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Topic: Pride (04/12/04)
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TITLE: Pushing Away Pride By Glen Spaugh 04/14/04 |
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“For you have said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13-14 (NKJV)
Pride has been described as the sin which caused Lucifer to fall from the realms of heaven. It can be intermingled with fear and doubt, making it hard to separate the three. The fear of being under authority may be due to a spirit of pride. A spirit of doubt may slip in when there is a lack of trust in others because we may only trust ourselves.
We are encouraged from a very young age to applaud accomplishments and discourage failures. Often a parent will make statements that affirm their children. In doing this the parent hopes that the child will embrace the good and shun the bad. This may be an appropriate way of parenting, but if the child becomes too self-confident they can develop into an intolerable adult. This type of person then ignores outside help. They become egomaniacs who put themselves above the rest of the world.
So, how do we deal with it? First, we must recognize that “every god gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17 (NKJV) There is nothing we can do to bring good into the world. We were born with a sinful nature and outside of God all our efforts are from the flesh. When we are born again, and the Spirit of God lives in us, we are empowered to do good, but it all depends upon Him.
Secondly, we must be sensitive to the conviction of the Spirit. He will speak to us when we have been prideful. Sometimes we may hear Him immediately and apologize at that moment for something that we said or did in a prideful manner. Other times He will quietly convict us of our need to ask forgiveness.
Pride can lead us down a path to destruction. Others may see that we are traveling that direction before we are made aware of it ourselves. It has the power to damage our witness for Him, and the church, if we do not purge it from our lives. It is something we must combat and not just gently push away. We must be diligent and intentional in defending our lives against a prideful spirit. Pride was the great downfall of one mighty angel in heaven, how much more will it hurt us if we allow it to remain in our lives?
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)
Glen E. Spaugh