Self-Pride

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The most dangerous emotion and state of mind for anyone to have is pride. To be more explicit, I’m referencing Self-Pride.  Self-pride is harmful at all levels because it leads to all kinds of behaviors that are ungodly. This type of thinking is believing in your abilities without God. It is saying that you don’t need God or help from anyone because you are the one; you are it; you are the conqueror. This type of thinking is the exact thinking that got Lucifer kicked out of Heaven. Consider this: before Satan became Satan, his name was Lucifer. God created a Cherub Angel that was perfect. Lucifer was the most beautiful angel that God ever created. The book of Ezekiel chapter 28, verses 12 through 15, describes how beautiful he was.

Ezekiel 28:12-15 (NKJV) “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The Sardius, Topaz, and Diamond, Beryl, Onyx, and Jasper, Sapphire, Turquoise, and Emerald with Gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.” “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.  You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.

Lucifer had it all! He even had musical instruments created inside of his body. Does it surprise you that not only was Lucifer the most beautiful angel, but he was extremely skillful at music? Some correspondences state that he may even lead praise and worship in heaven. Remember this: worshiping God is the most powerful thing any creature can do. When you are worshiping God, you are experiencing His power flowing in you and through you. This probably caused Lucifer to get jealous and envious of God’s power. The Bible says that iniquity was found in Lucifer’s heart. Lucifer’s pride and desire to not only be like God but to be higher than God and replace Him is what got him kicked out of heaven. Ok, I know some of you are saying, “Wait, are you telling me that it is God’s fault for creating all the evil we see on this earth?”  The answer is No. What you are forgetting is that God created sentient beings with free will, including Angels. God did not create robots who don’t have a choice in worshiping and serving Him. It was Lucifer’s free will and free choice to rebel against God. He wanted to be better than God, and that is just stupid.

There are Eight (8) things to consider about Self-Pride:

1. Self-Pride is selfish. Self-pride never considers the needs of others. Remember the temptations Jesus endured in the wilderness? Two of the temptations that Satan provided Jesus were something to satisfy Jesus: Food (turning stone into bread and worshiping Satan to get all the kingdoms of the world.)
2. Self-pride is impatience. A person thinking only of themselves becomes extremely impatient because they only want gratification, which can be rather euphoric. Euphoria is addictive and feeds the human ego.
3. Self-pride corrupts all that is good. Here is how pride in Lucifer’s heart corrupted him. Ezekiel 28:17, 18 (NLT) “Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. 18 You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.”
4. Self-Pride is never satisfied. Self-Pride must have repeated acknowledgments. Another is a saying called, stroking one’s ego. A person full of pride loves to hear someone else boast about the things they did repeatedly. And they will correct you if you leave anything out or misquote anything. (Isaiah 14:13,14) Lucifer wanted a throne that was above and over God’s throne. Pride will never look at what you have and be grateful for what God has given you.
5. Self-Pride loves to boast and brag. Trust me; if they do not hear it enough from others, they will brag about themselves. Your friends, family, or associates must display their accomplishments for others to see. Do you have friends that you purposely avoid because you know they immediately start bragging about” their achievements when they come around you? Or my all-time favorite, they must “One-Up” everything you have done. Whenever you share a blessing or accomplishment, they quickly tell you something they did that was bigger or better. All you are asking for is appreciation or emotional support. Someone to say, “Hey, that is awesome what happened to you! I’m very happy for you!”. A prideful person can’t give you acknowledgment because they are too busy with their minds on themselves.
6. Self-pride takes your eyes off God and focuses on yourself. You are looking only at your abilities. A person can get locked in on working for accolades instead of helping others. The Bible says we should do ALL things as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23,24). Whatever you do, do it as if you were doing it for God, not self-recognition. Jesus spoke about doing things for others in a way that is not in a self-seeking recognition sort of way. If you do things secretly, God sees what you are doing and will reward you in heaven. But if you must have acknowledgment, that certificate that you can hang on the wall in your office, or that walk across the stage with the spotlight on you and having a roaring crowd of people cheering you on, then whatever reward you get from men is all you get from men. I promise that God can reward you exceedingly, abundantly, more than you could imagine or dream. Jesus not only said that God will reward you, but He will do it openly in front of everyone. That includes the Angels and every living creature in the universe.
7. Self-pride creates an illusion that you are someone other than who you really are. Romans 12:3 (NLT) says, “Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” I am not saying we are not valued or like worms who crawl on this earth. We are who God says we are. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) says, “I can do ALL things through Christ, who gives me the strength.”
8. Self-Pride is never humble. There is a difference between pride and being Proud of someone else. Being proud of someone else is celebrating someone else’s accomplishments. It passes praise and love to someone else because you are happy for their success and efforts. Self-pride cares less about another person’s achievements. It is about selfishly promoting yourself. James 4:10 (NKJV): Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Have you noticed that people become furious when they don’t get recognition for their work? Yes, everyone should be recognized for their hard work. But the Bible says we should do ALL things as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23,24). Whatever you do, do it as if you were doing it for God, not for self-recognition. Jesus spoke about doing things for others in a way that is not in a self-seeking recognition sort of way. If you do things secretly, God sees what you are doing and will reward you in heaven. But if you must have acknowledgment, that certificate that you can hang on the wall in your office, or that walk across the stage with the spotlight on you and having a roaring crowd of people cheering you on, then whatever reward you get from men is all you get from men. I promise that God can reward you exceedingly, abundantly, more than you could imagine or dream.   Jesus not only said that God will reward you, but He will do it openly in front of everyone. That includes the Angels and every living creature in the universe.

Matthew 6:1-4 (NKJV): “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Here are some scriptures that show God’s position regarding pride:

• Proverbs 6:16 – Seven things that God hates. Pride is at the top of the list.
• Isaiah 10:33 – But look! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power! He will cut down the proud. That lofty tree will be brought down.
• Habakkuk 2:4 – “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
• James 4:6 – And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
• Psalm 10:4 – The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
• Proverbs 15:25 – The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.
• Proverbs 16:5 – Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
• Proverbs 21:24 – A proud and haughty man—”Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.
• Isaiah 2:12 – For the day of the Lord of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up— And it shall be brought low—

If you haven’t figured it out, everything you think and do pertains to your motive, character, and heart. God wants you to be and act more like Jesus. Acts 17:28 (NLT) For in Him we live and move and exist. If you have Self-Pride, or maybe you think you don’t have Self-Pride, ask God to use the Holy Spirit to show you areas in your life where pride exists. When He shows you, immediately humble yourself, acknowledge it, repent (decide to turn away), and ask Him to give you strength to stay humble. Ask God to help you see everything through His eyes. Everything changes once you start looking at everything you do through God’s eyes. You will begin to see how much God loves others. God’s love can flow through you to others. You will develop a new desire to help others. You want to be a giver and expect nothing in return. You find happiness in blessing others instead of promoting your accomplishments. Let go of selfish pride and walk in love towards others!

Be Blessed!

Ron