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by
Chris Hodges
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October 28 - December 22, 2017
Pride is a “gateway” sin that offers an open doorway for our Enemy to drop in and tell us just how great we are and how we really don’t need God.
Pride is a massive problem that usually creates a chain reaction of massive consequences.
Have you ever thought about how destructive pride is in our lives? It’s the root of every other sin. The worst sin isn’t murder or adultery; it’s pride. Pride declares, “I want to be God! I will choose my own way and live as I please.”
His story reveals that we can choose either humility or humiliation. One you can initiate, and the other God will initiate.
If we want to overcome pride in our lives, then we must turn from being self-sufficient back to being God-dependent.
God doesn’t bless us just so we can hoard a lot of money and buy stuff. He blesses us to be a blessing for others, to advance his kingdom, to reveal his love through the gift of salvation in Christ.
How do we express our dependence on God? Like so many aspects of our relationship with the Lord, it begins with prayer.
The act of simply coming before God in prayer indicates a willingness to surrender ourselves to him. Have you ever thought about the “atheism of prayerlessness” and contrasted it with the way we all cry out to God in a crisis?1 True dependence on God relies on prayer as a consistent lifeline—every day and not just when the going gets tough.
Several times a year I’ll go to conferences and speak to thousands of pastors, and they all ask the same thing: “How did you get all those people at your church?” I’m used to seeing a look of disappointment on their faces, because I always give the same answer: “Prayer. We stay dependent on God.” There’s nothing flashy or unusual or special. We just pray.
Whenever I’m scheduled to speak or preach, I always hold a prayer meeting the day before. Back when I was in youth ministry and teaching kids on Wednesday nights, I’d invite about a hundred out of the thousand to come over to my house and pray with me and for me. They always raided my fridge and cleared the pantry, but it was a small price to pay. Even now—especially now—I meet on Saturdays at the church with a group of dedicated prayer warriors. We pray together, read prayer requests from members, and walk around and pray over the seats where thousands of people will be sitting the next day.
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If there’s any secret, it’s simply to stay dependent on God—all the time.
The second area where pride undermines our spiritual growth is in our attitude toward getting or giving credit. Do we take credit for what we have and enjoy in our lives, or do we give thanks to God and acknowledge his goodness as the source?
If we allow our self-pride to grow, it will lead to insanity. People tend to think God brings judgment, but we bring it upon ourselves.
Worshipping and giving God thanks and praise yanks out those stubborn thoughts and words of the Enemy, especially the ones that try to give us the credit and not God. When we declare that everything comes from God, it restores our perspective. It straightens out our thinking and reminds us of what’s true. It revives our sanity.
Success and prosperity can blind us. We erroneously think we earned it and it’s ours. But the truth is that it’s all God’s. The Bible asks us, “What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you have accomplished something on your own?” (1 Cor. 4:7 TLB). I remember this every time I give a tithe or an offering by praying a simple prayer: Lord, this is yours—all of it is yours. Thank you.
Finally, the third area where we must uproot pride in our lives is in our perspective. We must stop thinking that we know best and acknowledge that heaven rules.
When our pride causes us to fall under the weight of our own arrogance, then we’re forced to humble ourselves and start over. God will meet us there if we’re willing to humble ourselves and ask him.
this is the essence of sin in a nutshell: my way instead of God’s way.
Do you want your sanity restored in the midst of a crazy culture? Would you like to have peace in your soul as the turmoil of godless tragedies unfold around you? With the repentant king of Babylon as our example, let’s focus on three steps.
First, exalt the King of heaven. God deserves heartfelt praise; anything less is arrogance on our part.
Next, acknowledge that God does everything right and all his ways are just. More than ever, accept the authority of God’s Word. Don’t second-guess him. Don’t try to figure everything out. Don’t try to change the Bible to fit what you want it to say. God’s ways are higher—simply accept that as you obey them!
We won’t always agree with what he asks us to do, but if we love him, then we still obey him. This is how we let him be God and surrender ourselves to him. The day you do, your sanity will be restored and peace will flood your soul. I’m convinced the day our country returns to its Judeo-Christian values is the day sanity will be restored to our country.
Finally, walk in humility. This doesn’t mean putting yourself down all the time or being a doormat. “Oh, don’t mind me—I’m just a lowly little speck in the universe.” Some people think this is spiritual, but it’s not. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; humility is thinking of yourself less.
We can be courageous and contrite at the same time. Walking in humility is an attitude.
We can choose to humble ourselves before God, or he will humble us by allowing us to face the consequences of our sin.
When teaching on humility, Brother Roy would say, “If you start your day on your face before the Lord, there’s nowhere to go but up. The man on his face can never fall from that position.” Standing strong in a pride-inflated culture begins facedown. Humble yourself before the Lord. And he will meet you there.
Control your emotions or they will control you. —CHINESE PROVERB
