The Landmine of Pride...Continued from page 1

In his book Power through Prayer E. M. Bounds writes, “[Today] somehow, self, not God, rules in the holy of holies…Self­ability in some wicked form has defamed and violated the temple which should be held sacred for God.” No matter how hard we try to cover it up, excuse it or justify it, pride produces the same result ? arrogance and rebellion against God.

You may ask, “Isn’t it right to have pride in my ability? After all, I have talents and I’m smart. What possibly could be wrong with me taking pride in the talents God has given me?” There is nothing wrong with having a sense of pride in doing things well. God gives us talents and abilities to use for His glory, and He wants us to do our best. When we do, we honor Him and His life within us.

However, many people fail to honor the Lord with their attitudes. They believe Satan’s lies, which tell them they can accomplish whatever they want apart from God. This line of thinking always leads us away from God. And Satan wins the battle.

EXPOSING THE LANDMINE OF PRIDE

God called a young man to the mission field. From the beginning, one trial after another assailed him. Each time, according to him, the problem involved key leaders within his organization. Amazingly, he refused to admit that he was part of the problem ? it always was someone else.

The young man began to tell others that those in authority over him could not do the work as well as he could do it. Soon, he became wrapped up in getting credit for his work, but no one would acknowledge what he had done. He was too prideful, and while his friends and coworkers real­ized this, he did not. A short time later, he became discouraged, disgruntled and dis­appointed.

Pride tempts us to believe we are better than someone else. Suddenly this young man felt as though he could no longer work with this organization. Without knowing it, his obedience to God was at stake. He was blinded by his pride and con­vinced that his only option was to leave the very work God had called him to do. Yet he overlooked one detail: God never rescinds His call. He may change our circumstances or location, but He will never ask us to abandon His will.

The first step this young man took toward defeat came when he did not submit himself to the authority over him. He mistakenly believed that he knew more than the leadership God had placed in his life.

That was Satan’s downfall. Because God created him with great beauty and ability, Satan believed he could reign over God and His creation. Once this man decided to follow the deceptive words of his heart, pride had fertile ground in which to grow.

The second step came when he was confronted over his actions and stood steadfast, thinking that he was right and everyone else was wrong. Pride never admits its failures. Instead, the prideful person continues to push forward, blindly seeking self-gratification.

After the first couple of steps, the path­way of pride quickly becomes a slippery slope. Once he convinced himself that he was doing what was best, the young man persisted until he reached a point where he was asked to step down from his post.

He never considered that God uses our circumstances to mold and shape us so we become a reflection of His love to others. He has a work for us to do, and no one can take our place. He may position us in a place of responsibility, which includes some type of difficulty, to accomplish His purpose.

At no point are we more important than those around us. We may feel we know more, have more and can do more than someone else, but the bottom line is that God uses each one of us for His glory. We need to gain the right perspective when signing up to serve Him, and that perspective always includes a humble, contrite heart.

This young man decided not to return to the mission field, though he vowed to continue doing mission work in other arenas. Satan is overjoyed whenever we walk away from the very place God has put us. This is not limited to an office. We can walk away from relationships, responsibil­ities and church and community service based on what we mistakenly believe about ourselves.

Pride always overemphasizes self. Our hearts need to be God-focused and not self-focused. What we think, feel, have, want and desire is not what is important. If you are setting goals without God’s input, then you are on pride’s trail, and you are heading for trouble.

PRIDE FROM GOD'S PERSPECTIVE

Many times, people are unable to handle the wealth, position, blessing, skill or talent that God gives them. Uzziah was a perfect example. When he was 16, he became king of Judah. The Bible tells us he reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. During that time, “he did right in the sight of the Lord… He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him” (2 Chron. 26:4-5). Yet a dangerous “however” was built into his life. It was a landmine that lay hidden for years. When the king drew near, it exploded.

Go back to this portion of verse 5, “as long as [the king] sought the LORD, God prospered him.” God helped this young man gain many victories. He gave him wisdom so that when Judah’s army went to war against the Philistines, who were known for their vicious and tenacious spirit, they won. The armies of the Ammonites and the Arabians were no match for Uzziah and his men because he followed the Lord. Therefore, the Lord granted him success on and off the battlefield.

He built towers in the wilderness, forti­fied the city of Jerusalem, and dug many cisterns to water his livestock and irrigate his vineyards. He owned a vast amount of land. The Bible also tells us “the total number of the heads of the households, of valiant warriors [under his command], was 2,600” (2 Chron. 26:12). His elite army numbered more than 307,500 men, “who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy … Hence his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong” (vv. 13, 15).

Believing all the good things people say about you will lead you to become pride­ful. Pride always precedes a fall, where humility goes a long way toward success. As Uzziah grew in popularity and strength, he began to think that he did not need God. The drift in his devotion to the Lord was subtle ? almost undetectable ? until one day, it broke out in open rebellion. The author of Proverbs reminded us, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom” (11:2). If we are not careful and discerning, the same attitude that prevailed in Uzziah’s life will prevail in our lives too.

When the king realized the strength and ability God had given him, he became proud and no longer relied on the wisdom of the Lord to guide him: “He acted cor­ruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense” (2 Chron. 26:16).

Offering a sacrifice to God was one of the worst acts Uzziah could have committed. It is the same action that led to King Saul’s demise (1 Sam. 13:8-14). In both cases, these men did something that God had anointed the priest to do and no one else. In pride they assumed that no action was beyond their limits.

According to Jewish religious customs, the king was a servant of God and not in a position to intercede before the Lord's throne in this way. All of us have been guilty of jumping ahead of God and doing something that was not ours to do. In this case, the priests were the only ones who could burn incense on the altar. Blinded by his pride, Uzziah stepped out of God’s will and did something he was not supposed to do, and the results were disastrous. He surmised that because he was the king, he was above the law and principles of God.

We may not openly refuse to do what God has given us to do, but deep inside this is what is going on when we decide to take a different route or a shortcut around His command to us. We can either obey or dis­miss basic principles in His Word. A spirit of pride will always encourage us to turn away from God's way and follow our own line of thinking.

FALLING VICTIM TO PRIDE

In Proverbs 29:23, Solomon wrote, “A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.” There is an end result to pride ? one that we usually want to ignore:

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud (Prov. 16:18-19).

Instead of praying and asking God to give us His wisdom for our circumstances, we move forward, believing we know what is best. We may think that we do not need anyone to help us. Perhaps, like King Uzziah, we do not even stop to think. We react with worldly boldness and move forward, never considering what conse­quences might befall us. Yet we fail to realize that we have stepped onto Satan’s landmine and are about to experience serious trouble.

When Uzziah was young, he openly admitted his need for help ? especially God’s help. He listened to the priests and heeded godly advice. However, when he was older, he began to think he had wisdom and did not need anyone other than himself.

A person falls victim to pride for several reasons:
- Self-centeredness
- Feelings of inadequacy
-Immaturity and an inability to handle responsibility
-Inability to handle wealth, position and the gifts God has given

Pride is an evil, dark snare. It shows no mercy and rarely, if ever, announces its com­ing. It is sinister and slides into our lives by whispering thoughts of arrogance, conceit and self-importance. Satan used it in the Garden of Eden, and he uses it today. Then, it was a matter of enticing Adam and Eve to believe they could be like God (Gen. 3:5).