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If pride is not dealt with, it will introduce into our lives, a bolder and more arrogant emotion called pretension. It's what pride becomes when we start believing we are invincible and don't need God. Pretension is when an inflated sense of self-importance takes over our lives. It is what strongholds are made of, which can eventually lead to addictions. This is why we need to cut pride off as quickly as we can. Humble people are never pretentious. Pretension is dangerous because we begin to believe all the good things that have happened to us have been created by our own determination and hard work.
Previously known as the city in which David was born and later crowned King of Israel, Jesus' birthplace of Bethlehem is only six miles south of Jerusalem, where He later would be crucified. Because of a prophecy foretold by Micah, for some 700 years, God's people looked to this little town of Bethlehem as the birthplace of their long-awaited Messiah (see Micah 5:2). One of my favorite promises of God is that He orders the steps of His people (Ps. 37:23). How Mary and Joseph found themselves delivering our Messiah in the place that was foretold provides perhaps the perfect example of God's faithfulness to this promise.
God is self-authenticating. He never tries to prove His existence because it is already evident through the created order. Since He is the only objective being, all other living and nonliving objects emanate from His creative fiat word hence all reasoning (different from God's) is circular and subjective. This is why scripture says that the fool says there is no God (Ps. 14). There is never an apologetic attempt to prove God's reality. The evidence for His existence is so overwhelming that the opening words of the first book of the bible (Genesis) assume His existence.
For many years, I was an extremely negative person. I could walk into a room and pick out the one small detail that was wrong, like the wallpaper in the corner that was slightly peeling. I saw what was wrong with everything! The reason for this attitude was that I had been abused for many years throughout my childhood, and I'd experienced a lot of disappointment. When Dave and I got married, I was 23 years old and couldn't remember a time I had ever been really happy.
The Bible establishes the fact that Jesus Christ came to restore us to right relationship with God. Through His blood, we are free from sin. By His stripes, we are healed. This sacrifice was without limitation to every person, yet not all are free from sin and not all are healed and well. Why? Because it requires something of each individual person. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. John 1:12 In order to be free from sin, you must receive Him as your Lord and Savior and believe. To be healed and live in health, it is necessary to receive Him as your Great Physician and believe that He bore your sickness and pain.
In order to better understand how the anointing of the Spirit of God works we need to take a closer look at its biblical description. In the context of what the prophet Isaiah describes we see that Jerusalem was coming under the impending attack of the Assyrian King Sennacherib. The advancing army had already conquered everything in its path, including the heavily fortified Israeli city of Lachish. The Jews in Lachish put up a good fight, but the Assyrian army proved to be too strong.
We are moving into the new year. The Lord is raising up people everywhere to pray, even if you're not an intercessor. I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give... Habakkuk 2:1 NIV Also ...Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 3:17 NIV How to pray: Ask the Lord to put an end to violence. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure - you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. Psalm 7:9 NIV
I didn't grow up celebrating Advent. When I was little, we put up a tree, got presents and had a Christmas Eve service. It seemed to me that most grown-ups were stressed over Christmas and thankful when it was all over. It wasn't until much later, as an adult, that I discovered the beauty of Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, and technically means "coming." Throughout church history, Advent became a season of expectancy and waiting. The church celebrated the coming of Jesus, born to a virgin in Bethlehem, while expectantly waiting for Christ's second coming.
I was remembering a time when my husband and I were praying over friends who had been in a situation for many years that had caused deep trauma to their souls. As we were praying for them, I became aware of an angel standing over them holding a large water pitcher. This angel then began to pour a heavenly liquid over their heads. I was taken by surprise because I had encountered this very angel some years earlier. It had appeared while I was with a dear friend who had experienced a traumatic loss in her life. It appeared with the same pitcher and was pouring a liquid substance over her as well.
Do you believe the Lord is concerned about your emotional and spiritual health? He is. He wants you to know how to improve your emotional and spiritual health to be resilient in turbulent times. One of the most powerful things you can do to improve emotional and spiritual health is to pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is tapping into and being in the presence of the Lord. It means you allow Him to sanctify you as you speak what He brings to mind. Perhaps He brings things to mind He wants to repent of, or He brings things to mind He wants you to recall and praise Him for. Speak these things out.
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