Do We Need The Supernatural Gifts In The Church Today?

There are two primary views concerning the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit today.  These two opinions are cessationism and continuationism.  Cessationism says that when the New Testament was complete there was no more need for supernatural gifts in the life of the church.  Continuationism teaches that those supernatural gifts never ceased since they were given at Pentecost.  One of the reasons given as evidence for cessationism, that God stopped using these gifts in the church after the canon of Scripture was complete, was because over time those primitive gifts were witnessed less and less in practice.  The most ardent theologians amazingly arrive at this conclusion with very weak, if any, Scriptural validation.  If you read many scholars you will find they will depart from Biblical proof and use as verification the ancient writings of "church fathers."  There is certainly another obvious reason as to why the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit waned after the first century church.  That reason is a loss of a "first love" experience mentioned in Revelation 2:4.  In Revelation chapter 2 we read that Jesus is affirming the testimony of the church in that they worked hard, they stood the test of persecution but they had "left the love they had at the beginning."  
When we weaken in our faith, we weaken in our practice.  I would suggest that a major reason supernatural gifts were seen less after the first century church was not at all because God was not intending them to be functioning but because of a faith and love crisis within the church.  When that happens it is very difficult for the next generation to rediscover what has been lost.  It has never been modeled or taught to them.  It is not presented to them as something to seek and often taught as not to be sought.  Yet, even among those who teach the supernatural gifts of yesterday are not needed in the modern church, they still teach about spiritual warfare.  They tell us how we must battle in the heavenly realm with demonic powers and principalities. Certainly the use of Scripture is essential in obtaining victory.  Yet, as Peter demonstrated in his ministry the Christian ministry help for the hurting must come from the internal spring of "such as I have."  It is Christ in us that is the "hope of glory."  Christ in us consists of the Life of Christ, the Words of Christ as well as the supernatural power and authority of Christ.  As we enter deeper and deeper into the last days we encounter an amplification of Satanic and antichrist activity in the earth.  No generation in history has ever needed the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit like this generation.  Why would God withdraw this power when it is needed most?  He did not! He has not!  There is written evidence in the second and third century of spiritual gifts and miracles still happening.  They never ceased but lukewarm Christianity quenched the Spirit.  There is a direct correlation between faith and spiritual gifts.  We prophesy according to our faith.  (Romans 12:6)

What is our answer?  We must return to a first love faith!  Jesus must become the focus of the Church even more so than mission or movement or reaching a generation.  As we seek Him He will be found.  When He is found in his fullness the Church will manifest Him in His fullness. When His Church manifests  His fullness the world will be saved, delivered from bondage and activated into like ministry.

"Yes, this old-time pow’r was given
To our fathers who were true;
This is promised to believers,
And we all may have it too." (Charles D. Tillman 1895)

Hebrews 13:8  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

For Glory and For Beauty

 Exodus 28:2 “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.”

I am studying in the book of Exodus right now.  I was struck as I read this verse in Exodus 28:2.  I wasn’t able to move beyond it until I gave it some thought.  Why would the idea that God would do something for the expressed purpose of beauty surprise me?  Like some of you I was a part of a renewal movement during the 1960’s and 70’s.  It was birthed by a hunger to know God in a more intimate way than the forms and rituals of religion alone.  It produced a radical pursuit of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  That spirit of yearning, motivated by the Love for God, created, in some ways, a disdain for the more formal forms of worship.  There was a “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” approach to this new era of church planting and Christian practice.  It was reflected in the architecture and quality of our meeting places, the lack of grandeur in our spiritual gatherings and even the clothes that we wore.  In many ways it was a necessary departure from the old norms in order to discover a more vibrant worship lifestyle.  We placed our emphasis on knowing God personally and worshipping from our hearts.  It was all centered around the indwelling, active, motivating Holy Spirit.  I have to ask if something was missing from our renewal journey?  Probably not in the sense of that time as that approach made the main thing the main thing.  Yet, God is bigger than our revelation of the hour.  He is always larger and grander than our present revelation and understanding. Now back to beauty.  God loves beauty and values beauty.  When I read of the plans for the tabernacle and the detail given to the garments of the priests I see over and again that God cares about quality and beauty.  We have almost come to believe that if the Holy Spirit does it that it must be crude with no thought of beauty being involved.  However, the first time the Scripture mentions the Holy Spirit filling someone it relates to God filling the artisans with the Holy Spirit to skillfully work on His designs in clothes and buildings.  Certainly these are Old Testament instructions and we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit but that doesn’t change God’s taste, His pleasure and His quality in all he does and leads us to do.  That brings us to appreciate His Glory and Beauty.  I visited the Louvre in Paris last winter.  It made me aware of how much of the old art had a religious theme.  Many of them were anointed to create what the Holy Spirit led them to design.  The same is true in music and much of the Arts.  That doesn’t mean that all art and all music are good.  It does mean that we need to open our minds to a broader appreciation to the work of the Holy Spirit.  May we release the gifts already given to the Church by encouraging those around us to discover their God given gifts and talents and use them for His Glory and Beauty. 

Have You Ever Seen A Miracle?

One of the most common questions I have been asked through the years is, "have you ever seen a miracle?" The short answer is Yes!  But then I wonder what generated the question.  The implication is that the person asking the question has not, or they don't think that they have.  You may not think that it matters in the world of faith.  It really does matter.  The foundational truth of Christianity is that the Christian life itself is supernatural.  There is a vast difference between joining a Church and becoming a Christian.  As a Church member I become a new attender, a rule keeper.  As a Christian I have become a new person.  The Apostle Paul describes it as becoming a new creation.  We struggle with the concept because we still see residual character traits of the old person and we are tempted to believe that we are still trapped in the old life.  The moment we truly repent of our old nature and ask God for a new nature He brokers a change of identity within us.  From that point on there is a war of identity, not in heaven but in our own minds.  Heaven knows our new identity and acknowledges it. Our names are written in the "Lambs book of Life" in heaven.   One of the biggest faith battles is the battle in our own minds.  Because the new identity or new creation happens the moment we ask God in faith, we have trouble believing it is possible with us.  We know us!  We remember the past and all our bad thoughts and evil deeds.  It can't be that easy.  Oh, it wasn't easy!  It wasn't easy for Jesus but He did the work once and for all on the cross as a sacrificial act for us.  However, we have to daily make the decision to believe that we are changed by the finished work of Jesus.  It would be easy to think that we are talking about mind over matter here. No, we are talking about a Miracle!  That's right, a miracle.  Every person who has ever become a Christian since Jesus died on the cross has become a miracle.  No miracle ever performed has come near to comparing to the miracle of you being made into a Christian.  It is an ongoing work for sure yet it is a completed work.  Romans tells us that we are transformed by the "renewing of our minds."  While we are a completely new creation we are still in process, we are in the renewing of the mind process.  The spirit man inside of us is a completely new creature and now our mind is gradually transformed to bring us outwardly in line with what has happened inwardly.  That means that you haven't just seen a miracle you are a miracle.  Keep cooperating with the inner miracle and you will continue to see and experience the outer miracle.   

Street Beggars

It is a difficult thing to see beggars on the street corner.  All that we say we believe flashes before our eyes and burns in our hearts.  I was raised in a hard working blue collar world that rewarded the industrious and penalized the lazy. More often than not when I see one of these unfortunates, I'm not moved with compassion but with indignation.  (Please don't write me to correct me as I already struggle with what is right!)  I often think of the words in Scripture, "if a man won't work, neither let him eat."  I see those asking for handouts and I study their appearance. Some of them are obviously well fed, smoking expensive cigarettes and have fat well fed dogs with them.  Then the inner war begins.  Are these folks con men and women?  Out on the streets taking advantage of our Christian compassion?  I have seen some reject food, refuse to work even while holding a sign, "will work for food!"  I have seen teams of them unloading from vans, working an area in the city and regrouping later to share their spoils!  My humanity wants to scream, "Get a job, you bum!"  Then as I drive away the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit begins to seep into my consciousness.  "How do you know the truth of this person's condition or need?"  They may be whole physically but crippled emotionally.  Then I am reminded that we might be "entertaining angels and not be aware."  Certainly there are professional beggars who learn to play upon our Christian conviction and conscience.  But what if our turning away from them has calloused our hearts to the point that we are now insulated against genuine needs or even angels?  The enemy has now positioned us into a place where we may be robbed of a "God event" in our future.   What a difficult dilemma!   I believe the Holy Spirit can reveal to us the difference between the real and the fake but how good are we at discerning in this way?  I'll leave you with words from the Bible commentator Matthew Henry who lived between 1662-1714: 

"It is better to feed five drones, or wasps, than to starve one bee."

 Matthew Henry

IS THE NEW THING REALLY AN OLD THING?

I must admit that I like new shiny and up to date things.  I don't have to have them but I do prefer new.  That isn't always a good thing.  I have to be careful not to go on the Amazon website too often because I always see something new that I think "I really need!"  Advertising has mastered the art of appealing to the "lust of the eyes."  I remember a time about a quarter of a century ago I witnessed as a traveling preacher a great appetite within the church world for something new.  There was a pride that said, "ho hum, I've heard that before."  There seemed to be professional hearers within the church.  Of course we all know that hearing is not possessing.  To possess Truth we must seek it, comprehend it and draw it into our hearts by faith with a desire to live it out in our lives.  We must understand that we cannot attain Truth without a humility that knows that truth is not ours for the taking.  Truth becomes living truth when we humble ourselves and seek to be conformed to it.  There is a negative and positive aspect to being changed by truth in actual life.  The negative aspect is a realization that we don't possess it, we can't obtain it in our own efforts and we are destitute without it.  The positive aspect is that embodied truth comes and takes shape in us only after we have stood in the naked reality of our need of Him.  From this we see that the "negative" isn't really a negative but a launching pad for the positive, obtaining truth.  There is therefore a negative and positive aspect to preaching or sharing the Gospel. Certainly there is the "good news" that Jesus has already settled the sin problem and He freely offers that cure to all of sin-sick mankind.  Yet, before any man can obtain the personified truth in the form of Salvation he must first recognize he is eternally destined for hell and a separation from God.  I can't remember when I last heard that coming from a pulpit.  It is sometimes alluded to but not clearly communicated.  There is a vast overemphasis on God's forgiving nature with little emphasis on the penalty for those who have not truly repented.  Certainly none of us want to return to the "hell fire and brimstone" sermons of times past.  Certainly the "kindness of God brings men to repentance" but there must be the understanding of the negative before the positive can become a reality.

In this era in church history where a strong desire exists to become more relevant to the world in order to win the world, preachers and teachers stand precariously on the edge of  a slope of a false gospel.  In our efforts to reach the new generation we must be careful not to leave out the ancient Truths of past generations.  It is not knowledge or behavioral changes that sets the captives free but only Truth, God's Truth.  As we seek to reach a new generation we must remember that the new thing is really an old thing.

May the Word of God and the guiding light of the Holy Spirit empower us to reach our generation with Truth that brings men to true repentance and salvation.  Truth must be embraced before it can bring transformation.  

Mystery of the Gospel

"The mystery made known to me by revelation..." Ephesians 3:3

The word "mystery" refers to something that is hidden.  Why would God want to hide Truth from people?  Even that thought is something of a mystery.  Having had a personal friendship, relationship with God for most of my life I still stand amazed at the ever unfolding discovery of His identity.  The deeper I travel into the knowledge of Him the more I discover His vastness.  Who He is doesn't change but it expands.  It is like walking down a street and getting familiar with all the sights and sounds on that street and you might think that is the entirety of a town.  You may live on that street for years and one day you venture around a corner to find that the small town is really a large city.  It goes on and on.  How sad it would be to live on one street and experience the limitations of that short street, never knowing that with exploration there is much, much more to experience.  Paul's words here in Ephesians 3:3 and in other of his writings reveals to us that there are mysteries to be discovered.  It seems that the Word of God itself and the life giving power of living in that Word is a great mystery to most of the world.  True believers read the Bible in faith and a supernatural impartation occurs within them.  A non believer may pick it up without faith or without interest and it might be just another book to them.  

The late Derek Prince was a Kings Scholar from Eton College in England.  He was a philosopher who began to read the Bible to disprove it.  He said that as he read the Scripture something amazing happened.  He started changing on the inside.  He said it was the only book that he had ever read that was a living book.  As he read, something living was happening on the inside.  That is a part of how revelation is experienced and how mysteries are revealed. We have heard it said that some people say, "when I see I will believe."  Believers in Jesus know that "when we believe we will see."  God wants to make his Truth known but not to intellect alone but to the spirit man first then comes the understanding.  Faith comes first and revelation will follow.  As we face ongoing mysteries may we approach them in faith.  Then and only then will we see new revelation.  
What question is troubling you now?  Don't approach God with an eye of distrust but settle it in your heart that God is for you and your ultimate good.  

The Privilege of Church Inclusion

2 Timothy 3:1 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Recently I was speaking in a church on the Presence of God and our need to live daily in the enabling power of His Presence.  A week later a sweet lady came to me and said, “I’ve been struggling to understand what you meant by “avoiding such people.”  Certainly we are to be kind and longsuffering with everyone in an effort to reach people with the love and forgiveness of Jesus, right?  Yet, here in black and white we read that there is a time when we “avoid” certain people.  That sounds like shunning doesn’t it?  How could that be possible?  We have to take this verse, as we always must, in context with the rest of the passage.  Paul is address the atmosphere of the church in the last days.  He says in the King James Version that it will be “perilous” times.  Here in the ESV it says “times of difficulty.  It will not be a good time or atmosphere.  We are talking about the condition of the church.  The Church throughout history has had more threat to its life and mission from within than without.  Outward enemies cause the Church to persist and prevail.  Inward enemies can cause the church to decay and implode.  Therefore for the sake of the Body of Christ there are times when some people must be avoided. 

We don’t value the honor, blessing and power of being a participating part of the Body of Jesus, the Church as much as we should.  We don’t understand fully the dynamic potential of being one of the members where every part contributes.(Ephesians 4:16) 

Paul is addressing those who have been a part of the church but are not living under the Lordship of Christ. They are out of control! They look and talk about religious things but deny the Power of the Gospel to save and set the captives free.  They are “spies in the camp” who weaken and undermine the faith of the Church.  These people are unwilling to repent.  They are unholy and live only for themselves.  These are the ones that Paul says, “avoid such people.”  We are not to arrive at this quickly.  It should come after a clear understanding of the true identity of these false brothers and sisters.  We see their potential of harm to the church.  It makes me uncomfortable to even write about this but there is a time when we must do this. Being a member of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a right it is a privilege. 

Looking Unto Jesus

There is a theme in Scripture that what we behold we become.  When we have a target we will move toward it.  Hebrews 12:2 exhorts us "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith."  Just as Jesus the Messiah is the author of our faith, only he can continue to build upon it.  There is a danger in this regard.  If we hear a certain doctrine that excites us, it is only human to want to pursue it.  I remember a decade in the church when it became popular to always have a "new teaching".  Teachers everywhere it seemed were unfolding new ideas, explanations to old truths or "new light" and understanding of old teachings.  One traveling preacher said of those days, "if you started preaching a known doctrine it seemed as if the congregation would just tune you out with the attitude, "oh, we have heard that!"  Pressure was placed on ministers to bring forth "fresh manna."  That kind of pressure is really dangerous for the teacher as well as the hearer.  It draws attention away from Jesus and focuses on revelation.  It also develops a pride and arrogance in the teacher when he thinks he has found a new revelation.  If you stop and think about it, it is very arrogant to think that after thousands of years of laboring over the Scripture in the light of the Holy Spirit that I now understand something that has never been seen!  Really!!  Certainly new revelation can be uncovered as we near the second coming of Jesus.  But the rarity of such an event needs to be considered carefully by the teacher.  He needs to be willing to submit the "new thing" to seasoned teachers of the Bible for judging and confirmation.

The moment we begin to place our vision upon a doctrine, teaching or philosophy, we of necessity must take our full vision off Jesus.  The proper perspective is to realize that interpretation of Scripture requires comparison with the entirety of Scripture.  Jesus is the fulfillment of the Bible.  The more we study the Scripture the more we gain insight into a more complete understanding.  When we open the Bible we need to ask Jesus to open His eyes in us to comprehend Truth.  We need to walk in humility as we journey through the Word of God without a hint of a desire to impress with our teaching.  A.S. Worley was a humble man who taught the Bible with great power and authority.  After sitting under his teaching a few times I was struck that when he left us that our focus was not on the gifts of a man but the power of the Word of God.  Lord, deliver us from pride of understanding some new thing and help us to look to Jesus and may He develop us along the lines of Your Truth!

Living on the Frontier

Recently I watched as a rocket exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.  The Space X rocket is a part of private industry working to make space travel less expensive and more attainable.  As I watched I thought how I might feel if those billions of dollars belonged to me!  I wondered if I would be willing to try it again. A few days later I was watching the morning news when a scientist was asked about the explosion and the negative impact it might have on future efforts.  He surprised me when he said, "it's a good thing!"  Really!!??  Then he said something that grabbed me.  He said "any entity that is unwilling to experience failure is not living on the frontier."  Wow! I wonder how many times we have stopped after failure because it cost us our pride or our reputation?  I wonder how close we were to success or a miracle  and missed it because we couldn't (or wouldn't) pay the price of fully funding the adventure of faith?  It probably isn't too late.  You could be one attempt from success.  Just continuing to struggle toward a dream or vision is much better than living in disappointment over failure.  A lot of people are immobilized by the fear of failure so much that they never actually start.  Since my retirement from serving as a pastor of a church I have experimented with painting.  People told me how relaxing it was to them.  Not so with me!  My painting experiences have been filled with anxiety.  My perfectionism (a weakness) has taken the joy out of painting.  The fear of failure has stopped me in my tracks.  A good friend is an avid painter.  I look at his work and I think, "that's not perfect."  As a matter of fact, some of his work is unrecognizable because it is abstract.  People pay money for his art!  He didn't allow his own fear to stop his ongoing attempts.  He is an artist living on the frontier!  He has motivated me to get back at it with a motivation of enjoying the effort. What area in life will you give another attempt?  What thing will you dust off and try again?  Faith is just such and effort.  Believe again!

Grace to Obey

Luke 1:38
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Here is the beginning of the Christmas story.  The angel of the Lord speaks to a young virgin girl from a little unimpressive location and tells her she will conceive and give birth to the Son of God, The Messiah.  As the angel tells Mary of God's intentions all of Heaven pauses awaiting her response.  It is an amazing thing that we mortals often hold the key to unlocking immortality.  Certainly, only God can work miracles but we must cooperate with an obedient will.  If Mary had protested or allowed her understanding to be the lord of her life, what would have been the outcome?  Only heaven knows.  Everything about this conversation challenged Mary to her core.  Myriads of thoughts had to have rushed through her mind about what people would think and the outcome of such circumstances. Certainly she knew the course of her life would be changed forever.  Her answer is the true test of Lordship for us all.  First, she address her identity.  To ask first, "what will people think of me", is a clear declaration that what people think is a major part of personal identity.  She declared her identity:  "I am the servant of the Lord."  She was a humble and obedient servant of God.  That identity was a major part of why she had been chosen.  Then came the real meat of her surrender.  "Let it be to me according to your word."  She was saying, I submit to what you have declared will happen to and through me. The resulting success, failure, shame or glory I lay down to simply obey the Lord.  Then the Word says, "and the angel departed."  The angel came representing the power and authority of God to fulfill the prophesies of old.  Within the will of this young virgin was held the key to releasing the greatest power and gift the world will ever know.  The Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us!  

As we approach a new year, may we submit afresh to a new and deeper level of humble submission to the Word of God without reservation.  New power and grace will be released from our unquestioning obedience.  

The Healing Power of Transparency

I still marvel at how transparency opens the flood gates for healing.  There is something about sharing a private weakness or need in a safe place that puts us in position to receive healing.  I remember living on board ship when I was a sailor and being at anchor in different ports or sailing in differing waters.  I was in the Navy during the Viet Nam war so there were enemies that would have loved to do us harm. I remember when we were inside San Diego Bay we felt safe and secure.  It was easy to rest there.  I can remember being in the waters near North Korea when we remained at General Quarters or at combat readiness around the clock.  You could never feel completely comfortable in combat dress.  Friendly waters was a place of peace and rest.  

I'm a part of a small group of men that have been meeting weekly for several months.  We pray and discuss chapters from a book we are reading.  When the group first started there was a bit of discomfort and sharing feelings of the heart were more guarded.  It was like "General Quarters."  As the months have gone by the group has been secured from General Quarters and now we seem to be sailing in more peaceful waters.  Not a week goes by that someone doesn't receive some form of healing.  You can see it in their eyes.  They have chosen to relax and trust the safety of the harbor of friendship.  James 516 tells us, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."  This powerful verse tells us that if we make ourselves vulnerable to others then healing can flow as they pray for us.  However, you need to be very, very careful where you share your sins or weaknesses.  Not all waters are safe waters.  It takes time to develop relationships where you will be loved regardless of your weakness.  Covenant love is a powerful force in the Kingdom of God.  To betray it is a great spiritual crime.  To protect covenant among believers is a sign of our conversion and sanctification.  May the Lord help us value and protect the safe waters of Christian Brotherhood and in doing so maintain a safe harbor of healing.  

St. Augustine Update

Greetings All!

I haven't written an update in a long time and thought that a report after Hurricane Matthew might be in order.  We are very busy here in St. Augustine after the storm.  The Island is abuzz with cleanup.  Our home church here, Anastasia Baptist Church is very involved in "St. Augustine Rebuild."  They are joining teams from around the country in working to get things back in order.  It is very encouraging to see the Body of Christ involved, as it should be, in the works of Jesus in caring for those in need.

I had gallbladder surgery on Wednesday morning at 9:30, October 5 and we were ordered to evacuate Anastasia Island that afternoon!  It was one of those times when you grab what you can and wonder "what will be here when you return?"  I don't remember much about it but Teresa loaded me up in the car and drove me to Tony and Barbara Kurtz's home in Lake City, Florida.  We spent three nights there before returning.  As we drove home we remarked that it had been like a vacation with friends!  We were cared for like family by Tony and Barbara.  We had to navigate our way home, keeping tabs on which bridges were open and which ones were closed.  We arrived after the major rush to come back to the island.  When we arrived home, other than a few palm fronds in the street, everything looked normal.  There is a lagoon about 20 feet from our back door so I had more than a few thoughts about that.  We live on the first floor.  Everything was normal!  Then the news began to come in about the rest of the First Coast.  Many lost something and some lost their homes and all their possessions.  We didn't hear of anyone who lost their life here in our area.  Everyone realized that we were so blessed!  Later after looking closely at the track of the storm the track took the storm to the East, away from the coast right at the center of Anastasia Island.  Teresa had been praying for the Lord to take His Hand and push the storm to the east!  It's always hard to understand why some lose nothing and some lose all!  Yet, we are grateful to God for His mercy in sparing lives.

Ministry has been picking back up of late.  We ministered at New Life in Saginaw, Michigan in September and at Christian Heritage in Lake City, Florida in early October.  Thank you for your love, prayers, concern and support through the years.  May the Lord continue to use us as He sees fit and May his rich blessing follow you!

Love and Blessings!
L. A.

Faith, Righteousness and Eternity

Pride and humility are two things that we believe we can easily identify.  We think of pride as loud, arrogant and "me" centered.  Humility on the other hand is quieter, self-effacing and willing to be unseen.  It sounds easy enough but the truth behind humility and pride are deeply rooted in the motivation of the heart.  For example, what if you heard someone say, "I can do anything!" What would be your impression?  It would probably be, "what arrogance."  In the same way if you heard someone say, "without the Lord I can't do anything!"  Certainly that would be humility!  Not necessarily.  The first statement was essentially what the Apostle Paul said in Phil. 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."  Certainly he added, through Christ, but still he  believed that the Lord could accomplish anything through him.  The second statement, "without the Lord I can't do anything", could really be pride.  It is all about the attitude of the heart.  In reality the only two people that know the attitude of the heart would be the person making the statement and God.  Only God knows our hearts.  There are even times when we don't truly know our own hearts.  We often deceive ourselves in order to move forward with something we want or want to accomplish.  

Pride can sound like humility when it is faithless and passive and not willing to obey God and risk the possibility of failure, thereby bringing humiliation on itself.  Humility can sound like pride when it is confident of Christ leading and empowering and willing to be aggressive in obedience to the will of God.  Why would such inward musing matter?  It matters greatly and even has a bearing on eternity.  It has been said, "if you can't trust God now in this life, how do you know you can trust Him with the promise of heaven when you die?"  Faith is the "evidence of things not seen."  I once knew a man who truly loved the Lord. He had lived a life of sin and rebellion before the Lord saved him.  Many years after he became a follower of Jesus he would say often, "there is none good, no not one."  It sounded right and very humble.  Yet, it bothered me.  He also liked the quote "I'm just an old sinner saved by grace!"  I would challenge him and say, "no, we were old sinners but now we are made righteous by the blood of Jesus."  I could tell he was very uncomfortable with that statement.  In his latter years he began to express anxiety about heaven.  He would doubt that he could be accepted into heaven because of his past life.  There it is!!!  All those years of words that sounded like humility were really symptoms of a weakness in faith relating to his salvation that comes only by the blood of Jesus.  He was saved but his consciousness had never been fully redeemed by the works that Jesus did on the cross. His consciousness was still stained with a thought that his former life actions had something to do with entrance into heaven.  Our lesson here is to truly accept by faith what Jesus did and abandon every thought of what we did before our salvation.  Our lives before Jesus has nothing to do with heaven. Let it go and grab what Jesus did and never look back!