FEAR, THE PRODUCT OF PRIDE
Many people are ignorant of the fact that human fear is connected with pride. Proud Saul was afraid of David. "Saul was yet the more afraid of David." Remember, David was only a shepherd boy, playing the harp to help Saul. Saul was the king of Israel weilding a javelin to kill David. Saul tried a number of times to kill David, but David escaped. Quite naturally, David should have been afraid of Saul, instead of Saul fearing David.
God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. God is the Essence and Author of all good things. When God resists the proud, he loses all the goodness and blessings of God. What is fear? Fear is the anticipation of losing something. For example, the fear of death is the anticipation of losing life. The fear of the future is the anticipation of losing something good in the future. As God resists the proud and withdraws from him all the lasting goodness of the Lord, the proud man is bound to be in the dungen of fear for the rest of his life.
It is also possible, if the proud man does not repent and turn to the Lord by humbling himself, he may be delivered to the hands of the devil for the worst types of torment: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God;Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; I HAVE THEREFORE DELIVERED HIM INTO THE HAND OF THE MIGHTY ONE OF THE HEATHEN; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for hiswickedness (Ezek 31:10-11). "The mighty one of the heathen" is the devil.
Similarly, God gives grace to the humble. All the goodness of God can be called the grace of God. So the humble is compassed and crowned with all the goodness of God; he has no reason to fear. In Psalm 34:4-6 we read that as the poor man (humble man) cried, the Lord heard him and delivered him from ALL his troubles and ALL his fears. St. Paul, who stated that he was "less than the least of all saints", when he was arrested and about to be executed in the prison (dungeon) of the Emperor Nero, wrote to the believers at Philippi with a triumphant voice saying, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord" (Phil 3:1). Can we trace any fear in that humble saint in such a horrifying situation? The lesson is very clear: if we have to be free from all fears, even on the verge of death, learn true humility.
At times, people feel condemned because of pride. "... lest being lifted up with pride he [will] fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim3:6). Sometimes, condemnation can devestate even saintly people. People can come to a state that they will condemn themselves by saying, "I have no hope, God has forsaken me; I have committed terrible sins that God will never forgive; I am on the way to hell", etc. Condemnation is a tormenting spirit. A humble saint will never be attacked by this condemning spirit. Sometimes, people can commit suicide when urged by this spirit.
"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility" (Prov 18:12). "Be clothed with humility ... Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God" (1 Pet 5:5-6).
Source: Voice of Pentecost
Many people are ignorant of the fact that human fear is connected with pride. Proud Saul was afraid of David. "Saul was yet the more afraid of David." Remember, David was only a shepherd boy, playing the harp to help Saul. Saul was the king of Israel weilding a javelin to kill David. Saul tried a number of times to kill David, but David escaped. Quite naturally, David should have been afraid of Saul, instead of Saul fearing David.
God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. God is the Essence and Author of all good things. When God resists the proud, he loses all the goodness and blessings of God. What is fear? Fear is the anticipation of losing something. For example, the fear of death is the anticipation of losing life. The fear of the future is the anticipation of losing something good in the future. As God resists the proud and withdraws from him all the lasting goodness of the Lord, the proud man is bound to be in the dungen of fear for the rest of his life.
It is also possible, if the proud man does not repent and turn to the Lord by humbling himself, he may be delivered to the hands of the devil for the worst types of torment: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God;Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; I HAVE THEREFORE DELIVERED HIM INTO THE HAND OF THE MIGHTY ONE OF THE HEATHEN; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for hiswickedness (Ezek 31:10-11). "The mighty one of the heathen" is the devil.
Similarly, God gives grace to the humble. All the goodness of God can be called the grace of God. So the humble is compassed and crowned with all the goodness of God; he has no reason to fear. In Psalm 34:4-6 we read that as the poor man (humble man) cried, the Lord heard him and delivered him from ALL his troubles and ALL his fears. St. Paul, who stated that he was "less than the least of all saints", when he was arrested and about to be executed in the prison (dungeon) of the Emperor Nero, wrote to the believers at Philippi with a triumphant voice saying, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord" (Phil 3:1). Can we trace any fear in that humble saint in such a horrifying situation? The lesson is very clear: if we have to be free from all fears, even on the verge of death, learn true humility.
At times, people feel condemned because of pride. "... lest being lifted up with pride he [will] fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim3:6). Sometimes, condemnation can devestate even saintly people. People can come to a state that they will condemn themselves by saying, "I have no hope, God has forsaken me; I have committed terrible sins that God will never forgive; I am on the way to hell", etc. Condemnation is a tormenting spirit. A humble saint will never be attacked by this condemning spirit. Sometimes, people can commit suicide when urged by this spirit.
"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility" (Prov 18:12). "Be clothed with humility ... Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God" (1 Pet 5:5-6).
Source: Voice of Pentecost
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