TEXT: 1 John 2:16; James 4:6
Pride is
the opposite of humility. It may not be possible to grasp the virtue of
humility until the ways of pride are x-rayed and exposed.
Pride operates
in many quarters and reigns in many lives. Even in humility, pride still seeks
a way to manifest. And so in the church, on the pulpit, in workplaces, pride
operates in disguise. People talk, walk, work, think all proudly. But God hates
pride! Anything God hates has no place in divine destiny and eternity.
Pride is
not only evil, it has negative invasive potentials. Pride is the birthplace of
shame. Pride eliminates true greatness. Pride is a puncture and with it, an
individual can never go far in life. Pride is a weight that will pull down in
rapture. On SPIRIT’S SWORD DEVOTIONAL,
we commence a series on the subject of pride. Today, let us consider some ways
in which pride manifest in disguise.
Identifying Some Subtle
Manifestations of Pride>>>
i)
When you wrong those working
under ('inferior to') you, do you get to apologise and say sorry?
ii)
When you talk and teach, others
listen because they believe you have something they can learn from. But when
others talk and teach (even on Facebook), you feel 'who is talking/teaching?',
and you just pass believing in your heart that they have nothing to offer.
According to you (by your thoughts and actions), if it is not you talking/teaching,
then there is nothing to be said. This is pride in its highest deceptive
operational realm.
iii)
That moment when you meet
someone and they greet you so humbly with additional respectful gestures only
for you to fail to "reciprocate gesture" simply because you feel the
person's lowliness in gesture to you is because they accept they are inferior
to you, or you see yourself as being superior to them.
iv)
When you thought you were right
and others (especially those under you in age and/or official status) were wrong
and you spoke to (and scolded) them harshly, but you later discovered you were
the one who was wrong and they were both right and innocent, what do you do? Do
you just pretend as if nothing happened? Or you feel you are always right
because you are above? Perhaps you want to protect your ego before them and so
you never get to apologise? The truth is that what you are trying to protect is
your pride, the same thing that makes God not to notice you but look at you
from afar off;
'The Lord
hath respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth from afar off' (Psalm
138:6).
If you are a
preacher, it is even worse because the next time you mount the pulpit, God does
not look at you - you don't exist! Anything you see happening during that
service is not because of your anointing, rather it is God honouring His word
and reaching His people in His mercy and faithfulness. For you, you are just
standing there, unnoticed by Heaven. Why? Arrogance!
"But to this man will I
look, even him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my
word" (Isaiah 66:2).
A
proud man may have many opposition and enemies, but his biggest opposition is
God Himself. Pride makes God to become a man's obstacle. He personally resists
him!
"God
resisteth the proud" (James 4:6).
If
a man is resisting you, then there is hope of overcoming that man. But when God
becomes the one resisting you from making progress (because of your pride),
then the world put together cannot help you, only mercy! And this can also shut
the gate of Heaven against anyone (preacher, member, etc). But humility makes
grace available...grace that brings greatness and glory in destiny and
eternity.
The
way to go therefore is the way of grace and humility, for ‘the way of the proud (sinner) is
hard' (Proverbs 13:15b).
Say
“Lord, I repent of every manifestation of pride going on in my life unknown to
me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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