As we finish up with “pride month” we should take some time to evaluate what pride really is and what its consequences bring.

In Genesis 3, Satan plays to Eve’s pride when he tempts her to break God’s command so that she can be like God, knowing the difference between right and wrong.

Isaiah has a warning for those whose pride rules their lives, “The Lord has a day set aside for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted, and they will be humbled.”

In James 4:6 it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”

Philippians 2 tells us that our attitude should reflect that of Jesus had in that he humbled himself. Verse 3 says “Don’t be selfish or try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others rather than yourselves.”

Pride always comes into play when the truth of God’s word is disregarded or scoffed at. Paul tells of the anger of God on those who prideful choose to reject him and his word.

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
(Romans 1:18-32)

Satan has elevated self-worship and pride to a new level ln this culture in which we find ourselves, pride is exalted. The same pridefulness that brought the penalty of sin upon all of mankind is being presented as natural, acceptable and beneficial.

It is time for us to humble ourselves before the Lord and repent of our sins, personal, corporate and national. If we do not, we are headed for a fall from which we may not be able to recover

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