What Pride Robs from Us

Isn’t it amazing how far we’ve moved from the presence of God?

Our creator has seen us through different situations of which we have emerged victorious. He has equipped us with tools necessary to go about life, with a sole purpose of praising and glorifying Him. Be it academics or professionalism, athletics or any other category, our excellence in our respective fields is all attributed to God’s grace upon us. However, we have moved away from the original intent of God by taking up the glory that belongs to Him. Men have praised themselves, exalted themselves above others and above God, when they accomplish their objectives.

Pride robs us of God’s blessings. It is the single, worst component in the fall of man, such that God considers it as an abomination. Repeatedly throughout the scriptures, God says He will humble those who exalts themselves, in other parts of the scriptures, He says, the lofty looks of men shall be bowed down and their haughtiness shall be brought low. Pride robs God of His glory, and blinds us of his grace and mercy. It brings us to the fact that self-centeredness is deeply rooted within us, and requires total surrender if God is to receive our praise.

Pride robs us of the Joy of the Lord. It does not mean that, as men, we should not be joyful in our successes; neither does it mean that it is sinful to be happy about our achievements. Joy comes from the Lord, and every Christian should rejoice for the fruits of their hands. However, the manner and the attitudes with which we rejoice matter a great deal. The joy of the Lord should reflect in us, that as much as we rejoice, we should constantly remind ourselves of the fact that we only did it due to the ever present help from God. It pains when we give glory to men, for their service, such as the young men in military, and other heroes across the world, instead of God who worked through them, and worst still, when these heroes fail to recognize God’s hand in their work, and take up all the glory.

Pride robs us of the Lord’s forgiveness for our sins. How can a proud man ask for forgiveness, even from other men? How can a proud man humble himself to be taught or to receive counsel? Instead, pride is quick to cause us to see the failures of others and is also quick to note when others wrong us. It has made us react unreasonably to situations, using words that bring pain rather than healing to those around us.

Pride robs us of peace. It is the single cause of divorce and violence across the world. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight – Isaiah 5:21. Pride blinds us from seeing our shortfalls and our lack. It lines itself with those things which support its ego, and defends itself from those things which threatened its status quo. As a result, it causes us to align ourselves with those who support us and fight those who are against us.

To counter the negative consequences of our pride, we must practice daily crucifixion of the flesh, and focus entirely to God. One fact must be kept in mind. Crucifixion of self, is not as easy concept, and requires the invitation of the Holy Spirit in our lives to crucify the self. We must eliminate the desires of self and although we enjoy the successes of our sweat, we know that we are in the presence of the Almighty God, who deserves all the blessings. Failure to which, we labor in vain. Humility, is rare and an elusive virtue, that many think they understand, but don’t. It too, comes by the blessings of the Holy Spirit. Until we die to self, and allow Christ to dwell in us, we will continue to languish in our own desires.


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