"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just
shall live by his faith" Habakkuk 2:4.
There are several
distinctive ways in which faith quenches the pride of life: it takes away the
fuel that feeds the temptation; it causes the Christian to expect all honor
from Christ; it shows the dangers of bargaining with Satan for worldly glory;
and it reveals precedents to believers.
Faith takes away
the fuel that feeds this temptation. Pride is the fuel for temptation. Take
away the oil and the lamp goes out. Where this lust is present in any strength,
the creature's eyes are dazzled with the sight of something, which suits the
desires of the heart. By temptation the devil gives vent to what the heart
itself is full of. Simon Magus had a haughty spirit; and when he first saw the
chance to upstage the apostle, his desire was on fire to have a gift to work
miracles himself. On the other hand, a man of humble spirit loves a low seat;
he is not ambitious to tower above the thoughts of others; and while he stoops
in his own opinion himself, the same bullet flies over his head, which hits the
proud man in the chest. Faith settles the heart down. Pride and faith are
opposites; like a pair of balance scales, if one goes up, the other must go
down. "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the
just shall live by his faith" Habakkuk 2:4.
Faith is Christ's
favorite and makes the Christian expect all his honor from Him. When temptation
comes, faith casts the soul on Christ as being all-sufficient to make it happy.
And when temptation promises to bring you honor if you will allow a sin, faith
chokes the bullet. Remember whose you are. Princes will not let their subjects
become indebted to a foreign prince-- least of all to one who is hostile to
them. Faith declares that the honor or applause you get by sin makes you
subject to the devil himself, who is God's greatest enemy. Faith shows the danger
of bargaining with Satan to gain the glory of the world for one sin.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings
in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
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