I need to follow up what I wrote recently about how the presence of the Lord will make you humble, with a strong caution, that there is no experience with the Lord, no matter how powerful, that can guarantee that you will not become proud. We should never look to some special experience as any kind of easy way to avoid having to resist the devil, endure temptation, and overcome through the trials.
The humility and fear of the Lord gained in a personal encounter with the awesome presence of God can radically change a man forever; but sometimes, that humility can fade all too quickly when you step back into real life, with real temptations. As a matter of fact, sometimes those special encounters with God can become a basis for PRIDE.
There are a few good examples in the Word. Let’s start with the apostle Paul (Saul). In Acts 9, he’s on the road to Damascus to persecute the church, totally contrary to God. Then God encounters him along the way with blinding light, and an audible voice! Paul falls to the earth, and is radically, forever changed!
But that’s not the last of His encounters with God. In 2 Corinthians 12, he gives an account of a time when he was caught up to the third heaven and heard ‘unspeakable words’. Another awesome, life-changing experience. But this time, God saw a danger… to Paul, and ultimately to those to whom Paul would later preach. The danger was that he might be exalted by this awesome experience.
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” [2 Corinthians 12:7 KJV]
Whatever this ‘thorn in the flesh’ was, he said it was for the express purpose that he should not be ‘exalted above measure’. It was obviously unpleasant and unwanted… but it was for Paul’s good, and for those he would minister to. A puffed up man of God can do a lot of harm to the work of Christ, no matter how great his revelation, or his encounters with God, or the power flowing through him.
Another good example in the scriptures is Peter, James, & John, at the ‘Mount of Transfiguration’. These three disciples were privileged to go along with Jesus, up into a mountain to pray (Luke 9:28). But they took things a bit too casually, and were dozing off to sleep, instead of praying (Luke 9:32). “When they were awake”, they saw Jesus transfigured, shining like the sun, and talking with Moses and Elijah. Then the glory cloud of God overshadowed them, and they heard God’s audible voice! It says then, that they ‘fell on their face, and were sore afraid’ (Matthew 17:6).
At that moment, they were feeling a whole lot of humility and fear of the Lord. But… just a short time later, as they’re on their way to Capernaum, a dispute started among the twelve disciples, which of them should be the greatest. (Mark 9:34)
I was reading that one day, when the Lord stopped me, and asked, “Who starts those kinds of arguments?” Well, I didn’t have to think too hard. It’s kind of obvious… it’s generally a person, or group, or team, who has some reason to think that they might actually BE the greatest! Not the team with a losing record. Not the boxer who just got knocked out. Not the disciples who got passed over for the honor of being one of a select three to get a special invitation by Jesus to a very exclusive occasion at the top of the mountain. That narrows it down to one of three; Peter, James, and John. That’s not all that surprising, when two of these guys had already tried to lock in the two most honored seats in Jesus’ kingdom… one on His right, the other on His left. (Matthew 20:20,21)
How soon these favored men of God had begun to let their special relationship to Jesus, and this great revelation, and glorious encounter with God… make them feel lifted up above the others!
Now, it can be easy to look at a man of God who has performed great miracles, or claimed great revelations and visitations of the Lord; and when their lives or ministries fall apart, to think that their encounters with God were not genuine. On the contrary, sometimes it may be, that because their special experiences with the Lord WERE genuine, they allowed themselves to become puffed up, and to think that they really were above others in God’s eyes.
Some might come to love the exalted feeling that their experiences with God bring… so much so, that if God backs off for a while, they start ‘working up’ experiences outside the Spirit of God, or making claims to things that are not true.
Some might begin to feel so honored and favored, that they become overly self-confident, self-righteous, and hard to correct. A ‘thorn in the flesh’ might be just the thing they need, to prevent their own fall.
Still, we should DESIRE and EXPECT those life-changing personal experiences in the presence of almighty God! When they happen, HOLD ON to that humility and fear of the Lord!
Let us never be fooled into thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. (See Romans 12:2-18) Different gifts… different offices… but one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Not wise in our own conceits. In honour preferring one another.
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