King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Chapters: DEUTERONOMY 8-10
Study: Better To Be Humble
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
I spent half my morning going back and forth with God on everything from my job to my car, and even my diet. I would start praying for one thing then something else would come to my mind, stop for a second, then start praying about that. Before I knew it, I was way off the subject that I started with, but I do not consider that a bad thing because I am talking to God and taking Him with me. Distractions are one thing, guidance is another, and I believe that God does show us things that are priorities first, which is why we can start praying for one thing and something else more important comes up that we need to stop and pray for that. It truly is amazing to have that one on one relationship with God that enables us to talk to Him about anything and everything. In fact, He enjoys having these conversations with us, [Proverbs 15:8-9 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.]
My fiance is a part of this faith based support group that meets every Monday night to help people who suffer with addictions break free from them and stay sober. I have been going with him the past couple of weeks and as I listen to these people giving their testimonies and sharing their struggles it really does humble me. I do not care what side of the tracks you grew up on, whether it was a family that grew up in the church or in the world, we are all broken, we all have struggles, and this is what draws us near to God. When we have exhausted all our efforts in trying to overcome our struggles on our own, that is when we discover that we cannot do anything without Jesus. As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses, stresses the importance of the Israelites never forgetting that it was God who had been with them for more than just provisions.
[Deuteronomy 8:1-4 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.]
[to humble thee, and to prove thee,] There is no struggle that we have gone through trying to do things on our own that God does not know about. There are three things that keep us from going to God in the first place, it is either guilt, fear, or pride, or it may be a combination of them all. When I was struggling for two and a half years with my ex-boyfriend, I felt like it was my fault so I needed to just suck it up and deal with it. Well, God does not work that way, the struggles we face are often God using them to humble us and to prove our faith. Moses, goes on to explain this.
[Deuteronomy 8:5-6,10-12 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;]
[Lest when thou hast eaten and art full,] Do you see what happens if we lose our fear of God? Losing our fear of God is different than losing our faith in Him. Losing our fear is when we start boasting of all the things we have gotten on our own, it is also when we start holding back our prayers as though we can handle things on our own. Losing our fear of God also does something that we may not be aware of, it makes light of sin, and that is actually when the things we would never consider as being a temptation become desirable to us, [James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.]
You see, in order for us to seek God and appreciate what we have been given from Him, we first need to suffer a bit. Sometimes that suffering is a physical hunger, but most of the time it is a spiritual hunger. It is a sad truth that the more we have the more pride kicks in, we become less thankful and grateful that it was God who got us where we are, instead boastful of all the hard work that we have done. This is what Moses is trying to literate to the Israelites and everyone else actually who chose God. Pride will lead every person to an early grave.
[Deuteronomy 8:17-20 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.]
[because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD] God, gives us a choice, we can obey His voice when He tells us that we need His Son or we can reject it, but we must decide. However, those who will not listen to His voice will die and end up in hell because of that choice, whether we believe that or not. God does not need our approval or faith, if we deny Him He will surely deny us, [2 Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.]
If there is one thing I have learned over the years as a Christian it is that God has protected me and had a lot of mercy on me when I was wandering around in my own wilderness. While God wants us to understand that once we get saved our sins are long forgotten, He wants us to never forget that we are saved by His grace. Moses, takes the Israelites down memory lane of the forty years that they provoked God with their unbelief and rebellion. He also reminds that they are not getting to the promised land by any good that they have done, but only by the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in other words, by His grace.
[Deuteronomy 9:4-6 Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.]
[For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me] We are to never forget where we were before we chose Christ and allowed Him to live in and through us. Remembering where we were is not the same as dwelling in the past, it takes us back to the senseless and lost life that we lived before we had Him in our lives. When Christ gets in us He changes us, and let me tell you, these reminders keep you humble because you know how bad it was before He was in your life. Moses, reminds the Israelites of what they did to provoke God more than anything.
[Deuteronomy 9:7-9,12 Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you. 9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water: 12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.]
[they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them;] Do not think for a moment that if Christ was not a constant in your life that you would not fall quickly back into the world. God, showed me that the hard way that we must be dependent upon Him at all times or else we will provoke Him, [1 Corinthians 10:21,31 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.]
We get this idea in our heads that in order for God to do something in our lives we need to be a certain way, and while there is some truth to that, it is often not what we think. You life is yours, it is the one God gave you, what He chooses for you is not necessarily what He chooses for someone else. We can accept that, trust Him, and let Him guide us or we can rebel, and in the end have nothing to show for it. Moses, tells Israel exactly what God requires from every one who chooses Him.
[Deuteronomy 10:12-18 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. 15 Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: 18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.]
[what doth the LORD thy God require of thee,] Exactly what does God require of us in order to receive His blessings? Two things, faith and faithfulness. Our faith in God is what leads us to Christ, our faithfulness to God after we receive Christ is what leads us to fear Him, which in turn teaches us to walk in His ways, loving Him, and serving Him with all our heart and soul. Do you know why humility is our greatest asset? It removes that foreskin around our heart, [Philippians 3:8-10 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;]
[Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart,] Remove any doubts, fears, pride, anger, strife, bitterness, or whatever it is that is on our heart that has hindered any blessings or taken them away, and replace it with that humility that we need, and watch God lift us up, [James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.]
Today’s Prayer:
God, I cannot praise You enough for everything that You have blessed me with, not of my own righteousness, but by my faith alone in You. My salvation, only given by my faith in Your Son, my life, only given by my faith in Your promises, my protection, only given by my faith in Your Word, my provisions, only given by my faithfulness to You. Nothing I have is of my own merit, it all comes as I humble myself to You, fear You, and reap the benefits of my faithfulness to You. I know mess up, I know I am a sinner, I know I deserve nothing, and yet, Your mercy and grace endures because Your Son’s blood is in my soul. Thank You so much for saving my soul, and all that You have given me. Lord, Lead me and guide me, keep my heart tender, pure, and willing. Help me remove any doubts, fears, or anything else that is on my heart, and keep me humble so that I never forget to give You the glory for all that You have blessed me with. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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