The lepers shuffled slowly toward the outside of the camp, in order to meet the priest who could declare them clean. The lepers in Israel were to live in isolation.

“Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body, he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head. “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his moustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!”’ (Leviticus 13:43-45)

Leprosy is a picture of sin and pride and some believers today end up in isolation with the mark of leprosy on their foreheads, because of pride. Perhaps they couldn’t get their way or took offense in the local church as they became bitter the leprosy of pride broke out in their soul.

Many say that the church let them down; they felt the church didn’t give them a fair go or they felt they should have been given a ministry and now they have taken offense in the wilderness. It’s fair to say that one of the most common reasons people leave church is offense stemming from their own pride, but then something else kicks in – Divine resistance. Would God do that? Absolutely. God is very likely to take his own advice. Cut off one member for the sake to the body? If you find a believer who can’t find a church they can fit in with (tells you straight away they have a problem), it may well be because God is protecting the body from them, till they repent and can fit into a church again. Progress in Gods kingdom is up to God.

Friend, if things are difficult, we might think it is the devil or just a bad year economically, but if you’re in pride, it could be that you are being resisted by God.