BIBLE PASSAGE:
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
(Proverbs 16:18)
MEDITATION:
Arrogant pride is one of the most deceptive tools Satan uses against believers.
Most believers have trouble identifying this fault in themselves. They quickly
deny its presence in their life, and are usually the last ones to see it. People do
not like the idea that others would think they are prideful.
God hates pride!
In fact, it is at the top of the list of the seven things He hates!
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable
to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent
blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick
to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person
who stirs up conflict in the community.
(Proverbs 6:16-19)
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride
and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
(Proverbs 8:13)
The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
(Proverbs 16:5)
“haughty” is defined as ‘arrogantly superior and disdainful’
Synonyms are:
proud, arrogant, vain, conceited, snobbish, superior,
self-important, pompous, supercilious, condescending,
patronizing, etc.
Anything God HATES should NOT be a part of our lives.
As king of Israel, David had to deal with his prideful attitude. His
own arrogant pride was influencing an entire nation. This is quite
common – people tend to adapt to, and mimic the ways of those in
a leadership position.
If sinful pride continued, the nation was destined to suffer a spiritual
collapse. If his nation suffered spiritually, their relationship with God
was in jeopardy, and problems such as economic depression and moral
decline were certain to follow. Does that sound familiar?
What did David do? How did he handle this dire situation? He turned to
God! David ‘humbly’ asked for God’s help as he fell to his knees and prayed,
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know
my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
(Psalm 139:23-24)
David knew that the fate of his nation depended on his relationship with God.
He knew he had to rid himself of anything that displeased God, including any
arrogant pride. He also knew that humility was a characteristic that pleases
God.
If this was the target goal of ‘a man after God’s on heart’,
After removing Saul, he made David their king.
God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David
son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do
everything I want him to do.’
(Acts 13:22)
then, shouldn’t it be the desire for all believers today? Shouldn’t we
want to become humble, and have a desire to ‘rid ourselves’ of all
that displeases God?
The things that displease God are much bigger than we are, so what is
our plan for eliminating them? We learn from David’s example and ask
God to ‘lead us in the way of everlasting’. We need to clear a path for God
to work in our lives by striving to become humble, and that begins with
the removal of any arrogant, prideful attitudes.
Some might ask,
“How do I know if my pride
is in doing a good job, or if it is arrogant?
Again, we learn from David and pray a prayer for God to
‘test us and know our anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in us’
God can help us to delineate between a healthy pride, and an arrogant one.
With His help, we know the type of pride that displeases God and should
not be a part of our lives. When He saves us, God begins a sanctification
process of removing unrighteousness and ‘backfilling’ the void with things
that are righteous.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you
should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should
learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and
honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do
not know God.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
Look at the prayer of Jesus as His crucifixion was near:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent
me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them
I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
(John 17:17-19)
We can see many parallels between our world today and the days of David.
What should we do as individuals? Who should we turn to for guidance?
We cannot control what others do; we can only control what we think and
do. It is our responsibility to make the right choices – choices that please God.
ACTION:
How are you doing in the area of pride (not pride in doing a good job,
but arrogant pride)? Do you feel you have all the answers and those
who disagree agree with you are wrong? Do you tend to consider
others as inferior to you in several areas, and especially in the areas
of wisdom and knowledge?
Do you feel what you have to say is more important and profound
than what others have to say? Do you even take the time to listen
to the opinion of others, or do you immediately start forming a type
of rebuttal to what they are saying?
Are you in any kind of leadership position and if so, how are you
impacting others? Have you followed David’s example to humble
yourself before the Lord, and ask for Him to totally cleanse you
of anything that displeases Him?
Pray,
“Lord, deliver me from the sin of pride, and fill me with a continual
humility as I go about the tasks before me this day, and every day.
Help me to be aware of how my own attitudes can impact those around
me, and more importantly, how they affect my relationship with You.
Purge me from anything and everything that displeases You, so that
I can be a better servant of Yours and point others to You.”
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