Good morning! It’s Monday, September 9, 2024. We had an amazing weekend at our New Hope West Cowboy Church. Thank you to all our faithful volunteers! Today, Obadiah speaks to those entering the Babylonian captivity. Here, he describes the core reason that led to exile. Read on…
Today's Reading:
Lamentations 1,2; Obadiah; Revelation 14
Scripture
“The pride of your heart has deceived you …” (Obadiah 1:3)
Observation
Throughout this short book, I am drawn back to this statement: "The pride of your heart has deceived you." It’s sad when another person deceives you, but it’s even worse when we lie to ourselves. When pride takes up residence, we would rather believe a lie to feel better than accept the truth that will make us whole. We choose to believe a fabricated lie instead of admitting and submitting to what we know deep in our hearts is true. This pattern cracks open the vents to the invisible gas of pride, which neutralizes the courage God gives us to walk in the truth.
It’s a silent killer.
Application
Pride is invisible but deadly. It is our enemy. It finds its way into our hearts, takes up residence, and slowly takes over our decisions and responses, degrading our relationships.
How can we detect arrogance and remove it?
Arrogance is present when you know the right and godly thing to do, yet you choose not to do it. It is hearing God but overriding His voice with your own reasoning.
James 2:22 warns of the consequences of this pattern: "But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." I open the door to the Deceiver when I hear but fail to apply what I’ve heard. Pride will cause me to hear counsel but not act on it. It will cause me to take offense rather than thank the one who corrects me.
Although pride may be invisible, its symptoms are obvious.
If this one thing took down an entire nation, surely it can cause eternal damage to an individual life.
Prayer
Father, thank You for showing me the need to be a doer of Your Word. Show me what I must apply each day. Reveal any area of my life that does not match up, and may I choose life because of what I read today.
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