James 4:6 (KJV)

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Pride is one of Satan’s most powerful tools. It sneaks into our hearts and blinds us to the truth of God’s grace. Pride tells us, “You’re good enough on your own,” or, “You don’t need help.” We must recognize that pride doesn’t come from us, it’s planted by the enemy to separate us from God’s blessings and strip us of gratitude.

James 4:6 is reminding us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride keeps us from experiencing God’s blessings because it puts the focus on ourselves instead of Him. It blinds us to our need for God’s grace, leading to self-righteousness, sadness, and misery. 

Pride builds walls whereas humility builds bridges.

At its core, pride is self-reliance. It’s trusting in your own strength, wisdom, or righteousness instead of God’s. But self-reliance always leads to disappointment because we were never meant to carry life’s burdens on our own. Pride sets us up for failure because it blinds us to our weaknesses and keeps us from seeking God’s help. Self-righteousness, a form of pride, is especially dangerous. It makes us believe we’re “good enough” on our own, but it robs us of the joy and peace that come from trusting in Jesus. Pride leads to sadness because it takes our eyes off God’s grace and places them on our inadequacies. 

The first step to overcoming pride is acknowledging it. This requires humility, which Satan works hard to keep us from. Pride tells us that surrendering is weakness, but in actuality surrendering to God is the ultimate act of strength. For example, Jesus had every right to be exalted, but chose humility. He surrendered everything, even His life, to obtain eternal redemption for us all. 

When we surrender our pride to God, we follow Jesus’ example. We let go of our need to be right, strong, or self-sufficient and allow God to take over our lives. 

Surrendering isn't defeat, it's the gateway to strength and true freedom.

Pride blocks us from seeing God’s blessings because it blinds us to His work in our lives. It keeps us focused on what we lack instead of what we have. Gratitude counteracts pride and shifts our focus back to God. 

Pride tells us, "we/I did this.’ Humility tells us, "God did this."

I hope we can always remember that Pride isn't from God but Satan. Whenever you feel prideful, I hope we can think deeply to forsake it. Amen!

John 10:28-29 (KJV)

28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand."


One of the greatest lies Satan whispers to all of us is that we can lose our salvation. He stirs up doubt, fear, and worry, causing us to question whether we’re truly saved or not. Thankfully the words of Jesus tell us the opposite of our thoughts. If you believe in him, you are eternally secure. In John 10:28, Jesus promises us one thing. "I give unto them eternal life." Eternal life isn’t temporary. It isn’t based on your performance, your works, or your ability to hold onto God. It’s based solely on Jesus, who holds onto you! Many people worry about whether they’ve done enough to stay saved. But salvation was never about what we can do, it's about what He's already done. On the cross, Jesus declared, "It is finished". He didn’t leave anything undone. His sacrifice was complete, perfect, and eternal.

The gospel isn’t about what you achieve, it’s about what Jesus has already accomplished.

Your righteousness isn’t based on your ability to avoid sin, it’s based on Jesus’ obedience and his eternal sacrifice. Sadly, many people don't believe this simple truth. Satan has a simple strategy, he makes you doubt your salvation, in order to steal your joy and distract you from sharing the gospel. When you focus on your works, your failures, or your feelings, you begin to lose sight of the truth. That is why God calls us to walk not by sight, feelings, or circumstances, but by faith. You must believe that Jesus has made you holy, righteous, and blameless in God’s sight. Your salvation doesn’t depend on your performance but solely on Jesus' sacrifice.

Doubt comes when you focus on "you", whereas faith comes when you focus on Jesus.

The beauty of salvation is that it’s a gift, not a wage. We don't do anything to work for it. When you believe in Jesus, you can rest in the assurance that your salvation is secure. God doesn’t break His promises, and He doesn’t change His mind. Once you are saved, you are always saved. 

Eternal life isn’t something you can earn, so it’s also not something you can lose either. I hope we can let go of the worry and fear that Satan tries to plant in your heart. Trust that Jesus’ sacrifice was enough. When doubts creep in, remind yourself of God’s promises. That he chose you over his only begotten son. He reconciled us forever!

Amen!

Leviticus 3:1 (KJV)
"And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord."

In Leviticus 3:1, we see instructions for the peace offering. This offering, whether male or female, had to be without blemish meaning perfect. While the peace offering was an Old Testament practice, it foreshadowed something much greater: Jesus Christ, the ultimate sacrifice for our peace. The word used here in Hebrew is שֶׁלֶם, shelem which is a masculine noun. This is important because Jesus (the husband/masculine) in the only sacrifice that God accepts. 

No matter how good our works may seem, they are not sufficient to bring us peace with God. True peace comes only through the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. True peace and reconciliation doesn't come from what we can do, it comes from what HE can do.

Our works may look good, but only Jesus is the only one that's good enough for God. Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) says, “The chastisement of our peace was upon him.” Jesus bore the punishment required to bring us peace with God. His sacrifice wasn’t just sufficient. It was perfect and without blemish, fulfilling the requirement of the peace offering. True peace isn’t achieved by us, it’s received through Christ.

Many people strive for peace with God through their own efforts. They try to pray harder, do better, keep the commandments, and live perfectly. But Leviticus 3:1 shows us that only a perfect offering is acceptable to God. No matter how noble our works may seem, they are blemished by sin. This is why Jesus’ sacrifice is so crucial. He is the only one who is truly without blemish, the only offering acceptable before the Lord. I hope we can all see that every scripture in the bible is descriptive of Jesus. 

The only thing we must do is have peace and rest in his sacrifice. Amen!

We'll be going over this in depth tomorrow (Sat, 1/11 at 10 AM PST)
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