Targeting Pride

Proverbs 16:18"Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." 

This week, Michael writes: The secular world's code is rooted in pride. Egotism says that individual self-interest is the right motive for every action. What are the characteristics of a prideful heart? One indication is that when there's an opportunity to help others, a prideful person will ask themselves, "What's in it for me?"  Egotism says, "It's all about me." Pride will not allow confession of sin. If the “gospel message” starts with acknowledging that I'm a sinner in need of a savior, a narcissist thinks, "that doesn't apply to me." A selfish person has a stubborn insistence on having things their own way. Pride produces a heart motivated by fear that our Rights will be violated. Oswald Chambers said, "Any fool can claim his Rights and any demon will make sure they get them."  

Pride rationalizes behavior without sorrow for committing wrong. It is just the ways and means to achieving the goal fir the egocentric individual. Pride and fear produces a mentality that says, "I must be in control."  When you are task/control oriented, you lose your ability to live to serve others from a heart of love. How do you prioritize loving and serving? If you say that you love your Lord Jesus Christ and don't love your wife or your brother in Christ, how can you say that you love Christ?  

2 Timothy 2:22says, "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity (the love of God), peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

 

Youthful lusts say, "It's all about me. I want what I want and I want it now." The devil will divide and conquer. The devil uses factions and differences to turn God's people against themselves. Instead of youthful lusts follow after righteousness. The solution for overcoming pride is in the next three verses:

2 Timothy 2:22-26“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

According to verse 23, we are to refuse foolish and ignorant speculations. In an argument someone is upset, but neither party ever has all the facts. Pride blinds us from seeing the other side of the issue. The devil is the accuser and the deceiver. In the midst of a dispute, the devil will have his way with us if we consider "foolish and unlearned questions." If you believe the other person's accusations, you'll be acutely sensitive and offended. However, the holy Scripture says to refuse ignorant and foolish speculations. Jesus would not give himself to his accusers because He "knew what was in the heart of man."  

Sometimes our prayer should be, "God, please send someone into my life to rebuke me."  According to Hebrews 12:5-6, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.”  Like a loving Father, God will correct us when we stray. To correct is to restore to an upright position. Our Heavenly Father knows that we are but dust. After, He is our Maker. He knows that we will not always live up to the vows that we have taken because of sin. God says, "My strength is made perfect in thy weakness, my grace is sufficient for thee." The love of God is patient when wronged. Our heavenly Father is a God of love, grace and mercy. The way to heaven is paved with grace. If you don't know the grace of God, then you can't give grace to others. Some people make others happy when they come to see them.  Some people make others happy when they leave. What kind of person are you? 

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:  So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”

Reconciliation means that I must confess my sin in the process. This will build and reconcile the relationship. 1 John 1:9 says, "if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The context of this verse says, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we will have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all sin." Those in our sphere of influence will escape the snare of the devil when we instruct in meekness those who oppose themselves. It's not the wrath of God that calls them to repentance but rather the loving kindness, grace, and mercy of our loving Heavenly Father. Target selfish pride for eradication.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of his grace,

Your brother in Christ, Michael