Proud People vs. Broken People

Recording of Nancy Leigh DeMoss in 1995 – Campass Crusade:

Proud people focus on the failures of others, but broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.

Proud people are self-righteous. They have a critical, faultfinding spirit. They look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope, but their own with a telescope and they look down on others. But broken people are compassionate; they can forgive much because they know how much they’ve been forgiven. They think the best of others, and they esteem all others better than themselves.
Proud people have an independent, self-sufficient spirit, but broken people have a dependent spirit and recognize their need for others.

Proud people have to prove that they’re right, but broken people are willing to yield their right to be right.

Proud people claim rights and have a dependent spirit, but broken people yield their rights and have a meek spirit.

Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation, but broken people are self-denying.

Proud people desire to be served, but broken people are motivated to serve others.

Proud people desire to be a success….

The Joy of the Lord (for wives)

The Joy of the Lord is our strength. We have much grace and power in God when we maintain a joyful mood. The psalms tell us over and over again, to praise the Lord, to sing praise to God. The Bible speaks about the sacrifice of praise. What does that mean? I am amazed at the times when I am tempted to be discouraged and I instead resist those feelings and begin to sing, the peace and joy that slowly infills my heart is incredible. The fears and doubts slowly fall away and faith and hope are once again filling me with the Joy of the Lord.

Why is Joy so important? It is truly the key attitude that we as wives must do our best to maintain because our spirit affects so many lives. When a wife is joyful it makes her husband free and happy in his role as husband. Often we take on burdens and problems (that are not for us to carry) and we lose our joy. I really am finding that as I make it my "business" to be joyful, (in times of trouble) that the problems are always taken care of, somehow and some way. When we are joyful, we show the world around us that God really works but when we are sad and grumpy, we show them the opposite. If we were not happy in God, why would our children be? What hope will they have for their lives? This is so vital to our husbands and our children.

Sometimes we see some flaws that we think our husbands may have and we think it is our job to straighten them out. That is how we will most certainly lose our joy. Ann Ortland says, "It is not our job to make our husbands holy, but it is our job to make them happy." Wow, what a ministry we have! Life gets so busy with the babies and children and we lose sight of this sense of purpose and responsibility towards our husband. We often forget that scripture teaches us that we were created for the Man’s sake. It is when we forget that and lose sight of that, that we lose our joy. Why? Because we can not serve 2 masters!

Satan has many distractions for women (and we are the weaker vessel) so we must always evaluate who is in charge on a day to day basis. Is it our husbands, or maybe it is the children, or maybe the in-laws? Or maybe it is our church or religious system that we are following that has first place in our hearts. It could be even our friends. No matter who it is, there is no way that God can bless us if we are rebellious to our husbands, even if it is in a subtle way. The Bible says that our hearts are desperately wicked: we so easily deceive ourselves into thinking that our hearts are right towards our husbands, when in reality we may very well be rebelling against their authority. Let us be ever on our guard.

Where is the Church?

"Where is there a Church?" For many years we have been pondering that question even though we were attending a church at the time. We had a deep sense that there was something amiss as we sat in a cozy church pew week after week as we realized that the many of those who were "in" the Church had no real heart for the Lord and His word. A "lukewarm" condition was how the church functioned. It was very grievous to see the strong influence it had on the body of Christ.

Well, for the next several years we began our pursuit to find the "real" church. After attending many we have found that the answer to the question in not really "where" but "who". You see the Church, as we read in the book of Acts, was not a "building" where people met but it was true believers who met together because of their deep love and dedication to Christ. It was not a religious system that they erected to ease their conscience but it was filled with "power" and life in the spirit. Jesus was Lord and it as was in His name that they met, not their own. The answer is that is was a "people’ who were called out from a life of sin to serve the living true God. A people who were not interested in doing their own thing but who were completely sold out to Jesus.

What has happened to God’s bride?
For she is dressed in her pride.
She once was pure white,
So loving and bright.

But she fell for another,
Now the world is her lover.
Her pleasures and play
Makes her too busy to pray.

She has riches to hold
In measures untold.
Oh, what a great sin
She has committed with-in.

What is True Salvation?

What does it mean to be "saved'? I've been pondering that question a lot lately especially after listening to Ray Comfort's message, "Hells Best Kept Secret". So many Christians seem to have the notion that they can somehow live the Christian life by making some "commitment" to God. A "commitment" to "now" live a more righteous life. If we could accomplish Christianity by our own strength then Christ has become of none effect. In our flesh dwells NO GOOD thing. True salvation occurs when a sinner comes to the place of realizing that he/she has NO hope at all to save himself, that Jesus is the only way for any hope of salvation/ righteousness etc..

Is "lukewarm" Christianity coming from this type of conversion? Dave Hunt addresses this issue also. He says that it is not a matter of commitment but rather of "surrender". I can't see how anyone can be saved if they have not come to a place of total abandonment of themselves....realizing how wicked they are...and knowing that Jesus is their only hope. This is the state of mind that the Lord wrought in my heart. The 1st time I prayed I was desperate!! I knew I was really lost and needed help!!! I wanted to be saved and I clung to Jesus in prayer, weeping tears like I have never wept before. I was very broken and contrite!! My prayer was not a short little "sinners prayer" that I see in so many tracts, but it came from a broken vessel who knew only one thing, "that God was my only hope on salvation"!!! The presence of God came to me that night and flooded my heart with peace and joy and love like I've never known. It was life-changing experience and I was not the same person the next day.

Why do I say all this? It is because so many who claimed to be saved and yet, it is if they think they can live the Christian life on their own merits.... If they just put "character first" or "confess" all their sins to everyone they can think of,...or maybe wear this or not do that,...it will somehow be enough and they will be right with God. My heart is weeping for this! The cross has become of none effect. God help us to see that we have NO HOPE without His shed blood. We need it everyday. Our faith can only be in that and that alone. Just think what a worship service would be like if every member had this revelation?!!! How I long for that!!!!

Religious vs.Revivalist

A religious person is confident in his abilities and works but a revivalist has no confidence in himself as he is broken and contrite.
A religious person has no heart for prayer but a revivalist lives for prayer.
A religious person seeks to control his own life and that of the church but the revivalist desires the Holy Spirit to take control.
A religious person does not care to win souls but that is the constant passion in the heart of the revivalist.
The religious person does not concern himself with the needs of others but the revivalist will give himself and his life for the sake of helping others.
A religious person wants you to know about what he has done but a revivalist wants to talk about what God has done.
A religious person wants you to know what you need to do but a revivalist wants you to know what God ‘can’ do.
A religious person wants to look at the outward but the revivalist is much more concerned with the inner-man where Jesus is Lord of everything.
A religious person has no heart for worship but a revivalist is often found weeping at the feet of Jesus, washing them with their tears.
A religious person sings without passion, with his lips but a revivalist sings with great joy and often with tears, which flow from his heart.
A religious person is content to have church only a couple hours a week but a revivalist longs for the fellowship and the communion of the saints…to be in one accord, with one purpose.
A religious person cares little for the brethren but the revivalist will wash his brothers feet, longing that Christ be formed in each heart.
A religious person cares about his earthly home but the revivalist takes no thought for this life, what he will wear and what he will eat…because he know his home is in heaven.
The religious person covets the things of the world but the revivalist covets the gift of the Holy Ghost, so as to better equip his life for service for his great God and King.
A religious person reads the word of God with a deaf ear but a revivalist trembles at the word of God and therefore finds hidden treasures of truths in which he longs to make known to all.
A religious person is not interested in the historical accounts of revival, he is happy with the way things are but a revivalist heart leaps at the stories of revival and he is inspired and challenged by it.
A religious person is often considered wise and prudent but a revivalist is often mocked because some will say he is too radical, emotional or weak.
A religious person pretends but the revivalist is real.

Brotherly Love

"In this the children of God are made manifest, and the children of the Devil: whosoever doeth righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another". 1 John 3:10-11

We are called to love our brother as ourselves, to lay down our lives for the brethren, to esteem others better then ourselves. Yet how few Christians do? I see instead many that would look with disdain at those that may not share the same standards. Even to go so far as to shun them and all the while feeling very pious, as if God was so pleased with their lofty views. How my heart breaks for this! I know how much damage it does to souls and to churches. I know how God hates the discord that this causes. Many instead, isolate themselves from the needy and will not associate with them. Would to God that we could see how we are called to such a time as this…to build up those who are lacking in their faith (or whatever their need may be). The Apostle Paul himself was consumed with this burden. He had a great desire to strengthen and to build those things that were wanting in the Church. He longed for that even in his bowels and he said he wished himself to be accursed instead of someone else. What kind of love is that? And tell me, what could be more holy than that?

We hear so much about living a holy life yet do we even begin to understand what God's definition of "holiness" is? Are we willing to lay our lives down for others and to minister to all that are in need? Or do we just think holiness consists of our outward appearance?

It seems few Christians are concerned for the lost or even the Christian brethren that are in their midst. Instead, most are consumed with living a successful life with all the luxuries, vacations and the pleasures that the world is striving for,... maybe even more so. I too, have fallen under the spell and been guilty of that, somewhat. I have earnestly prayed for God to forgive me and set me free from the love of the world. And for Him to pour out his spirit on me afresh and I am once again experiencing that awesome love of God being shed abroad in my heart… thus enabling me to love even the unlovable. Now that is liberty and the abundant life that only God can give us.

Corrie ten Boom gives us a great example when she reached out her hand to the man who was responsible for her family’s death. Yet as she willing reached out to him, God poured out blessing upon her. Now just think what we miss when we refuse to reach out and love those around us who are not what we want them to be. Jesus was a friend to publicans and sinners and what better proof can I give but that?

The greatest among you will be the servant of ALL. May God open our self-righteous eyes to see how we have failed Him and cause us to repent of our selfish lives? And may we truly lay down our lives for others and then we will see souls saved and redeemed and walking uprightly with God.... Then the Church will truly be …the body of Christ!

Can we see how much of this lack of concern is derived from our pride? How most of the things we are doing are only for our own benefit? Some have said that soul winning (or any ministry to the needy) is only for the select few, evangelists and etc. but the Bible says that when the Holy Ghost is come upon you , you shall be a witness… Acts 1:8….(hummm maybe we need to ask God to fill us with His Spirit then?! After all, with out Him we can do nothing) And, remember that "God resists the proud but gives grace to the Humble".

Anyway, I hope I never forget how my perspective changed the day I stood in the ashes of where my Dad was burned. The agonizing thoughts of why I didn’t I do more for him? Why had I lived so selfishly? I hope that I will never forget crying out to God in utter brokenness for all I wished I had done. I want that burden to continue to impact my life. May it continue to drive me deeper in the Lord and in my surrender to Him; to truly live a sacrificial life so that others will come to the Savior. I want it to fill me with zeal so that I will not get so caught up with religion and the cares of this life, which will choke out God’s Word in my life. I want to feel that overwhelming sense of love for the lost that God puts in the hearts of those who are truly His children and then to experience, once again the brokeness that comes and cause us to pray and intercede for their salvation. I think with all my heart that that is what the purpose of our Christian life here is all about. Isaiah 60 says it well…The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;….and we who have his spirit know this is our calling.

May God help us to see our great calling and our ministry in this life that he has graciously given us. Hey, if we did, there might even be another great revival of God’s Spirit that would sweep our sin-sick nation. After all…God is LOVE and if we love others God dwells in us. (Read more on that in 1John 4:7-20) Makes me wonder just how much we are missing out when we refuse to love and instead pick up stones and throw them at those who we think are less holy then us…Who do we think we are anyway? Even Jesus said, "He that is without sin can throw the first stone".

Just a few thoughts that were on my heart and thank you for taking time to read this. Feel free to share your thoughts as well.
~Jayne