Manna for Your Morning

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up— and it shall be brought low … — Isaiah 2:11-12 (NKJV) “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (See James 4:6 NKJV) Instead of being prideful or arrogant, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, (see 1 Peter 5:6), for Yahweh will have a day of reckoning. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:19-20 NKJV) So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. (1 Corinthians 4:5 NLT) Human pride will be humbled, and human arrogance...

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! — 2 Corinthians 12:7 (NASB1995) Concerning this thorn, Paul says, three different times, he begged the Lord to take it away. And the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Paul adds: “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (See 2 Corinthians 12:8-9) What kinds of challenges may God be allowing in our lives to keep us from becoming prideful and arrogant? What prickly situation is calling for patience and perseverance? May we never think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Everything we have, and all of our talents and abilities, we have received from Elohim, our Creator. And He imparts His grace to empower us and give us strength in the midst of our struggles.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. — Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) The New Living Translation says: “… I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ” (Ezekiel 36:26b) Is your heart tender and responsive to God? If you have a stony heart, let the gentle hands of our heavenly Father remove it and replace it with a heart of flesh. The heart of stone is cold and hard, nothing can get into it and nothing can get out. It is prideful and stubborn (wants its own way). It holds on to grudges and offense. A stony heart does not know God and turns away from Him. The heart of flesh has the blood of Jesus running through it, constantly giving it newness of life. It is set on fire by the embers of His love. The heart of flesh is humble and willing to forgive. It is wise and seeks understanding. The heart of flesh is a believing heart. It knows God and believe...