There are so many cares in the world; equally, there is so much pride. As we learned in our last blog post, those who follow the path of pride are resisted by God, and those who follow the path of humility are given grace. (James 4:6)

With so many cares in the world, you would think we would pray more often for His provisions. Elders on social security are getting less and less; medicare doesn't cover even basic needs; government healthcare was rolled out with tons of problems; the price of gas, food, and basic clothing is sometimes not affordable to the hardest working people, either here or around the world. 

Many godly, wonderful people are attempting to solve these issues for their fellow human beings. Many more people have taken the problems into their own hands and have forgotten to include God. It is pride that says, “I know better than God, I can solve these problems on my own.” Just because our problems are not solved as fast as we would like it to be solved does not give us the right to solve them on our own. While we probably won’t open the front door and find boxes of food or a stash of money, the Lord may strengthen us to get a second job, provide extra help from unexpected sources, or provide for a miracle.

How do we know if we are trusting the Lord to take care of all our needs? Observe a toddler. What can the toddler do to get food? Nothing; they must wait to be fed from their parents. How can they change their diaper or get new clothes for the day? They must wait for their parents to take care of them. Jesus said something similar about how we must come to Him. You must come to God as a little child (Mark 10:15).

In the eyes of God, are you a little child?

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While it is very true that the Lord cares for His own children and for you in particular, we must not forget that the beginning of His promised care begins with this condition: we must humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God.”

Eating a slice of “humble pie” can be difficult; yet, grace is given to those who are humble (James 4:6). If we want God’s care and providence to operate in our life, we must believe that God helps those who have submitted themselves to Him. Humility is the opposite of pride. Pride tries to convince us we are better than everyone else, we deserve the best in life, and we don’t really need God’s help in our everyday experiences. Pride began in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) when Satan convinced Eve that if she partook of the fruit that was not to be eaten, she would not die. All 'pride' questions the plans, motives, and truthfulness of God. Just as Eve disbelieved God’s word, when we live our lives in superiority over others or even over the Lord - how can we expect to even recognize God’s loving kindness in our life?

It is equally as possible that doubt (a seed of pride) can also hinder God’s providence in our life. If we bring up a lot of our worries, sins, and concerns to other people, there is always a possibility they will not believe our concerns are of very much significance. If something is a “big deal” to you, it’s a “big deal” to God; don’t convince yourself that since others don’t care, God must not care either. Coming to such a conclusion will cause lack of trust and lack of faith that God can take care of all your needs. Always remember - God cares for you! But don’t let haughtiness stop you from receiving that care.

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Are we serious in getting rid of things in our life that displease the Lord? If we have understood all the Lord went through when He died for us, we will take sin and the pursuit of forgiveness seriously.

We have not taken sin seriously if we try to obtain forgiveness from someone other than the Lord; sometimes, we feel it's easier to confess our sins to a disinterested party or to someone who we hope will assure us of our right standing before God. Another sign of the lack of seriousness in obtaining forgiveness for wrong doing is is that we try to do good works in the hope of acquiring favor from God. While going to church, volunteering for ministry, or giving money to your local congregation are all commendable actions - they cannot provide the forgiveness necessary to restore lost fellowship with Him.

Instead, let us take seriously God’s plea; He desires fellowship with us and provides a way back to Him. He will never stop loving us, but sin will hinder and stunt our spiritual growth. While society might tell us we must strive for good self esteem, if we are away from God - we must condemn the sin in our life and, through repentance and faith, show the Lord we mean business. This is a voluntary act of our will; we do not merely agree what we have done is wrong but, in a sense, we condemn our sin by abandoning it, turning away from it, ensuring there is no way to fall back into it, and cutting it off completely. Do not fear, however; the Lord is fully able to thrill our hearts so that any sin will soon lose all its attraction as we bask in the glory of the Risen Savior!

To learn more about forgiveness of sin, listen to the audio broadcast below.

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