Chapter 6: Overcome Pride, Cling to Humility

#55 The Inward Battle

Discipleship Level 2: Reaching Beyond Mediocrity

By Paul J. Bucknell

#55 The Inward Battle

Introduction

• Pride insidiously sneaks into our minds and takes over our thoughts. Let’s more carefully think on how the evil one weaves his way into our hearts and minds.

A Place in your Heart?

Have you ever been shocked by self-adoring thoughts that come to your mind? Do you notice them? If so, do you struggle with them or indulge in them?

I am usually revolted by the intrusion of evil into my mind that threatens to destroy the good that I want to establish. At other times, though–to be thoroughly honest, I am not revolted at all by these seductive words. Paul the apostle writes about these very things.

For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members (Romans 7:22-23).

For example, we see a beautiful situation where someone is working hard in a very difficult ministry situation, wisely using the gifts God has given him. God rewards his labors. He might even gain a rare applause. My joy for him is sullied by a despicable suggestion from the tempter, “I could do it better than him.” Why is it so hard for me to take joy in God’s awesome work in another? Why am I so reluctant to praise my brother?

I can take joy in the way God works through others but only if I carefully detect and differentiate my thoughts from the thoughts that the evil one brings to my mind (i.e., temptations). Pride, like other fleshly sins, seeks an opportunity to control my thought life. Arrogance is not reasonable but subtle, demanding, rude, and jealous. Proud people eventually begin to think irrationally and distort facts so that they can further quench their growing thirst for admiration.

The Wickedness of Pride

Pride is comparative, subtle, and rebellious in nature. As in the garden, pride asserts itself by insisting that it be listened to and adored. This urge can quickly become more important than our desire to serve and listen to God.

There is, however, absolutely no room for pride in God’s kingdom, no matter what we might tell ourselves. The moment we step into pride, we have symbolically seated ourselves on God’s throne. The Lord says, “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8). The proud will always be judged, disciplined, and humbled. This is because pride innately chooses to refuse to bring glory to God, and so the Lord must judge this person.

Pride often brings unnecessary harm and pain to others. For example, a pastor works hard at building a church and even is able to build a bigger building, but he secretly has an affair with a “spiritual” woman in the church (really this is an affair of pride with himself). Eventually, after it becomes known, the pastor has to step down and the church is devastated. Satan uses the incoming criticism, doubts, and suspicions to extend the pain that the people of God are experiencing.

A Look at Self-Admiration

Once pride gets hold of a person, a special place is created in his heart w h e r e h e c u l t i va t e s s e l f - admiration. Much of what this person thinks and does is subtly and sometimes more openly influenced by this desire to be applauded.

Pity on those who refuse to bow before the self-made emperor. Haman’s enraged response to Mordecai’s refusal to bow before him is a clear example of pride’s tyranny (Esther 3:5). Even if a proud person brings himself to compliment another, it is done in such a way that he eventually brings attention to his own contribution.

Pride along with its companion of lusts is so deeply rooted in the world that John says, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:16).

Idolatry’s Pride

Pride is idolatry. An arrogant person not only refuses to give proper glory to God but takes that glory to himself. This doubly haughty move communicates to God that this person thinks he is greater than God. This is the reason judgment always follows pride. Somehow in this person’s eyes, God’s glory does not compare to his own. Unfortunately, this happens all the time. Man regularly thinks himself to be greater than God by preferring his own choices and thoughts above God’s.

Think of the field of biblical teaching. People do not want to believe God’s Word so instead hold their perspectives of the Bible, whether regarding creation, hell, or Christ’s atonement,

as more reliable than what God says. All false teaching is rooted in man’s proud thoughts. The more humanistic people are, the more rebellious they become.

The wife who convinces herself that it is illogical to listen to her husband is also guilty of pride for she esteems her thoughts above God’s commands. Man regularly steals God’s glory at great cost to himself and so judgment follows disobedience.

Move Over!

While God is very patient with this rebellious world, judgment in its full fury will soon come. God’s wrath surprised King Herod with a visit:

And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. And the people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died (Acts 12:21-23).

The Ten Commandments strictly prohibit us from having any other god. Pride is idol worship and is worse than typical idol worship because it throws all other gods aside and seats ourselves on the throne. Pagan idol worshippers at least admire or revere an object or idea outside themselves, but not practicers of humanism—humanists worship themselves. Modern humanism allows and fosters this pride in mankind and therefore faces a much more foreboding judgment than in previous generations.

Misplaced Confidence

As has been discussed in earlier chapters, without faith in the Lord, two general conditions arise: either lack of confidence or misplaced confidence. Pride falls under the category of misplaced confidence. Proud individuals have faith, but their

faith is placed in things that do not please the Lord and thus provoke His judgment. Notice these verses.

And the pride of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men will be abased, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day (Isaiah 2:17).

A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor (Proverbs 29:23).

“The pride of man will be humbled.” God will judge proud people. This happens so regularly that Solomon related it as a common fact of life, “A man’s pride will bring him low.” When man admires himself for his work, wisdom, riches, relationships, skills, long life, health, situation, etc., then he is considered proud or prideful. His has confidence (think faith), but it is dependent on his own accomplishments, craftiness, and resources rather than God’s mighty hand. 59

Summary

Without discerning the roots of the sinister philosophy of secularism (or any other “ism” for that matter), people form their own anti-God philosophies and religions. They even encourage or force others to think this way such that God, the fount of knowledge and wisdom, was kicked out of the public educational system in America. 60

A prideful person does not believe that God knows best and prefers to trust in his own judgment and resources. As a

result, he thinks highly of himself. The prideful person puts

Don’t be perturbed by the prideful people around you. God will in time 59 judge them. Instead, share the gospel with the hope that they might humble themselves before God and find mercy before the ensuing and devastating judgment crushes their pride.

The decline of quality education in the USA started in the 60s when 60 prayer was no longer publicly held in the classroom. The lack of respect for God carried over into the students attitudes to the teachers. With no discipline, there is no learning.

confidence in how well he or she does some task, gets degrees, obtains riches, and on and on it goes. This is misplaced confidence in one’s self that ends up turning attention to the person’s achievement, abilities, etc., rather than to God’s enabling and calling.

Points of Reflection

Can you remember a time pride tried to ruin some beautiful situation by inducing self-admiration?

What must happen to pride?

How is Haman representative of pride’s real character? Read the larger context, if you’re unfamiliar with this incident, from the Book of Esther.

What are the two sins of pride?