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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeOne of the things that God does is He chastens those He loves. Pride is one of those things, as I said in one of my prior blogs, that has many levels to it. So this has been an interesting revealing of pride operating on the inside of me. I was actually watching a clip by Mariyln Hickey that was about breaking generational curses because of some ministry me and my husband have been embarking upon. As I was listening, she voiced that (me paraphrasing and adding my own understanding) If you are always critical and your family is always critical then you have a curse. When you are constantly complaining and speaking negatively and have these kinds of thoughts on the inside that is strife and that is a curse. It is the spirit of criticism and it must be broken.
Well, God has had me on this journey of watching my thoughts and changing the way I think about things and how I perceive things. So this was very eye opening but this has been one of my issues. So I was curious but didn’t have a chance to research. I have been playing the word of God throughout the night and when I awoke, I awoke to the scripture below.
Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Proverbs 13:10 KJV
Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10 NIV
So what is strife?
b : an act of contention : fight, struggle. 2 : exertion or contention for superiority. 3 archaic : earnest endeavor.
To summarize that definition strife is anyone that can’t listen; is always right; is always arguing within; having to bring your point forward. Pride says don’t tell me what to do. Humility accepts the instruction according to Proverbs 13:10. Humility says what you have to say is just as important as what I have to say.
HOW DO DEAL WITH STRIFE
I asked God, “how do I deal with this manner of strife?” He began to tell me to deal with pride you have to be purposefully humble. You have to be quiet and still.
The next thing that came to mind was the scripture below:
Psalms 46:10
Be still and know that i am God and i will be exalted amoung the heathen and i will be exalted in all the earth
God began to go on and tell me, in pride, God is no longer exalted. There is something that you are putting above Him. When you are purposefully humble, God resets your life and now you experience your reward as in Isaiah 58:8 .
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
When God is now exalted, flesh is now put under him. So we must be quiet and still and not like Proverbs 6:18
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief
God also began to tell me to cease striving and know that I am God. Cease from the fleshly work. These are some definitions of Be Still.
abandon* (1), alone* (2), become helpless (1), become* (1), cease (2), collapses (1), courage* (1), discouraged* (2), discouraging* (1), drawn (1), dropped (2), fail (5), fall limp (2), feeble (1), forsake (1), hang limp (2), lazy (3), leave (1), let (2), let her alone (1), let him alone (1), let him go (1), let it go (1), let me alone (1), let us alone (1), let go (1), limp (1), loosens (1), lose courage* (1), lost (1), put off (1), relax (2), slack (2), subsided (1), wait (1).
Pride is a work of the flesh. According to Galations 5:19-20 strife is a work of the flesh
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God
And the part that touched me so was this, as we see in Galatians 5:20 when we do these things we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. In other words, when we are critical and consumed with self, when God gives us instruction and advice and go immediately to self and say why we can’t or won’t do what He asked but when we are obedient we can see the Kingdom of God being established in earth as it is in heaven.
Thanks for tuning in! Until next time.
