Today's post was written by Kenny Silva.
I’m writing today’s post because pride is the sin I struggle with the most. It lays heavy on my heart. Pride has caused me to stumble numerous times in my life and I fear it will do the same to each and every leader who succumbs to its subtle embrace…
Here’s what pride will tell you:
You’re right. They’re wrong.
You don’t need help.
You’re solely responsible for your own success.
Your better than everyone else.
Your life is more important than everyone else’s.
You don’t need to listen to anybody else.
You are the center of the universe.
Your intellect is superior to scripture.
Your wisdom is better than truth.
You are your own god.
Pride has told me each and every one of these lies at varyious points in my life.
Pride loves to feed us a batch of lies. It’s goal is to boost our fragile ego in a way that is completely illegitimate and false. Pride is the pretty little bow we put on our lives when we want to appear more “together” than we really are. It is the very sin that causes us to conceal our struggles, hide our shortcomings, and alienate friends.
I’m convinced that pride is one of the devil’s sneakiest tricks. It creeps up on us as a subtle sense of accomplishment. Next, we’re patting ourselves on the back after a job well done. Finally, we’re at cocktail parties bragging about the bagillion dollar deal we just put together. We’re on top of the world.
Here’s the problem:
God is supposed to be on top of the world. He IS the world. We accomplish nothing through our own efforts. When we allow pride to sneak in and steal the glory from God, we are essentially setting ourselves up as objects of worship. We become our own little deities. Who needs the one true God when you’ve got your own success to worship?
Flip the coin and imagine yourself with nothing. You just lost your job, your savings are gone, and the bank is about to foreclose on your home. You’ve got family and friends who would step in to help you at the drop of a hat, but you refuse to ask for help. Your pride just couldn’t take that hit…
That same selfish pride has kept you from the authentic community in which God has blessed each and every one of us to take part. It has told you that you need to put on a show; that you need to appear “better” or “more fortunate” than you really are. Your pride has lied to you. The enemy has lied to you.
As James 4:6 says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ In James 4:10, James calls us to humble ourselves before the Lord, that He (God) may exalt us.
Today, I want to challenge each one of us to intentionally take a stand and go to battle against this enemy; to humble ourselves and descend. Praise God in your triumph. Trust him in your defeat. Cast your prideful crown before the throne.
Don’t let your foolish sense of pride continue to lie to you. Stand in truth and be free.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” – Romans 11:36
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You can visit Kenny's site at www.kennysilva.net, and see his original post here.