Feeling Like a Victim
Kathy — We don’t know when or why Saul decided that he was “all that and a sack of chips,” but we do know that pride will breach character. Perhaps being head and shoulders above everyone else made him feel superior. On perhaps, the other extreme, his fear of the people (1 Sam 15:24) was a sign of inferior feelings and deep insecurities, and pride became his antidote. Whatever his path to pride, it became his path to downfall. The word warns that pride comes before a fall and I think it is safe to say that big pride comes 
before a big fall. King Saul did not fear God and pride was his door to destruction.
Sometimes we forget that we are made in the image of our Creator God. So when we create our own monsters and our own downfall, we transfer the credit to God, the devil or someone else. That way we feel like a victim instead of a perpetrator. The problem is that if we are victims, we ignore our need to repent. Instead of changing, we sit in the ruins expecting God to do what we will not do ourselves. Saul could not find someone else to blame for the breaches of his soul and character, and neither can we.
In the last half of this year, may we fear God and humble ourselves before Him that we will have the godly character to cooperate and not hinder His intent and instructions. May the rest of this year be marked by sons willingly participating in the changes necessary to see His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
(Kathy will be speaking at Dreams Visions Prophecy Conference Sept.10-12, 2021 at Grace Church Willis.)
Overcoming the Snake on Your Porch
Sometimes these contradictions are obvious, like when I walked out on the porch and a snake was on my porch. That thing had crawled up on 
to the roof ledge of a second story porch! It was a very loud contradiction to my plans and future. (I knew it was a personal issue because I was the only one home.) One of the symbolic meanings of a snake is “a threat to the future,” and sure enough, one of us had to die that day! However, some personal contradictions are not as obvious, even on our porch, because they are always there and we don’t see them as a threat to our future purpose and fulfillment and destiny. Contradictions on your porch can be from old wounds and memories that haven’t faded and still cause fear or anger or discouragement. They linger like a cloud on your porch waiting to come and go with you. Contradictions to your purpose can come from family traits like anger or pride or being judgmental. You don’t notice them because they have always been there. The fact that you need to change your thinking in some part of your life is not an indictment against you! The simple truth is that without repentance, there is no change and without change there is no overcoming contradictions that keep affecting your life and your legacy.
(This is the ninth excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Resurrection out of Contradiction“. More excerpts will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Previous excerpts may be read by scrolling down this page.)
KATHY GABLER brings an encouraging word in this 3min. audio file.
“He is putting gates in your fences.”
http://martygabler.podomatic.com/entry/2013-09-04T13_14_04-07_00
martygabler 