The Enemy Within
Today’s Verse:
A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. ~Proverbs 29:23
In life, we must face the reality that we have certain enemies and obstacles that work against us. They can deprive us of our joy and happiness. They can cause stress in our relationship with others. They can lead to our downfall and many regrets. The greatest of these enemies is the enemy of pride. Pride is thinking higher of me than what I really am. It is self-promotion and self-exaltation. It is the delusional idea that I am more important than everyone else and that the world revolves around me. I am my own worst enemy when pride is in the way. Our devotion this morning centers on that question: am I my worst enemy?
We see the disdain of pride.
First of all, God hates pride. In Proverbs 6:17, God hates a proud look. A proud person is at enmity with God. God says that He hates pride, arrogancy, the evil way, and the forward mouth. Second, pride is a sin. In fact, it is a recurring sin that we commit and repeat every day. Third, all of us despise the pride that others display towards us. Proud, arrogant, and conceited people turn us off. People that are egomaniacs can be disturbing to many of us. “God resisteth the proud.” Pride cannot coexist with God. Pride is a real enemy.
We see the danger in pride.
Pride can lead to our downfall. "A man's pride shall bring him low." "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." The Bible has many examples of proud men whom God had to bring down. Mordecai was a proud man who thought he could exalt himself above God and other people. King Uzziah’s heart was lifted up within him and he refused to be in submission to God. He ultimately became a leper and died in a leper’s house. King Herod thought to exalt himself above God, and he was smitten and the worms consumed him. Pride will lead to our downfall.
We see the division from pride.
Pride leads to contention, strife, and division. “Only by pride cometh contention.” A proud person is constantly disagreeable and argumentative. A proud person has to prove that he is always right, even when he is not right. A proud person tends to be a very angry person. He tends to be self-righteous and takes the position that he is the only one who is right about an issue. Pride is the evil that prevents people from making reconciliation with others. It is the reason why we will not pray for our enemies. It is the primary reason why many people will not come to God and confess their sins to Him.
We see the departure from pride.
"...Honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." God gives grace to those who are humble. What pleases God most is when we humble ourselves. Humility is not thinking less of me: it is not thinking of me at all. The best way to overcome pride is to depart from it. We must cover our life with humility and constantly realize that we are nothing without Him.
Have you come to the realization that you might be your worst enemy? Do you battle with the sin of pride every day? Is pride blinding you from living a life that glorifies God? Is it the reason why you have relationships that are strained and stressed out? If so, honor only comes to those who are humble.
Have a humble God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Leviticus 14-15