1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian 2 - Blessed are the poor in spirit | Page 8

Prayer Thought: Won’t you read the above two passages again and then ask God
by His Holy Spirit to speak to you with regard to them both. You’ll know what to do
thereafter.

Friday
Reading: Daniel 4 v 29 – 33
In our journey to discuss humility’s enemies I will today point you to enemies 5
and 6.
Enemy FIVE: Achievement gone wrong. I do not want you for a moment to
think that I am anti-achievement; I applaud the achievements that are made by
whoever makes them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing well. My
problem, however, comes when this “doing well” becomes corrupted. The wellknown story in our reading today is a perfect example of achievement gone
wrong. Nebuchadnezzar was an ultra-achiever. The problem was, he knew it.
That night, in the heat of the evening, he stood upon his roof to survey all that he
had made. Babylon was indeed an impressive city, no-one would doubt that and
no-one would have taken away the credit that was due to Nebuchadnezzar for
his role in making it great. His problem, however, was that he so internalised his
success that he failed to give glory to God for what God had enabled him to do.
To those of you who fall into the category of achievers, it’s ok to get some credit
for your achievement as long as the glory belongs to God. Nebuchadnezzar
thereafter ate humble-pie and for seven years lived in the wilderness as a wild
animal.
Enemy SIX: Prosperity gone wrong. Again, at the outset, let me say that there is
absolutely nothing wrong with being personally prosperous. There were many
in Scripture who were blessed in this way. Solomon’s wealth knew no bounds,
yet even he, with all the wisdom he had, got side tracked. For some, being
prosperous makes them think that they might be better than other people. They
will justify their wealth saying “I deserve it, I’ve worked hard”. Let me remind
you that so too are those who have worked for you and yet they have not had
the benefit or the prosperity that you enjoy. Hard work does not always result in
prosperity. Without being controversial, I do also think that those who are poor