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Humility Under Fire

Have you ever been under fire? There is a gun ship in the military that “brings the rain,” to those on the ground. This is what is happening in your life. You are attacked non stop until you look like Swiss Cheese. Even though its unwarranted, when it goes and comes through your life you’re left devastated, but it makes you reflect over your life. It makes you think about what you have done. Things happen in our life, and the first person we blame is God. “Lord why did you allow this to happen to me? Am I not Your child? Lord why me? I can think of quite a few people on my list who need this, but I don’t need this.” We come out and we have issues. But can you be humble? Can you be humble when someone is sticking you with a pitch fork, or talking about your mother?

The Word of God tells us about humility while under fire. Its hard to love someone when they’re choking your neck. Then you have to look at them an say “I love you in spite of yourself.” But humility, when you’re going through a process in your life of growth, can you be humble, submissive, genuinely honest with yourself and say ‘I understand I will be humble”? Humble and fire; you just can’t put those two together; they are like oil and water, they just don’t mix. Can you remove yourself out of the picture and be understanding to someone else and be humble? Most of the time we can’t because we’re looking at the way they are hurting us. You remember the old saying about sticks and stones? Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

Hurting on the outside on your flesh is temporary, its for a moment for the physical pain. Take an aspirin or midol and the pain is over. But when you hurt me with words, they cut and leave scars you can’t see on the inside. These scars don’t heal. They don’t heal do they? No they don’t. When you cut on the inside, you leave a mark that only I can see. A lot of times people they leave a mark that only you know about. They say one thing, but do another and you say, “I thought you cared, I thought you loved me, I was under the impression. When you said it before it meant something else. Do you care about how I feel. No, because if you did, you would never have put that scare within me. So all of this time you lied?” Its amazing to me that people allow their lives to be controlled by a lie from youth to now and never got over it. Just because someone calls you something doesn’t make it so, you make it so because you begin to act as so. We look at our lives and say “I am not what so and so said I am.” Then we question ourselves and and ask “am I?”

We justify that scar within us. We do just what a clam does. What does it do when it gets a spec of sand within? It builds up a shield over it, a slimy shield that gets hard over and over until it rises up, so when they go over it, they won’ t feel the pain of a little grain, but now they have the pain of a pea. This is what we do on the inside, covering it up over and over, thinking that this will justify and make us worthy. You don’t need anyone to validate you. You, are you. Validation only brings accreditation to the person giving it. But if the accreditation isn’t good, neither is the validation. You say, I’ll drown myself in alcohol. I’ll takes drugs that will help me forget. It never helps you forget, it makes a bad situation worse. Now you have drug addiction added to the bunch. Every layer you’ve covered that scar tissue up with, you have to pay for it, and go over it.

Humility under fire, that moment when you thought you’d fight back and say, ok. So what is taking place in your life? God is watching every move you make and trial your take. He’s seeing you in that trial. When people go through grief recovery or anything like that, they have to talk it out or write it out and say if they have a problem with someone. Then what are you going to do with it? But I just gave you all my problems, now you have them. You’re wondering why you got on his nerve? Can you look at someone and say “I’m sorry for the way I treated you?” Nothing can come at you unless you allow it to come at you. Nothing can get on your nerves unless it gets on your nerves. Things only bother you because you allow them to. Some people set time bombs in your soul then leave because at a certain time it will explode. They’ve been gone for a whole week and your suffering and they aren’t even around. You’re sitting there struggling, getting mad with yourself for getting mad at them. People set things in your soul to distract you from your course. If I keep you lingering and wondering and wondering and lingering over things guess what? How many hours in a day? 24? So if I get you to spend 15 of your hours thinking about what I just did to you and i’m not in the picture, whose life am I wasting? They aren’t there, and you are struggling. Satan does it all the time to us and we love it. He gives us things to muddle over in our brain. One person comes through and says I don’t like you?  You’re struggling on that, at home, on your job, everywhere you go you’re struggling on that. Meanwhile your soul is getting beat up. Who’s beating up your soul? You are! That is a time bomb they set in your soul.

People have ways of doing things to you that you don’t want to see or know. People drop stuff in your life to destroy you to make you think less of yourself. They make you unsure of yourself, they don’t give you the opportunity or growth to grow. They stunt your growth at an early age. Parents do that with kids at an early age saying “you’ll never amount to nothing.” So your pursuit is to amount to make them wrong, but it hurts you to your core. We all know what nothing is right? If they say you’ll amount to nothing, then where is all the love they gave to you going? To nothing? You don’t wast love on nothing. “So who am I,” the little kid thinks? So the little kid grows up to be nothing. You know how many people are in prison because their parents put them in there? Some people spend all of their life trying to prove to their parents they were wrong about them being nothing. So what do they wind up doing? Theft, mugging, violence; and its all because of their parents. He gets his parents attention, and is now in prison, but the parents say I love my child, I love I love.

Can you still have humility under fire? Humble: to have less pride, or none at all. Low; down to the earth low. To be subdued. To be submissive.

Does that mean let people walk over you? No. Not wanting to have the last word out of everything. Not wanting to have the last word. What does that mean? Do you want to have the last word? Because if I give you the last word, you have to think about it. They got the last word. How often do you have the last word? Then the word comes, the one we don’t want to hear “you no good…” We brought that on ourselves, we chased it down. There is no humility in the person who wants the last word. You argue, you argue, you argue, you argue…arguing is someone trying to get the last word. Not just the last word, but the last hurting word. How many can be big enough to say “alright you can have the last word,” and then turn around and say I love you? It hurts the other person. Christ did it for me. So we can do it too. We bring a lot of undue fire in our walk with Christ because we want to get the last word. Do you try to have the last word with Christ? How many can just apologize to that person and say I still love you? We can’t do that, we have to bring out the big guns and fire, emptying the first magazine, then when all the clips are emptied, we bring out another set of guns!

Jonah – Lets go back to that wonderful hot summer when Jonah was sitting under a gourd tree. The Lord told him to go down to Nineveh and tell them to repent. But Jonah said, but Lord those people are evil and bad. God could have continued on with the conversation, but He let Jonah go on. How many are big enough to say “but” to God? You tell God, “but,” and He’s the one who made you! Everything that is He made. But then you tell Him no! This is the same God who put a big ball of fire in space, and have planets orbiting around it. When is the last time you put up a couple planets up in space, and you give Him a but? He is so humble and says “Have it your way.” Now when He has a purpose for you to do, then He will be after you. Like Jonah. Jonah just went and waited thinking the Lord would destroy the Ninevites. You have to be humble in your walk, even when people dislike you and treat you bad, look at them with an eye of love. That’s humble, and by you doing that you win their heart and soul back. One major thing we look for, we look for things to happen instantaneously. We say to the Lord, “You said that You would curse those I curse.” While the Lord is thinking, “why can’t you say something like bless them to help them see what you see?” Everyone is going through their own test to different degrees. You have to realize this, don’t judge another man’s test with yours. When you fail a test, you go through it again, and it becomes harder because you knew better. When you see someone go through their own walk and trail, don’t judge them. If you make fun of them, then you get home and wonder why you feel bad.

1 Peter 4:12-19

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Don’t think it strange that you go through because if you’re trying to find out who God is, you’ll go through! If you know who God is, you’ll go through. You’ll always go through. You know what’s important about the test? Its not so much getting through the test that matters, but its your attitude during it. Are you complaining about the test, like the Children of Israel on their 40 year journey that could have been a 2 day journey? How soon we forget when we were in a situation how Christ delivered us from it. Being out of it we’re complaining. When you were in it you loved God going through your motions. When you got done with the test you say “Jesus? Jesus who, Jesus what?” As soon as we go back into another test what do we do? We cry out to Him. We don’t feel close to Him unless we’re going through something. When you were going through, you were all on the floor, you were foaming at the mouth seeking God. When you go through tests, you know you makes vows to the Lord, then when the test is over you go back to your old ways. Why because you have no humility. Going through a trial when you’re under fire, knowing that there is purpose in the trial for God to take a bad quality out of you.

The biggest thing we don’t know how to do is forgive other people. You have to forgive totally, not a surface forgive, forgive totally. Its a hard thing to walk in your own self righteousness. Do you have a heaven or hell to put people in? We need to look in the mirror and talk to ourselves. Healing starts. How can you be healed when you still have something inside against someone else? You ask “Lord restore me.” How can He when you don’t have enough love to restore your brother or sister? You are your brother’s keeper. Can you be the bigger person and say I apologize, I should have thought of you more than that, forgive me? Guess what? That bridge is repaired and that connection is repaired. If you are claiming the blame, the whom do they have left to blame? Now if they’re still arguing then they’re arguing with themselves.

While you’re walking through a trial, its your attitude during the trail. If you’re attitude is to get back at a person while you’re in a trial, you’ll repeat it. That could determine whether you go to heaven on hell. If you haven’t gotten salvation the right way, you have to get it right.

Matthew 18:3-4

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

You may have to eat crow sometimes to be humble, eat it with a smile and with dignity. You can be humble with dignity.

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Don’t Let Another Man’s Burden Become Your Test

People have a way of uploading to you their mess. We’ve been allowing people to download mess back and jack us up. The burden of them, what they’re going through becomes our test. Allowing people to put weights upon your life, and then wanting you to deal with it. They dump and dump. Some of us make good dumping grounds. If I dump usually its off of me. But now my burden becomes your test. We have our own to deal with. So if you have some dumping to do, don’t dump it on me. I don’t want the mess you’re in to become my mess. Burden, loads, responsibilities…When you grab a hold of something from someone else, it becomes your responsibility. I don’t want someone else cross to become my burden.

Burden: Greek word is baros meaning load, abundance, authority, weight. Anything pressing on one physical thing.

I understand what you’re going through, but when you take someone else burden it makes a demand on one’s life, spirit, resources, time…most people don’t realize that. When you look at a test. What is a test? Everyone has been to school. When you take a test its a critical examination and evaluation of ones trial. How many have done an evaluation on yourself? Did you find yourself wanting? Lacking? The point is…how often do we admit our failures to ourselves? I have come to the conclusion its a daily battle to exist and a daily war to walk upright before God. Daily. The Bible tells us no one knows what tomorrow will bring. One day you’ll be all together, with inspiration of wisdom, and you think wow, I must be going somewhere. Then the next day, you are miserable and think everyone hates you. The point is that one moment we’re this way, another moment were that way, but we don’t even realize there is a day-to-day life we lead, and live walk and breath. You cannot fix things that moment. You cannot fix things that day or hour or month. Even the world can’t fix problems because it’s not them who are fixers, they are causers.

How many have ever had an evil thought? Think about it, so the negativity in the air is also because of what you thought and did. So, this world is the way it is because of us. We have allowed another man or woman’s burden to become ours and we’ve spread that disease like never before. People use the term, “I hate your guts.” No one’s ever seen your guts, how would you hate someone you’ve never had a gut to gut relationship with? You walk away feeling proud, and then when you walk away you say “why did I say that.” Now you’ve taken over someones problem. Have you ever thought about why you hate an individual? Because it didn’t meet a personal need or physical awareness, because they kept you from being fulfilled by a thing. So you traded your love for hate. How could you love one moment and hate the next? Sometimes we don’t even have to say we hate, we just live a life of hate toward that individual. How many are carrying others burdens right now? How many are in a test today? Did you create that test?

When you look at a test scenario, evaluation of yourself, a lot of times we get mad at a person because it’s expressing who we are. We’ve painted a picture of us being something different, but the truth comes out of what we really are. When our mind has told us that we are what we made ourselves out to be, then we get mad at the person calling us out. Then we inspire others to see our point of view. When we set a trap for ourselves, the Lord tells us to love everyone. But Lord I can’t love someone who treated me bad, talked about me, stabbed me in the back, called me names…sometimes we’ll reap things we’ve done from a long time ago… thought we got away with it, when the Lord says He has a time for us. Then we don’t understand and say “Lord why me? I’m the one that loves You.” As you define love and relationship in your life, what are the elements you use to define love?

How many forgive people? The sort of prayer that says “Lord I forgive them for what they’ve done and what they’re doing.” When you allow the hardship and burden of someone else to become your difficult state, then they become a detriment to yourself. You may not have said it out loud, but you may have acted like it. Its like this…you speak things into existence. Out of your mouth you condementh yourself. And that is just after you sang “I could sing of your love forever.” When you come into the house of God, I don’t want you to leave the same way you came. Most come jacked up, broken, confused, and then whats next? Did I speak about trials earlier…if you didn’t get it right the first time…you’re going to repeat it. And it doesn’t come on a time schedule. It comes when you are doing everything you like under the sun. Weigh it before you say it. Before things come out your mouth out of hatred, anger, lust, even love, make sure you weigh it against the heart and mind of God. Don’t say anything out your mouth that hasn’t been checked. The words that come out of your mouth vibrate. Everything has a vibration to it and it is stored in objects. If you take the test of someone else upon yourself when no one asks you to, then if they get an F, you get an F. Don’t get mad when the result is not positive toward you. Don’t get upset and say “Lord that wasn’t my test it was their test.” The Lord will look at you and say “were you in agreement with them or did you entertain it?” Your test is your test. So if someone is in a test, say I don’t want your test. Your test is a mess. If you aren’t able to bear it, or go through your own personal test, how will you bear it? Another man’s burden will not be mine.

Galatians 6:1-18

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Don’t call someone out of their name, or say you hate their guts or say you can’t stand them. “Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.” “Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” When it says this, it doesn’t mean bear another persons sin. Your walk is your walk. If I see another person going through, I will help, but I won’t bear it. How do you help? By praying that God’s will be done in his life, not to grab it and try to work a will, but to pray that God’s will be done. So if you take on another persons burden in another way other than prayer, it becomes your test, and it’s not what God has given you. Now, you’re bearing another’s burden through prayer because its your brother/sister, don’t get involved. We get sick, they get well and we’re still sick. Don’t hold onto some else’s burden because if they go down hill, so will you.

Jonah was given a command to go to Nineva to preach to the heathen man. The Lord said that if he preached to them, they would repent. He instead took his burden to a great fish. He said swallow me! If you do then I don’t have to say what He has to do. You’d rather be swallowed by a big fish than to do what the Lord told you to do, then you deserve everything coming to you. But the Lord didn’t let that happen. So the fish spat him out. He made a 2 weeks journey in 2 days, and did what God told him. When someone is disobedient to God, don’t be around them, run. When a grenade goes off, does it make distinctions about whom it will blow up? No it blows up everything. So if God is after someone because of their disobedience and you are associated with them, you will take the burden too. Rather you should pray that God deals with them, that God delivers them from themselves.

Why do we go through for someone else’s mess? I want to go through my own trials, because its something I didn’t get right. I don’t want you to go through for me because I won’t get the point. I won’t get it if I don’t go through because the Lord takes us through to make us, not to break us. You can’t go through what another person goes through because God is dealing with them individually. You have to realize you help people better by allowing God to take them through. God is trying to let us know He wants to make us.

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Pushing Towards the Mark

Philippians 3

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

 

The Bible tells us to count it all joy when you enter into various temptations. During your walk in Christ, you will enter into situations that seem overwhelming. You will encounter individuals in your life, family friends, jobs or just with contact with individuals around you. People are very persuasive in what they believe. They will try to convince you to see this world the way they perceive it. When you don’t accept they will bring about statements of disillusionment. Isolate you, separate you and tag you with names and statements so derogatory to get others to think very negatively about you. They will say things like, “why are they serving a God no one has ever seen?” They will call you a conspiracy theorist. They will so called tag you on social media, give a hastag and say #unreal, #notbelievable. Because as it may be seen, this world knows that they are bound for Hell. To keep from facing that fact, they will surround themselves with individuals who will speak to their desires, not to their needs. When you’re surrounded by a lot of yes people, and no one to say no and challenge you or challenge your lifestyle, then you’re bound for disaster. The Bible says in the last days that people will heap to themselves teachers after their own flesh. In other words go to ministries that titillate your flesh and desires, groups or organizations that make you feel like you’re in control of your own life.

 

The Bible clearly states in Philippians 3:13

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

 

Don’t allow your past to become your future, what people say about you to deter you from your purpose in God.

 

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:1-3; 21-32

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

 

No matter what people try to say in saying you don’t have a clue, let them understand that your mind is not confused and you do know who you serve and you do understand that you have to put off those things that you use to be a part of, put away the conversations of that old man. I don’t care what people say about you, as long as you serve our Lord Jesus Christ, you will be talked about, provoked and challenged because you’re going against the norms of this world. Don’t expect the world to love you because they won’t. Your love is hidden in Christ Jesus. Don’t allow them to catch you acting the way you use to because then they can say you are a hypocrite. In simple terms, if you aren’t a duck anymore, quite walking like it and quite quacking. Because some of us have been convinced that the changing of your heart doesn’t mean the changing of your lifestyle. One goes with the other synonymously. How many of you have mentally gone to sleep after having been in a fight, an angry confrontation and put it off saying that they’re the one that had the problem? I say to you, you need to get that clear at that time frame, do not let a day go by because that day gone by will turn out to be days and those days weeks, and those weeks months, and those months years. There are some people who have been angry and upset with individuals for more than 10 years over a stupid matter, thinking they are justified by saying they were right. How will Jesus forgive you for your sins, when you can’t forgive each other? I say to you, renew your mind.

 

The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:2-5

 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

 

Pressing toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. We can’t allow these things to delay our calling in Christ Jesus.

 

Hebrews 12:1

2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,