The Humble Get The Best - While The Greatest Fall

"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2 "...to HUMBLE you." The sin of pride was the sin that caused the downfall of Satan. He had it all. He was the most beautiful and wise angel in heaven. After awhile, the accolades got to him and he felt invincible. He began to think on how he might rival God himself. He managed to persuade a third of the angels in heaven to follow him in a revolt against God. He lost, of course, and was dethroned and expelled from heaven. When God created Adam, Satan was jealous. God had done something without Satan's valuable input, and God made great promises to the human race, which absolutely enraged Satan. God gave Adam what Satan so craved, he gave Adam authority over the earth. In his hatred, Satan knew that the one way he could oppose God was to turn Adam against him, cause Adam to sin and lose his standing with God just as he had, and then Adam would also lose his authority over the earth. Satan succeeded in causing Adam's rebellion which resulted in corrupting the human race, and from his new standpoint of claiming authority over man, Satan has proceeded down through the ages to corrupt and pervert and oppose all that God loves, and all that God does with man. If you understand this thoroughly, it will become obvious why God so hates pride. Pride was the cause of Satan's fall, and pride is the greatest tool in Satan's hands which he uses to bring men down. Therefore, when a person is born again into the Kingdom of God and begins his journey with the Lord, God will always be watching for pitfalls of pride because the danger in pride is so great. It's the most effective tool Satan can foster - that can cause a man to be lost. vs 3: "So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." Throughout the journey of the believer, man will come again and again to the end of his resources, only to find the provision of God that comes seemingly out of the blue. After awhile, the man will realize that the most important thing he can do in his walk is to "live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." In other words, when he comes to a problem that is insurmountable, his heart must be trained to bring the problem to God because only God can speak a Word that will bring the solution. In the Bible's Book of Exodus, the Jews left Egypt and the armies of Egypt were following them to destroy them. The Jews see behind them the advancing armies, and they see before them the sea. They are caught in a predicament for which there is no solution. BUT GOD ...came to their rescue, and that - in a very supernatural way! The sea parted and they went across on dry land. No sooner had the last foot crossed to the other side, when the walls of the sea returned to normal, covering the enemy army which drowned in the sea. This is the way a believer has to walk with God. The Lord gave this mighty example for us in order to make us know that his ways are trustworthy and there's no limit to his power. We can know for a surety that in all the stories we journey through, God will provide the solution for the times when there are no solutions. This is the walk of faith - not expecting to control everything in our own resources and through own smarts, but instead to not resist being humbled because in our humility we will see the power of God. vs 4: “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years." This means that in all of their journey, God provided for them in a supernatural way. Didn't Jesus say: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33 Always pay attention when the Lord says "if," or "but." This passage in Matthew, this Word proceeding from the mouth of the Lord, states that your life must not be centered around worrying about material needs; no, God is saying that IF you spend your life seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God, and that's what each believer is called to do, THEN all your material needs will be met as surely as they were provided for the Jews in the forty years of their journey through the wilderness. When they had no water, God provided water ...flowing out of a rock! And thus he will do for us. Where there is no way, he will make a way. If you are seeking FIRST his Kingdom and his righteousness, your provision is guaranteed. I have walked with him for many years, through some very, very rough and very, very scary times, but I have never lacked a thing. And on many, VERY many occasions, the provision came in totally unexpected and surprising ways, which is oftentimes God's way of strengthening us in the faith. It's a principle you can trust, because it's Almighty God who guarantees it. "Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?'” John 11:40