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8 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course Lesson 35

DESPERATELY WICKED”! By nature, man’s
mind LACKS Godly humility. That’s what our
hearts are like! YEHOVAH ought to know -- He
created us.
YEHOVAH plainly states through
Jeremiah that your mind is out to deceive, trick,
fool, and bluff at every turn. This means your
mind can TRICK you into THINKING you’re
humble when you’re NOT! That means you
probably LACK the humility necessary for
INTIMATE, CLOSE CONTACT WITH YE-
HOVAH GOD!
If a person thinks he’s “naturally
humble,” his carnal mind has TOTALLY
DECEIVED HIM!
7. Does the natural mind of man, with its
pride and lack of Godly humility, lead to a fall?
Proverbs 16:18-19.
8. Does YEHOVAH God RESIST the
proud? James. 4:6. But what does He give the
HUMBLE? Same verse. What are we therefore
to do? Verses 7-8. How do we become HUM-
BLE and DRAW CLOSE to YEHOVAH God --
are we to “afflict” ourselves? Verses 9-10.
9. We have clearly seen that the vanity of
our carnal nature causes us to become exalted PENANCE — Body of devout Hindu in Madras,
and puffed up. How did David control his India, is pierced by shafts of tiny metal spears.
tendency to become arrogant? Psalm 109:24 Many today erroneously believe self-torture is
and 119:71. Did he understand that sincere pleasing to YEHOVAH God and falsely assume
humility before the Eternal God is acquired fasting is penance.
through FASTING? Psalm 35:13.
COMMENT: In the Bible “fast” and alting himself in his self-righteousness. His
“humble” often mean the same thing. Often it fasting was a form of PENANCE, thinking other
will be expressed “he HUMBLED himself people would be IMPRESSED with his
before God." This means that he FASTED suffering, his “righteousness.” And he thought
before YEHOVAH God! So when you see the YEHOVAH God would be pleased if he made
command to humble yourself, it usually means himself SUFFER, and would therefore grant him
to FAST. HIS WILL.
10. Will YEHOVAH God eventually That is NOT THE PURPOSE of fasting!
EXALT the humble? I Peter 5:6 and Matthew The purpose of fasting is to HUMBLE
23:12. Did Yeshua teach that no one will be ourselves -- to help us see ourselves as we really
accepted of YEHOVAH God until he becomes are! And to see YEHOVAH God as He is!
humble? Luke 18:13-14. True humbling is REPENTANCE, not
COMMENT: Notice in Luke 18:11 that penance. It leads to conversion -- admitting
this Pharisee fasted weekly with a WRONG one’s human ways are all wrong and turning to
ATTITUDE. He fasted with the intent of ex- YEHOVAH’s ways, receiving the power of His

Why Christians Should Fast