Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur
Cincotti. 03/12/2023
Listen to our Bible
Study Discussion at: Navigating Humility Podcast
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Navigating Humility
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to
the humble” Js. 4:6
Recalling our study from two
weeks ago, “You’re Not God” there are two ways that we as believers can
sometimes dabble in playing God:
1) Trying to “make something happen” in our own strength.
2) Receiving worship.
Both of these conditions
launched Satan into a prideful state of rebellion.
Making something happen
in our own strength or intellect.
Read Js. 4:13-17
Often times we find ourselves approaching life “on
instruments”, so to speak. We go through our daily affairs with hardly a
consideration as to what God would have us to do or to say. It’s not reasonable
to defer to God for every blink and breath, but we should have an over arching
mindfulness that indeed, He orchestrates every one.
Weightier decisions certainly deserve a deeper degree of
consultation.
At times we are tempted to speed up God’s promises and/or
force His hand toward a desired outcome.
Abraham is an excellent example of the first
Judas was an excellent example of the second.
In both cases the aim was to
alter God’s sovereign plan by helping,
and nudging. Our free will may yet lead us into paths that are contrary
to God’s perfect plan. We sometimes call this the difference between God’s
prefect will and His permissible will.
Satan is always trying to
draw us into his own failures.
Read Lk. 4:1-13
Christ Temptation
The second temptations of Christ in the wilderness
identifies Satan’s desire to receive worship. Jesus subdues him with the
sword of the Spirit; The Word of God!
We continually feel the same
tug on our soul to receive worship. Our parents often nurture it from birth by
giving us praise.
Consider Mt. 6:1-8
Paul says, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to
everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each on a measure of faith.”
Rom.12:3
And more forceful: “For
who makes you differ from another? And what do yo have that you did not
receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had
not received it?” I Co. 4:7
The ugly deception is that we may even be inclined to do
Godly and noble things with pride and selfish ambition.
Paul said that some, “preach Christ from selfish
ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.” Ph.
1:16
As we engage in this end times spiritual warfare, we
must be willing and swift to take that path of humility!
We must:
“pray without ceasing” I Th. 5:7
** In tongues more than ever before, I Cor. 14:18 **(see M.T.’s comment below)
“Confess your sins to each other” Js.5:16
Ask God to reveal them, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my
anxieties; And see if there is any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”
Ps. 139:23,24
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on
your own understanding.”
Pr. 3:5
“Humble yourselves in the
sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Js. 4:10
**While I have spoken in tongues, and prayed in tongues in the past I have discontinued tongues as a practice and I would advise extreme caution in pursuing tongues as a gift or prayer practice, as counterfeit tongue gifts have been used by the enemy to cause damage and divisiveness in the body of Christ. Discern the spirits. Study the word of God and consider all points of view on this topic as there have been both positive and negative testimonies regarding the gift of tongues. I share the following links in which a blogger David Carter, a humble Sunday School Teacher, summarizes Billy Graham’s balanced stance on tongues , from Graham’s book The Holy Spirit, which neither condemned nor promoted tongues as a spiritual gift and that made the assertion that “Neither the Holy Spirit nor any of His gifts were given to divide believers.”. ((https://stjohnstudies.com/2019/01/23/the-divisive-nature-of-speaking-in-tongues/ and (https://stjohnstudies.com/2019/01/27/the-last-words-on-speaking-in-tongues/ ) – M.T. Clark**
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My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her
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Encouragement for the Path of
Christian Discipleship
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