THE SIN OF PRIDE

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Genesis 3:1 (KJV)

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It is an interesting journey the LORD takes you on when someone asks you to write a blog post. As we have just finished the month labelled “pride month” by the powers that be, it seemed right to address the sin of pride. As you might imagine, as I began praying and writing, I initially thought that I should begin by focusing on the parading peacocky version we typically associate with the sin of pride. But as so often happens when I seek the LORD, HE turned that critical lens right back around and pointed it at me, and HE led me to the Scripture listed above.

Let’s meditate on that for a moment. The subtilty of the serpent. The definition of the word “subtle” is crafty, shrewd, sensible. Sensible? Well, it can seem quite sensible, when we look at others waving flags of pride, to believe that we have escaped that snare and are doing quite alright on that front. But is that really true? Have we escaped the snare of pride?

A very long time ago, I heard someone say that, if you move an inch off center, ten miles down the road, you will find that you have gone way off course. Very reminiscent of the narrow road. That subtle serpent, he comes in quietly, softly, and often whispers in our ears a lie that is just slightly off center from the truth. A lie that implies that you are not like them, the other ones, who are filled with pride.

“Look at you,” he says. “You are a humble, godly servant. You don’t have any pride.” And then you say to yourself, “That feels pretty good! I think I am doing ok on that front!”

And…boom! Gotcha! The devil has placed your foot in the snare of pride. However, we thank GOD for HIS WORD of TRUTH, that double-edged Sword that pierces us and discerns the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It is a vital component of the battle for the mind, and we must constantly renew our minds with GOD’s precious WORD. It is our plumbline, our safety rail, and it cuts us where we need to be cut in order to stay on the straight and narrow path. It may hurt to see our sin laid bare, but it leads us to godly repentance and gives us compassion for the rest of humanity, understanding that we, too, are sinners undergoing the lifelong process of sanctification.

I confess to you that I have fallen into the sin of pride in the month of ‘pride.’ Have you? Will you please join me in testing your heart for pride against the plumbline of Scripture today? I will leave you with a few Scriptures to begin, but I pray that you will go deeper this week, as we continue learning how to walk ever more humbly with our GOD.

“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 26:12 (ESV)

“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.” James 1:26 (ESV)

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 (ESV)

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’” Luke 18:9-14 (ESV)

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Prayer:

Father GOD, search our hearts and expose to us our sins. Help us to walk humbly before YOU and before men, esteeming others to be more valuable than ourselves. Thank YOU, LORD, for YOUR mercy to us. Please forgive our sin of pride. We pray that same mercy for those who don’t know YOU, LORD. Please bring them into your fold. In JESUS’ mighty Name we pray. Amen.

GOD bless you all!

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