Ecclesiastes 5:7 English Standard Version (ESV) For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

When we learn the lessons of yesterday and choose to learn our lessons from the mistakes of the past rather than making them ourselves we will grow in Christ and begin to find those gifts the Lord has given.

Ephesians 4:8 English Standard Version (ESV) Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Having our spiritual eyes and ears opened we begin to see things in a new light and know the truth when we hear it. There are gifts given to men to serve God, to honor Him and to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. The better we get at using these gifts the more we are in danger of becoming vain.

Ego allows an athlete to perform at the highest levels because he has confidence in his talent, training, and knowledge. Ego allows us to perform rather than fear failure. Ego says look at me.

These gifts Christ has endowed us with are not for our glory and we must understand if we begin to believe those gifts are ours to possess, then we may well find the ground upon which we stand to quake. The fear spoken of in Ecclesiastes 5:7 means to tremble as one who stands upon ground created and controlled by the living God. We often lose sight of that fact when everything seems to be going right.

None of us are immune to feeling pleased when everything is going well. We become confident in our walk and become less aware of Who we walk with in the Way. We can and often do step out in faith without hearing the command. “Stop wait.” Then we find ourselves moving in our own strength and ability.

There is no honor in “doing it my way.”