PRIDE

Pride

When pride comet, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.        

               Proverbs 11:2 KJV

…a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

          2. the state or feeling of being proud.
          3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's 
              position or character; self- respect; self-esteem.
          4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to
              oneself or believed to  reflect credit upon oneself.
          5. something that causes a person or persons to be proud.

I once read somewhere that Pride is a stickler for trying to disguise itself. It is evil by nature and it wants to convince people that it's not really pride that they are overcome by many times, but something else. Pride, as it's name indicates, usually plays it's wicked games when it sees the opportunity to make you feel like you're right about something and someone else is wrong.  The devil is a liar. Let’s put your pride to sleep, and awaken to GRACE!


Text Box: I just love the Lord.  I love the mysterious way in which HE intervenes with HIS unconditional love and rectification when we are in all of our foolishness and mess. For me the sting of pride touched the very core of my heart, not so very long ago.  

I recall being part of a small round-table Bible Study group, and the response to a comment that I made that went thusly:
                
    “I’m very independent. I find my own job, my own car, my own home, etc” 

The Bible Study Instructor, looked me square in the face, and replied, “That"s  an attitude of PRIDE.”  I felt as though I had been hit in the chest with a MAC truck!  As I share the realization of a prideful experience with you, the moment of that impact, and the tingle of those words arise anew.  Ignorance is NOT always bliss. GOD spoke to me that afternoon and I count it all good.  My Abba Father,  knew that I was clueless. Hallelujah!  HIS saving grace continues to keep me today.

Friends, pride is portrayed as a necklace, a crown and fruit in the Bible. It is also said to persecute, testify, deceive, and bring low. Often it is seen as the first sin. It is the same sin which caused the Lucifer to fall from his privileged position as an angel of light. Lucifer then uses the same sin to tempt Adam and Eve away from their fellowship with the Almighty God. Satan still tempts us today with the same sin. I just shared with you my experience and if each of us refuses to admit we were (or are) tempted by it, you may already have fallen to it. 

The great Christian writer C.S. Lewis wrote of this sin in his classic Mere Christianity. The title of the work is The Great Sin. He points out that it tempts us all and yet we despise it in all others. He went on to state that it cannot exist without competition because it is essentially competitive.  Why are people so prideful?  Here are a few reasons:  

•   Not wanting to appear to have failed. 
•  To avoid embarrassment. 
•  It's hard to accept blame for something we did.
• We forget that God doesn't like it.
•  To make themselves feel important.

PRIDE BIBLE STUDY

Pride is one of the most dangerous of the seven deadly sins and is indeed the weapon that Satan most dearly loves to use against Christians. Pride is the crippling sin that was the cause of him being removed from heaven and cast out to the earth. Pride has now become the cause of the fall of many.

Facts about pride

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh – the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world'.

In the scripture above, pride is classified together with lust and stated to be of the world. Pride therefore is as bad as adultery, fornication and every other deadly sin. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction “. Once the sin of pride has come upon you, destruction is soon to follow shortly afterward.

Lucifer was one of the most beautiful angels of all. However Isaiah 14:12-17 relates how Lucifer (Satan) tried to become as God and was filled with pride. He was then cast out of the heavens due to this sin. However, Satan was so devious and convincing, that he managed to convince a third of the angels to follow him and be cast out of the heavens with him. These are the demons or fallen angels that come to tempt you and terrorize you. If Satan was able to deceive those who were daily in the presence of God, daily worshipping before God and who daily saw the power and might of God, how easy is it then for him to tempt and mislead one of us mortals.

Jesus says that we should never consider ourselves more high than we are and when we come to the feast table, that we should seat ourselves at the humble and lowly seats of the table (Luke 14:8-11). He will then come and move us to a higher position, but if we seek the best seat, we will be moved to a lower seat. This was a warning from Jesus about the damaging effects of pride. Pride makes us see ourselves as being more than we actually are and sees us elevating  ourselves into positions that we should not be. Matthew 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pride is rife in churches and has been the downfall of many otherwise good Christians. Pride elevated them into positions that they could not hold and which were not theirs to hold, and so they are toppled. I have even seen those who are so proud of how humble they are! Imagine that.

We are to guard our hearts, and never allow pride to enter. Cast it out as soon as it comes near to us recognizing who the author of pride is, for the minute that we start to entertain pride, we are on the way to destruction. Further, we are to never think highly of ourselves, rather giving the true praise for everything to the Father, for without Him, we are incapable of anything.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org