Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

What is the common denominator with all sin, its pride. When we look back at the biggest mistakes in our lives, they were usually driven by our pride. Pride can blind us, Pride can make us not think clearly, Pride makes us ignore all the warning signs to fulfill our egos. This is why the Bible says “Pride goes before destruction”

One thing that keeps us separated from God is our Pride. Do we have the humility to confess our sins before God? Do we have the humility to be teachable and to learn from God? Do we have the humility to recognize that we are not in control, and God is greater than all? Many do not, and when your full of Pride , you become your own god. This is the danger of pride.

The original Hebrew word for Pride here is “Gaown” which also mean arrogance and majesty. This is not talking about having pride in your work or where you come from. This is a Pride that blinds you and ignores reality.

The Bible tells us “God resists the Proud, but gives grace to the Humble” (James 4:6) Notice God rejects the Proud, he doesn’t embrace them. If we want to become saved , we need to humble ourselves, this is what repentance is all about. Putting ourselves on a high horse or pedestal is not Christ like. This is why Jesus said “Unless you become like a child, you wont see Heaven” (Matthew 18:3)

Jesus was talking about humbling ourselves, don’t allow your pride to destroy your life. Admit that you need a savior, admit that we need Gods grace everyday, admit Jesus is your Master Amen!

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Proverbs 15:8

Many people believe if they do the right thing , then they are a good person. This is simply not true. As this Proverbs tells us “The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to God” Now notice these people believed in God, these people were even making “sacrifices” to God, however they were still considered an abomination before God, why? Because their hearts were still wicked!

You can play Church, you can go to every service, you can tithe your 10%, but still not be saved, why? Because you truly not Born Again (John 3:3). You have a heart issue, its not about what kind of works we can do to earn Gods favor, because there is none. Its about getting a Clean Heart and Mind with God, through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Its about a relationship with your Creator, not a religion

When we look back at the story of Cane and Abel, both made sacrifices, however God rejected Canes and accepted Abels, why? Because Canes sacrifice was not from the heart, he gave a halfhearted luke warm sacrifice and God rejected it. Abel gave the best portions of his flock. Abel didn’t hold back with his offering , he loved God with all his heart, mind, and soul

What happened next? God warned Cane that “sin was crouching at his door” , Cane had a heart issue. He didn’t love God, he didn’t love his neighbor either, his heart was full of sin and haterd and he killed his brother out of jealousy. Whats the principle? God doesn’t really want your money or your possessions, why would he? He wants your heart.

Apostle Paul said “To offer ourselves as a Living Sacrifice” (Romans 12) That means give everything to God, don’t put anything above Him. Is your sacrifices an abomination to God or do you love God with all your heart, mind, and soul? There is only one way to the Father, and that’s Jesus Christ, Amen!

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger Proverbs 15:1

How we respond to someone sets the tone for how your interaction is going to go. We have all probably done it, someone says something and catches you at the wrong time, and you respond harshly. What happened next? Either this started a whole argument or that person left with their feelings hurt. We need to remember to stop and think before we respond to someone

This is a great principle that can be applied to social media. How many useless arguments do people get into just because people have different opinions. Guess what, its ok to have a different opinion, its ok to think a little differently, why cant everyone have respectful discussions? The reason is because most people don’t really care what you have to say, they just want you to agree with them. This is why the majority of “discussions” on social media are pointless. Nobody is actually listening to each other

This principle should also be applied to your marriage or relationships. How many arguments could have been avoided , if we just stopped , thought about what your spouse was actually saying, before we responded. I know its not always easy, but we need to get into the practice of slowing down when it comes to conversations. Words are powerful, they can bless or curse someone

The Apostle James said “Let everyone be Quick to Hear and Slow to Speak” (James 1:9) This is the principle we need to apply to our lives. Lets do more listening and less yapping. We always know that one person , who always shoots their mouth off before they think, and it always gets them in trouble. Don’t be that person, we can avoid a lot of confrontations in our lives, if we just give a soft answer or just listen.

The Answer is Jesus Christ , are you listening?

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

When we think about our nation, the first thing that comes to mind is not righteousness. What happened to our country? What happened to our entire world? Sin! It’s a word nobody wants to hear, it’s a word nobody wants to talk about, nobody wants to turn away from their sin. However we want the world to change but we ourselves don’t want to change.

What would happen if everyone turned away from their sin and turned to God? Less violence, less racism, less murders, less poverty. You might say “Well these Christians are hypocrites anyway” There are no perfect people, that’s why we need a Savior. However we have the moral foundation of God to live by. We have accountability to a higher Creator.

I don’t see any Atheist hospitals or homeless shelters being built. And why would they? From an atheistic worldview, all life is meaningless. We are nothing but random molecules in motion that evolved from nothingness. How can they say “All Lives Matter” when their own life doesn’t matter?

Righteousness exalts a nation. How do we obtain righteousness? Only through Jesus Christ “He became sin who knew no sin so we can become righteous before God” (2 Corinthians 5:21) We need to repent and turn to Christ, as our Lord and Savior. This is the only way we’ll become a righteous nation.

Apostle Paul said “We are all One In Christ” (Galatians 3:28) There is no black or white in Christ, there is no rich or poor in Christ, there is only saved Children of God in Christ Amen!

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. Proverbs 14:31

Jesus said “ Whatever you done for the “least of these” you have done for me” (Matthew 25:40) When we look or think about people who are poor, do we think about Jesus? Often when we see a homeless person or someone begging for money, what are our first thoughts? We usually try to avoid them, however this is not what God has instructed us to do. If we viewed people as Gods creation, maybe we would treat them differently.

Now I know this is a gray area, there are some people who truly need help and there are others who exploit people generosity due to their laziness. Sometimes its difficult to discern the difference, when in doubt , have mercy on them and let God deal with their heart

We see a lot of oppression and poverty in this world, why? Because we have a lot of wicked people and governments that abuse their power and oppress the people. However when they oppress people they are actually oppressing God! Think about that! I wouldn’t want to be standing before Christ on judgement day and guilty of these sins

The world is in chaos right now, racism, oppression, violence are rampant among the nations. If people would apply this principle of seeing God in everyone, they this would be eradicated. Jesus said to Love Your Neighbor as Ourselves (Mark 12:31) If people would just listen to Christ, this world would be total different. Amen!

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

What makes Christianity different from all other religions or worldviews? It’s the resurrection of Jesus Christ. People will claim that “All religions lead to God” or “there are many paths to God” but is this true? If all religions lead to the same God, then why do all religions contradict each other? Christianity is the only “religion” where God became a man, died for our sins, and rose from the dead defeating sin and death. No other religion offers you grace and mercy from your sin. No other religion has a Savior who rose from the dead

As the Apostle Peter says “ We have a Living Hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3) As the Proverb says When Hope is lost then it makes our heart sick, however we have a living and eternal hope because Jesus rose from the grave. That’s why the resurrection is central to Christianity.

No other religion gives you a relationship with God. Because of the finished work on the cross, Jesus tore the veil. We can now be in the presence of God by the Holy Spirit, because we are declared righteous through Christ. Other religions are trying to rely on their works to get Gods approval or get them to Heaven. But its by faith alone in Christ and His works that were completed, not our own

When you understand the living hope we have through Jesus Christ, it is the Tree of Life. But when you don’t have Jesus in your life, if your not Born Again, it makes your heart sick, because you are still dead in your sins. You are still at war with your Creator. But the Living Hope of Christ will give you a new heart and eternal life , Amen!