“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place? 2 For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands. Isaiah 66:1-2 AMP
Almighty God created everything that exists—the universe and everything in it—including man. As He has declared: heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool! Yet men have not reverentially feared the Lord, as they should have and as He is worthy of, and have exalted themselves, thinking that they are more than what they really are. This was the devil’s mistake. He dared to exalt his throne above the throne of God!
The God Who produced and formed the world and all things in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade shrines. 25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He lacked anything, for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people].
Acts 17:24-25 AMP
Men have exalted themselves by casting God aside—the very God to whom they owe their very existence; the God who gave them their life and breath—treating Him as if He is irrelevant, ignoring and disregarding Him as if He is only an invention of man. On the other hand, men have exalted themselves, believing that they could actually build Him buildings that could contain Him. There is no building that could be built—no matter how magnificent by man’s standards—that is a worthy dwelling for our God! So great is He!
Just because you think you are really something—doesn’t mean that you are. You can choose your own way and your own path, but it is the road to nowhere. God is not interested in what you can do for Him or impressed by what you can build for Him. He is only interested in what is in your heart. The man or woman whom God will regard, whom He is looking for and whom He cares about, are the ones who are altogether humble before God. There are many who claim humility, and yet are not, because they are proud of their humility. It is only a surface humility and makes God sick. He especially hates hypocrisy. God has respect and regard for the one who trembles at his word and reveres His commands!
If you are indeed a humble person, you will highly respect God’s word. God, and the rest of us, will all see and know this when we see how personally you take His word to you. We will see it by whether or not you act on God’s word, instead of just talking about it, and we will see it by how promptly you obey His commands. This is the only true measure of humility. John 4:24 AMP says that, “God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).” Worship that is acceptable to God is worship that is absolutely sincere, coming straight from the heart.
But in every nation he who venerates and has a reverential fear for God, treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly, is acceptable to Him and sure of being received and welcomed [by Him]. Acts 10:35 AMP
God is NO respecter of persons. Anyone—no matter who you are; no matter what you have done; no matter what your nationality—can be acceptable to God on the basis of worshipful obedience!
And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers). Acts 2:43 AMP
So the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was edified [growing in wisdom, virtue, and piety] and walking in the respect and reverential fear of the Lord and in the consolation and exhortation of the Holy Spirit, continued to increase and was multiplied. Acts 9:31 AMP
The respect and reverential fear of God was a hallmark of the early church. When Jesus is your First Love, you will give Him the place of honor in your heart and life!
Therefore, since these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 AMP
Let’s not miss out on any of the wonderful things God has in store for us. Let’s consecrate ourselves afresh to reverence Him—to humble ourselves before Him, to get rid of all sin and pride, and to remind ourselves how precious, how wonderful, how powerful and how magnificent our God is and how worthy He is to receive all our praise, honor, adoration and obedience!