Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 142
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life Ministries
International
Littleton, Colorado
Notice: this email is part of a
BLOG, called Living Life With a Capital “C”. Why a
blog? So that many can receive the
weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner.
This
is one of my favorite LIFE verses…God has told me what brings LIFE to my life
and what brings DEATH. Can’t get any
easier to understand than this. So, if I
love LIFE, I seek with all my heart to avoid “pride” and that dreadful “haughty
spirit.”
DAY 78
Dressing
Up The Deeds Of The Flesh
Pride goes before
destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. --Proverbs 16:18
In certain countries there has been an emphasis made by
foreign preachers that God wants us wealthy. These "teachers" say
that they can demonstrate their faith by how many material possessions they
have. This has been a very vexing message for the local pastors to deal with,
because many people are poor and have a tendency to see poverty as a curse. A cow zipped up in a horse suit
is still a cow. Likewise, it is amazing how deeds of the flesh can be worked around until they
are actually presented as spiritual virtue. Someone may say with pride and
boldness, "I told him he offended me!" That person just admitted complete spiritual defeat. Another admits spiritual defeat when he says, "I believed God, claimed a
jet airplane, and God gave it to me." We are to be seeking the things above. One fellow
even said, "I cannot look at pornography too long because it is vexing to
my spirit." He can look at it for a while, but he is too spiritual for a
prolonged look? It is one
thing to avoid thinking about our flesh, but quite another to actually make it
out to be something spiritual; that reveals the heart of a true Pharisee.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
Michael’s title for this day’s writing speaks volumes, doesn’t it? How sad, man is so prone to doing just
that. We love our flesh. We love “dressing it up.” To the point that we can zip ourselves up in
another suit and play like we are something we aren’t. That’s a beauty, isn’t it? Not.
What’s crazy is that we can even do as Michael says, work the deeds of
the flesh around “until they are actually presented as spiritual virtue.” How far fetched is that?!? When the mind is not in tune with God,
anything can be concocted.
And so it is that pride can rear its ugly head… Pride is the root of every sin and evil.
Truly, as Michael says, “We are to be seeking the things above.” That is a remedy for pride. That is the direction of humility. Andrew Murray has said, “Humility, the place
of entire dependence on God…is the root of every virtue.” Well, amen.
To access ALL past weekly
blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital
“C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com
NOTICE: another blog on
Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the
Wilderness. You can access by logging onto
www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
P. O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches, Tx 75963 936-559-5696
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