our example in everything, He is a ‘master’ of humility! God’s kind of love is selfless, as also evidenced by Jesus’ own actions. Pride is the only reason that conflict arises (Prov. 13:10). The world teaches us to take good care of ourselves, “you have to take good care of yourself because no one else will do that for you” is the standard response here in the Netherlands. Yet, the Bible teaches us to put other people before ourselves and to serve others. Something I am still learning about myself. I sometimes find it difficult not to get tense and make sure my children and I have our ‘food and drink’ first before I give (I am learning 😊, Praise God). We may know that God always takes care of us, as a child of God you never have to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). We are blessed to be a blessing to others, and in the meantime God will make sure that we do not lack anything (Matthew 6:25-31). The world teaches you to “look at what you can get and what you have”, while the Bible teaches us to “look at what you can give and how you can be a blessing to others”. Pride “Pride” is a term you hear all the time, the entire month of June is even named after it! But when we read God’s Word, it is something that God detests (Proverbs 8:13). It is what brought down Lucifer (Ezekiel 28:17). What I found fascinating to learn is that pride does not necessarily have to be haughty. Pride is not just a form of “look at me being great and good,” pride is actually also when you put yourself down. When God’s Word says that you, with Christ, are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37), yet you say “well no, not me, I can’t do that”, you are in fact proud #sorry 😉. Because when God’s Word says you can; you can! With this form of so-called humble (trying to be) (consciously or unconsciously), you place your own “I”, your insight, above what God says about you, and so you are in fact proud. If God’s Word says something about you, then we may, in all humility, accept that as the truth because God’s Word is the Truth. Everything that deviates from that is pride, because you put your own truth above Gods. This was an eye-opener for me too! I myself was also sometimes inclined to look at myself negatively; “oh no, I can’t do that, that’s not for me”…..but God taught me I was being proud. I put my truth about myself above what His Word says about me! The Bible is a mirror of how we may look at ourselves, through God’s eyes. So we may just accept what He says about us, this is the Truth and not what the world says about us or how we look at ourselves. Do not follow your heart What I find absolutely ‘beautiful’ is the term ‘follow your heart’. What a cliché that is. Cliché and cheesy. It sounds pious and when you throw this out into the world, everyone will agree. The world just doesn’t teach you that your heart is deceitful. That is only what God’s Word teaches us (Jeremiah 17:9). Our heart cannot be trusted at all, so to trust your heart, to follow your heart is the stupidest thing you can do, LOL! Your heart can feel one way one moment, but a month later, you will think completely different about it. Why are there so many broken families? Everyone just follows their heart; if it doesn’t go well, we just break up. One moment you are in love and everything seems great, until those rose-colored glasses come off, and you see each other’s shortcomings. One moment the grass seems greener on the other side or with the other employer, you follow your heart and after a while it all seems not to have been the best decision. Now, making mistakes is human, of course, but when we let God, and not our hearts, guide us in every decision, you will find that this will save you from many pitfalls. Your heart is often guided by emotions, and emotions can be as changeable as the weather. God’s Word and God’s character, on the other hand, are an unshakable foundation. Unwavering, unchangeable and reliable I want to encourage you, let God’s Truth and God’s Word be the guideline in your life. Let every person and the world be a liar, but what God says about you be the truth (Romans 3:4). Give your heart and your dreams to Him. Involve Him in every decision, both big and small, then you will see, He will give you direction. He will ensure you stay on the right path to reach your God-given destination. Do not go along