Many believe that during the time of testing they will stand up for Jesus but that is not always true. Look at Judas who walked by Jesus and was touched by his grace. Not only did he witness such glorious things but he was appointed treasurer and many people had respect for him but as we all know that changed. Judas thought that Jesus was full of deception and not the real Messiah and thus betrayed him. In Matthew 27:3-5: ” Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

This partly happened because of pride. Judas thought that he had all of the answers and that he must be right. Instead of seeking God for help he saught after mans foolish ways. In Thes. 1:11-12 it says ” Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Pray ahead of time and ask God to help count you worthy of this calling. This is something that should be done everyday. Ask Jesus to be glorified in you in all things and to help you when you are face to face with evil.

In 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 it says: ” He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” Always remember that when evil faces you that the battle belongs to the Lord and do not start trying to seek out help without seeking help from Jesus first.

It is easy to start taking things for granted such as the Israelites did when Moses led them out of Egypt. At first he feared how he would feed them but then they started getting manna from Heaven. In Exodus 16:15 “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.” God provided for them and as a result they got spoiled by the miracles. People think that you can get spoiled only by money, good clothes and other things but that isn’t so. The poorest of poor can still become spoiled and take things for granted. This will cause us to not be grateful for anything that we have. Pride can start dwelling in our hearts when we become spoiled. When pride starts coming up terrible things can happen. Job 40:12 -”Look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand.”

John 5:44 – “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” That is exactly what starts happening when pride comes in our hearts. We neglect praise and thanksgiving because we start boosting to one another. How did the children of Israelites boost to one another? I am sure that they said things such as “We know it’s going to come, it always does!” or “We are never going to go hungry.” Instead they should have been saying “Praise God for the manna” or “Praise God, he always looks after us in our time of need.”

So while you are battling are even when things are going good still Praise the Lord despite whatever is going on. Show appreciation by just making simple statements of “Praise God for this battle”. When you start to praise him and show appreciation you will be amazed at how different you will feel.