You can be so high-minded and then be brought low. The Lord knows how to get our attention one way or the other. Why test the Lord?

shame

n 1: a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt

2: a state of dishonor; "

A painful emotion caused by a strong sense of guilt, embarrassment, unworthiness, or disgrace.
Capacity for such a feeling: Have you no shame?
One that brings dishonor, disgrace, or condemnation.
A condition of disgrace or dishonor; ignominy.
A great disappointment.


**Turn with me in your bible to the Book of Lamentations Chapter 1:1-9**

Lamentations Chapter 1:1-9

1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

2
She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

8 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.


9 Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.




Scripture is quite clear that God is opposed to the proud

(James 4:6 "
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Prov 3:34 1 Pet 5:5)

The Bible offers numerous examples of people whose pride was brought low through the discipline of God. Pharaoh (Ex. 14-26-15:10), Samson (Judg. 16:21-24), David (2 Sam. 12:7-15), Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:21-23).

We start with Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus:

26
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.





Let us journey a lil' bit further by visiting the Book of Judges dealing with Samson:

21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.



Now, if we continue our study in the Word of God we'll see that David soon found out that the Lord wasn't playing. You just don't brush some things under the rug my brothers and sisters. For what's in the dark will be brought to the light........

7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.



So, King Herod Agrippa I ....You don't wanna' give Our God the praise huh? You rather be decked in your royal apparel sitting upon your throne delivering a speech unto the people? But O' King Herod....What did the Lord have to say about it?....

21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.





See there is ONE that sits upon the THRONE. GOD is still upon the Throne.

The people of Judah were brought low because of their arrogant, rebellious attitude toward God. Lamentations describes their humiliation by likening Jerusalem to a woman who has been put to shame. Notice the reversals that the Lord's judgment has brought about:

(A) From a wife to a widow (Lam. 1:1)

(B) From a princess to a slave (Lam 1:1)

(C) From friends to enemies (Lam 1:2)

(D) From honor to shame (Lam 1:8)

(E) From respectability to prostitution (Lam 1:9)

The Israelites who were intended to enjoy the honor of being God's people become dishonored and despised among the nations because of their sinful ways.

Likewise today, a similar reversal can sometimes be seen in the lives of people who sin against God. When their wrongdoings are exposed they fall from a place of honor and prominence to a place of shame and disrepute.

The same reversal can happen with nations. Not that any country today enjoys the kind of covenant relationship that God had with ancient Israel. But when a government openly defies God and establishes laws that oppose His truth and values we can expect that sooner or later He will bring that government down.

GOD WILL BE HONORED. HE WILL NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO IGNORE HIM FOREVER.

Min. Nina Clark

4/21/05

6:31 P.M.









JESUS IS LORD.
"Let The Praise Begin"

Min. Nina
"It was His "LOVE" that kept me strong"
Proverbs 31 Virtuous Woman..

http://www.authorsden.com/minninaclark
http://www.geocities.com/soprecious2see/ninaclarkministries.html

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
Don't miss out on your BLESSING just because it's not in the package you was expecting...