“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].  James 4:10 AMP

If you want the Lord to be able to use you, then you will need to make yourself available to Him. You will need to be willing to humble yourself so God can use you. If you will humble yourself—lower yourself in your own estimation before the Lord—He will make your life significant—He will make your life count for eternity. Micah 6:8 AMP says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?”  What God requires of us, above all, is justice, mercy and humility. If you want to lead a significant life, you will have to humble yourself to love and serve others.

1 Corinthians 13:5 AMP says that love, “is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].”  There can be no love without humility and no humility without love. Because of the attributes of love, only the humble are capable of walking in love. The proud and arrogant cannot and do not love others, because they are selfish—they are number one in their own heart and life. Pride, conceit and arrogance are empty and vain. Pride puts its own needs first, but love puts others before itself and the needs of others before its needs. You could say that pride is rude and unmannerly, acts unbecomingly, insisting on its own rights and its own way, is self-seeking, is touchy, fretful and resentful, and it takes everything personally. Love, however, humbles itself to serve and put others first; love humbles itself to not take things personally; love humbles itself to keep being kind to people who are being mean.

Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).  1 Peter 3:8 AMP

Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. 4 Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others.  
Philippians 2:3-4 AMP

Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.  Romans 12:16 AMP

We are commanded by the Lord to be compassionate, courteous, sympathetic and understanding—not haughty —to live in harmony with one another and to be readily and easily adjustable. Remember—we are servants of the King —He commands us not to overestimate ourselves or to be so important in our own eyes that we can’t give ourselves to doing humble tasks for ourselves and others. James 3:13-18 says that if you are wise and intelligent, then you—by your noble living—should show forth your good works with the humility which is the proper attribute of true wisdom. He warns us that unchecked pride stirs envy, jealousy and strife and that this prideful behavior is carnal and even demonic in origin and outworking. God’s wisdom, on the other hand, is humble and peace-loving, pure and courteous; it is willing to listen and yield to reason; it is whole-hearted and straightforward; it is impartial and genuine; full of compassion and good fruits and produces, and leads to, peace.

I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service, 2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. 3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.  Ephesians 4:1-3 AMP

Paul begs us to lead a life worthy of the Lord’s divine calling on our lives. No matter what anyone else does, you have to choose to walk in love and peace. Romans 12:18 AMP says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” You have to be willing to put an effort into guarding and keeping harmony, unity and peace alive. It takes lots of patience to live in harmony and unity with others and it is love and humility that make patience possible.

Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble). 9 Never return evil for evil or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly pitying and loving them]. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God—that you may obtain a blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection].  
1 Peter 3:8-9 AMP

The humble person is one who can continue to love someone who is cruel and mean, and still pray for their welfare, happiness, and protection, returning blessing for evil, rather than fighting back. When we submit to the Lord to obey Him, rather than following man’s wisdom or allowing our flesh to rule us, we will come out on top in the end. There is a reward for those who walk in love, humility and unity toward each other. They are the ones who inherit His blessings. The Lord has promised to bless those who walk in love with His welfare, happiness and protection.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne

BEGOTTEN AGAIN

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3-9 KJV
The Greek word “begotten” here is anagennao, which means “to beget anew”. It is translated “begotten again” in 1 Peter 1:3 and “be born again” in 1 Peter 1:23: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.“ We, who are washed in the blood of Jesus, have been born more than once – once into our earthly family by our natural birth and the second time into our heavenly family, the family of God! The second birth is a spiritual birth. In John 3:3-8, Jesus told Nicodemus that unless one is born again – with a spiritual birth – he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus did not understand this at the time.The believer is being kept from sin as he walks in the light.

Man was created in harmony and union with God and also in God’s grace and favor. He fell from this position and the only way for him to get back into God’s grace is to be born again.

New Birth facts:

1. The New Birth is not a physical change, but a moral and spiritual one.
2. The New Birth is a change of heart, will, motives, desires, life and conduct.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NKJV – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

3. We have a change of masters. (See Romans 8:1-4 and Romans 6:11-23)

Romans 6:11 KJV – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

4. We are adopted from out of the satanic family into the family of God. (See Romans 8:14-16)

Galatians 4:5 KJV – “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Ephesians 1:5 KJV – “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

5. It is not a coming into existence of the body, soul, or spirit, as in the natural birth, but it is our consecration to serve God and holiness instead of Satan and sin. (See Romans 8:1-13 and Colossians 3:5-10 and Galatians 5:16-26)

Romans 6:16 KJV – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Colossians 3:5-7 NKJV – “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.”
Galatians 5:16 KJV – “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

6. We are not begotten by the Holy Spirit exactly like Jesus, who is called the only begotten Son of God – there was only one like Him born into the earth -but it is a renewal in righteousness and true holiness of one who is already in existence.

Ephesians 4:23-24 KJV – “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Colossians 3:10 KJV – “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”
Psalm 51:10 KJV – “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

7. It is a change of nature, but not the coming into existence of that nature.

Romans 3:24 KJV – “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Titus 3:5 KJV – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

8. A change of favor, a new standing before God. (See Ephesians 2:1-9 and Titus 2:11-14 and 1 John 3:8-10)

Ephesians 2:1 KJV – “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Romans 5:1-2 KJV – “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Titus 2:11 KJV – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”
1 John 3:8 KJV – “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

9. A change of character, state and service. (1 Corinthians 13 and Titus 2:11-14)

Galatians 5:22-23 KJV – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
2 Timothy 2:21 KJV – “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Titus 2:14 KJV – “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

10. It is a matter of choice. You had no control over your natural birth: conception, embryo, growth process, and actual birth. However, the very moment you are grown up enough to recognize that you are a sinner and when you repent and believe the gospel, a moral and spiritual change takes place.

Romans 10:9-10 KJV – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”