1 Samuel 2:30, ‘For them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’
DAILY READING Acts 4:1-22; Deuteronomy 19-20; Job 13
June 18, 2015 marked the 200th anniversary of one of the most famous battles in history: ‘the Battle of Waterloo,’ which was fought by Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was a French military leader who led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. His goal was to conquer the world, and he dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade. He won most of the wars he fought, building a large empire that ruled over much of continental Europe. Confident of his achievements, on June 18, 1815 at the battle of waterloo, Napoleon met an army made up of British, Dutch and Prussian forces near the little town of Waterloo in Belgium. Napoleon seemed to have the greater military might, and was set for victory. He boasted that he would have both the English and the Prussians utterly defeated by 2:00pm that day. One of his generals reminded him that, “Man proposes, but God disposes.” But Napoleon, full of pride and arrogance, answered, “I want you to understand, sir, that Napoleon proposes, and Napoleon disposes.”
However, what Napoleon had not reckoned with was the weather. In the days prior to the battle it rained heavily, causing the ground to become wet and muddy. Because of the mud, Napoleon was not able to order an early attack. His great heavy cannons, of which he was very proud and had often boasted, became stuck and absolutely useless. The mud also hindered the advancement of the cavalry, which meant the main attack could not happen until later in the afternoon. When he eventually launched his attack, due to the unfavorable fighting conditions he lost the battle. Napoleon was captured by the British and sent on exile to the little island of St. Helena, where he was placed under guard. He was there till his death in 1821. However, in the years of his exile Napoleon began to study the Bible. He would eventually acknowledge Jesus as the greatest ruler that ever existed.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Any man that thinks that he can win life’s battles without God’s help will eventually be dissappointed. We must learn to give God His place. The value we place on God will determine our value on the earth. Indeed without God we can do nothing. We all need the grace of God to make any real progress in life. The Bible says God humbles the proud. Pride is failure to see the help of God; and to take God for granted is to be grounded. When we stop acknowledging the hand of God, everything keeps going down; but the more we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, the more He exalts us.
Your breakthrough does not lie in your strength, talent or ability. The grace of God is what provokes supernatural breakthroughs in a man’s life. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
Looking at how far we have come this year, we have to acknowledge the help of God at every turn. Certainly, if it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be? From January to December God has been faithful. He has fought our battles for us and constantly given us the victory. For anyone to think they have come thus far this year because of their strength or smartness is certainly wrong thinking. There are many smarter people who have died this year; yet despite all our weaknesses and shortcomings, God has preserved us. Indeed it is because of the Lord’s mercies that we have not been consumed.
Failure to acknowledge God’s help is pride, and pride is a silent destroyer of destiny. When you stop acknowledging the hand of God and trust in your own ability, the end result is a fall. Napoleon Bonaparte learnt this lesson the hard way.
James 4:6 says, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Truly humble people are always quick to give God credit for every good thing in their lives. Indeed God is worthy of all our praise. The more we celebrate God, the more He honors us before men.
In 1 Samuel 2:30 God says, ‘For them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’
The more we praise God for His help, the more He raises us. Praise is our way to cheap victory in every battle. Certainly, nothing defeats the devil like thanksgiving. When we give God praise, we hand over our battles to Him; and when God arises on our behalf, every enemy will be scattered.
PRAYER: Lord, please give me the grace to humble myself under Your mighty hand so that I will be exalted in due season. Please uproot every root of pride in me and enable me to praise You always in every situation in Jesus’ Name
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Faith is more than just believing, it is acting upon The Word that you believe. WORDBITE 222.