Hello BGOers! This talk Tuesday we are featuring a Guest Writer who goes under the name of Cynthia. Enjoy and be blessed!
Was there ever a time when the sin of pride seemed to get in your way?
Pride is a dangerous emotion that eventually leads us to sinful behavior. There are several areas in our lives that are susceptible to pride. Most of the time we don’t even know when pride has seeped into our hearts – this is how pride works in a person. Pride is an excessively high opinion of ourselves and can lead to much destruction in our relationships with others and with God.
Have you ever been confronted and rebuked about a sin that you have committed? I have! When confronted shouldn’t we accept correction as a resource to our growth in the Lord?
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." 2 Corinthians 7:10
What does the Bible say about pride? How can we have a victorious life in Christ if we think we are better than others or if we think we do everything right? "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1
Isn’t pride an ingredient in every argument? "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10. Doesn’t pride keep us from asking others for help or advice? Doesn’t pride ultimately hinder and harm us?
Many times when we pray, we need to humble ourselves and trust God in the face of what seems impossible. We need to have confidence to know that what we have prayed about will come to pass. The best person to encourage us in this area is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Remember, that God’s Word is not silent in these areas. God sent Isaiah to King Hezekiah at one time with the message, “Because you prayed”. Jesus told Jairus that “just believe”.
We all face challenges of fear and pride that push us to a point of giving up. Can you imagine if that challenge comes with a warning from God telling you that you would not be healed? King Hezekiah faced this situation. Instead of giving up or getting angry with God, he humbled himself before his Maker. King Hezekiah faced the wall and cried out to the Lord for mercy and God heard his prayer from heaven and extended his life.
"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, 'This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.'
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 'Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 'Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life.' " 2 Kings 20:1-6
We have a merciful God we serve! Praise the Lord!
How did you handle the sin of pride when it crept into your life?
We look forward to hearing from you each week. We have received feedback on how your comments have blessed and encouraged others. Please continue your faithful work in the Lord. Please click on the comments link to respond. Remember, if you feel shy, you can always go under a nickname or Anonymous. Happy Commenting!
3 comments:
Thanks Cynthia for this message.
One suggestion about the best thing to do when we recognize pride in our lives is to confess it right away... not to deny or rationalize it ... because as a friend of mine says, "None of us is Jesus." So if we even suspect it, we should confess it.
The layers of pride may go so deep that even if we detect it in one area, God may not have yet worked in our lives to reveal it in others (e.g., are there places where we would "never want to live?" or "never want to be seen?" Are there things that we think we would "never do?")
When I think about the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-11, it is such an inspiration to humble myself before God and man. When I think of Jesus, humbling Himself unto such a degrading death, subjecting Himself to mockery and taunts, for me, who was still stuck in sin, and who, because of His obedience, is now exalted at the right hand of God, I am inspired to praise Him ... and I am inspired to humble myself in circumstances where I am tempted to "be right" or to be prideful.
Jesus was perfectly right in all He said and did, let He allowed Himself to be killed for the message He declared. He allowed Himself to be judged wrong and guilty when He knew He was right and could easily "prove it." That is the example He left for me ... for us ...
It is encouraging to know that God will lift us up in due time when we humble ourselves. It is so sweet to know that God rewards us when we make the effort, with the help of Holy Spirit, to let go and let God be more, and us, less! The blessings we will receive are well worth it. Best of all the fragrance of Christ will really be upon us.
My God Cynthia! What a coincidence! It is like this is divinely written just for me! I was looking for my girlfriend’s blog when I “accidently” stumbled upon yours. I just found out on August 7, that I am terminally ill. I have tuberculosis. I have to go into the hospital on August 20th for surgery to remove a piece of my lungs. Look, I am 33 years of age and I do not want to die now. My mother died when I was 13, my oldest sister at 39, hospitalized 3 times; my brother at 36, hospitalized 4 times; my cousin at 40, hospitalized 5 times; another cousin at 26, hospitalized 3 times. Every visit a piece of their lungs was cut off. All died with the same disease. My dad remarried a few years ago. He has been very supportive but he is not a Christian.
I belong to a church family here in Australia; I could very well ask the Elders and the older women of my Church to pray with and for me. The trouble is these women are gossip mongers and before long the entire church will know my problem. The moment they get privy to my sickness, I am going to get strange looks from everyone. I went to church on Sunday morning with my 6 year-old daughter and did not move out of my seat at the altar call. The sin of pride got in my way of asking for help.
Your words hit me like a ton of bricks and I became so painfully aware that pride had seeped into my heart. I told my best friend about not asking for prayers in the church and she literally rebuked me about my pride (not exactly like); instead of thanking her, I slammed the telephone down in her face. You said when confronted and rebuked about a sin, we should accept correction as a resource to our growth in the Lord. Again, thank you Cynthia. For me to admit that I have been suffering from sin of pride is really something.
After reading your blog I picked up my Bible and read Hezekiah’s story in 2 Kings. I cried through the entire story and afterward “I felt the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding… Philippians 4:7. I know that I will be okay.
Please remember my surgery on the 20th of this month. Pray and others as well that entire day. I will contact you again when it’s over. Thank you very much and my God bless you and your ministry.
Tamie, we are so blessed that the Lord used our blog to encourage you during this time! Cynthia is a gifted guest writer who we featured this week. I know she will also be encouraged in the Lord. We will post a prayer request on your behalf for your August 20th surgery on our Prayer Wall. Please let us know post-op how everything went. We will be trusting God with you!
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