BEWARE OF PRIDE
Memorise: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty
spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18
Read: 1st Peter 5:5-6,
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be
clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:
Bible in one year: 1st Chronicles 25-27, Proverbs 29:22-30:6
Our topic for today
is a warning to be very careful of pride. Pride is a giant killer that has
turned many great men and woman of God to mere casualties. Pride is the first
and foremost of the traditional seven deadly sins, perhaps because it is in
many ways the root of other sins. Even the “original sin” of Adam and Eve was
not mere disobedience, but at the heart of it was pride, quietly lurking in a
corner. The fact that Adam and Eve wanted to be like God, reveals a form of
hidden pride. Ironically, eating the forbidding fruit led to the opening of
their eyes, increasing them in knowledge and wisdom. It turned their attention
away from God and they became focused on their outward appearance. They
immediately developed the ability, confidence and independence to decide and
act on their own without any recourse to God their maker. This is the same
fatal foolishness that has plagued the human race ever since.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with
her; and he did eat.”
Pride has been correctly identified by many as the greatest
woe which can quickly destroy anyone captured by it. I usually tell my children
that apart from impure thoughts and cravings of the body, another area in which
you must exert your victory over the flesh is pride. A proud person is always
in contention – fighting with those he thinks he is better than; such a fellow
will do everything to show that he is better than others. The proud is always
in competition with those who appear better off, just to prove a point that he
or she is superior. In doing this, the proud will make derogatory statements
about such people and cut them to size just to show that he knows it better or
can do it better.
The proud finds it
difficult to acknowledge the sincere work or effort of others because he thinks
such will displace him from being on top. The proud sees himself as being
number one in all things. Apart from contending with men, the proud also
contend s with God. Anyone who is proud or haughty and is speaking so much
about God is only a pretender. By reason of their contention with God, they
have enthroned themselves as number one in their own lives, making God their
running mate. Are you finding it difficult to recognize the efforts of those
that are better than you in certain areas? You are simply proud.
Psalms 73:6 says some people are compassed with pride. This
implies that it is possible for pride to be visibly glaring in the life of
someone that is full of it. You can be clothed in pride just as you can be
clothed in humility. You can be clothed in pride just as you can be clothed in
humility. You can identify a proud person from his or her looks, carriage,
dressing, speech, behaviour, giving, prayer, Christian service, work, attitude,
etc. Unfortunately, Isaiah 13:11 says that the same reason which makes the
proud fellow haughty is the same reason that will make him fall. Every proud
individual is headed for a fall and proud people end up being destroyed
(Proverbs 16:18). Some people are proud but they don’t know it. If you exalt
yourself by your words and conduct, you shall be abased (Matthew 23:12). James
4:6 speaks of something quite frightening: it says God resists the proud which
confirms that God is always contending with the proud, is there pride in your
heart? Ask God to forgive and uproot every trace of pride from your life today.
Prayer point
Father, please remove the spirit of pride from my life this
moment in Jesus’ name.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Be the first to comment