I Am The Bread Of Life Daniel To

Triumph Over Giants From Within (5) - Pride

Of all the sins committed by Man, I believe the one God most loathes is pride. According to the wise man of “Proverbs” in his knowledge of God, it is indeed so. “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood…” (Proverbs 6:16-17) The sin of haughtiness ranks at the top of all sins. Before God created Man, the brightest star that was closest to and served God was the angel that God wanted to use to manifest His glory. But because of the pride in his heart, he wanted to ascend and be equal to the Most High, so that he was punished by God and became Satan. (Isaiah 14:12-15) Therefore, the sin of pride emerged as the foremost of all sins.

Through His servants, the Lord mentions twice in the Bible, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5) We are further aware that God vigilantly disciplines those that are proud. King Nebuchadnezzar said in his conceit, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30) God immediately made him lose his mind and his kingship, and ate grass like cattle. In the beginning Uzziah was a good king of the kingdom of Judah, doing what was right in the eyes of Jehovah. But when he became powerful, he turned haughty. Because of his pride, he entered forcefully into the temple to burn incense, so God afflicted him at once with leprosy. (2 Chronicles 12:16-19) Although King Herod slaughtered many innocent infants and the Lord’s disciple James, God still allowed him to remain. Yet when he displayed pride against the Lord before the people, God immediately caused him to be eaten by worms and die. (Acts 12:23) We see then the instantaneous severe punishment of God on the proud.

If we are unwilling to be humble before God, it is the prologue to the nurturing of pride to become a giant from within. Being proud inside is a manifestation of a giant. The attribute of a giant is strength and power, believing that he can triumph over others, and even thinking that he can surpass God. When pride continues to grow, it turns into unrestrained arrogance. Unrestrained arrogance is a super giant, even harder to control. This is the instance when the most arrogant is closest to being punished by God. History has demonstrated this principle. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) If we are to triumph over the development of pride, the giant from within, we must first work on the element of humility. Here below are some teachings from the Bible:

1. We must be humble before God because all that we possess are blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us. Consider that we cannot choose which family to be born into, have not brought anything into this world, and cannot take anything away from it. All are the grace of God.

2. We must submit to God in the same way as Christ has submitted to God. And out of reverence to Jesus Christ, we should submit to one another in the Lord. (Ephesians 5:21) That is because submission to God is the expression of humility. (Philippians 2:6-8)

3. Being humble and submitting to God is the stepping stone towards gaining glory. Peter and James also gave us the following exhortations: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6) “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10) The experiences of Joseph and Jesus Christ bear witness to the trustworthy promise of God in this regard.

4. We should always examine ourselves before God, and daily entreat Him to illuminate our hearts through the Holy Spirit so that hidden sins will not linger. Pray to God as David did - “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) This is the best defensive strategy against pride, the giant.

By: Daniel To