TEXT: 2 CHRONICLES 12:7 NKJV
[7] Now when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
Discussion
Our discussion today is based on the story of the children of Israel, who were on the verge of being attacked. When they realized through Prophet Shemaiah that the reason they were under attack was because they had forsaken the Lord, they humbled themselves before Him, and God granted them deliverance.
God created man with the freedom to make choices, but He desires us to remain dependent on Him at all times.
Sometimes, the issue is not merely that we sin, but that our arrogance toward God makes matters worse. The Bible says that God resists the proud.
One of the best things God can do for a believer is to bring correction. He rebukes those He loves. However, when God rebukes a believer and that believer ignores the correction, destruction begins to knock at the door.
The danger of ignoring God’s rebuke is that the Holy Spirit gradually withdraws from such a believer, leaving him or her exposed to the attacks of the enemy.
Jonah’s stubbornness nearly destroyed him until he humbled himself before God in the belly of the fish, after which deliverance came.
Satan knows from experience that one of the easiest ways to turn a believer away from God is through pride and arrogance. He does everything he can to make us proud and self-reliant because he knows that God resists the proud. It is a terrible thing for anyone to be resisted by God.
Practical Steps
1. Always be open to correction from the Lord.
2. Avoid overestimating yourself.
3. Ask for forgiveness from your heart, not merely with your lips.
4. Be a worshipper and always give all the glory to God.
Declarations:
I shall humble myself before the Lord. I shall not be full of pride or self-importance. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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