“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.”
― C.S. Lewis,Mere Christianity
We have to be open to hearing truth. Last night I was praying and worshipping with a group when the Lord showed me that there are people who have been doing Christianity for so long, they have fallen asleep. They know the bible inside and out, and they know all the right answers, but the fire has gone out. He showed me a picture of a cartoon from when I was a child. Then He showed me one that looked more real. Then He reminded me of a cartoon I had watched with the grandkids recently where I was impressed by how real the water appeared. He said, "It's still fake." Have you ever learned a job from someone who has been doing it for years and it's second nature. They forget to tell you why they did what they did or how it affects the future moves you will have to make. I learn by watching and it can take several times of walking through a process if the explanation is not clear. How many people are living in an automatic and animated bible story instead of truly being in an on fire relationship with Jesus?
I heard a person say recently that they have followed Jesus for so long and they know His heart so well that they don't need to check with Him on every little thing they do. I was reminded today how dangerous this thinking is. I have a friend who is going to another friend for some healing ministry. We all prayed and we all heard that I wasn't called to be a part of this. We each got a different reason, but they were all good. In fact we were in awe of God's plan. I know God well enough to know He wants healing for this person and I could have just stepped in, but we listened to God's plan, because it is better by far. We can never assume we know what God wants. We should always proceed with our ears open to hearing Him say "No". Even if it seems obvious that we are on the right track, it may not be going in the right direction.
I have been asking God about pride. Expose any area of my life where pride may be ruling. He did. He told me I was wrong about someone. I asked Him for confirmation. I assumed I had thought negatively about someone when I shouldn't, but He gave me a zebra and told me to read about them. The first thing He highlighted was that they used to think zebras were white with black stripes, but they now believe they are black with white stripes. This spoke loudly to me. I was believing for something good, when the Lord had told me it was not good and was about to fall. My pride thinking I knew better on how to pray was actually getting in the way of God's plan. My heart may have been right, but I was not open to hear truth.
Another thing the Lord talked to me about last night, was how to determine a counterfeit. He has told me before through a friend the best way to spot a counterfeit is to get to know the real thing so well that you recognize a fake immediately. Then He said, pray for exposure of Truth instead of exposure of the lies. Lies give the enemy glory, but Truth is about Jesus and who He is.
The other night when the Lord spoke to me about the zebra in my life, he brought me back to the story of David and Saul. This time he focused on Saul and pride. In the beginning he appeared to be a humble man, reminding Samuel that he was the least of the least in the tribe of Benjamin. Maybe it was the opposition and rejection he felt from the Israelites that planted the seed of insecurity that grew into pride. Saul was a reminder of the sin and wickedness (according to Samuel) the Israelites had committed by demanding a king. Did he believe he had to prove himself? Was it being rocketed from a nobody to a king and his inability to handle the power that caused the insecurity that caused the pride? The man had a temper, he randomly threw spears. Something that stood out to me was that he threw a spear at David while he was singing, the exact thing David was called in to do for Saul when he was tormented by a spirit, so he could sleep. Worshipping is the highest form of warfare.
Another thing that stood out to me was in 1 Samuel 15:30 Samuel had informed Saul that God was taking the kingdom from him for his disobedience. Disobedience is a sign of pride in my book, because it means I have a better idea. Ha. We read the stories so many times, we sleep through it. We should always pray for the Holy Spirit to read it with us, because there is too much in there for one life time of learning and we don't want to miss a thing. Saul had disobeyed God. God. The Creator of the universe. Samuel had told Saul that it upset the Creator enough to take his kingship from him. He regretted appointing Saul king. Samuel went through the whole thing about rebellion being witchcraft and stubbornness being as idolatry and what was Saul's response?
1 Samuel 15:30 (NASB)
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
First of all the word "but" makes every word before it null and void. I have sinned BUT... honor me? Before the elders? Before Israel? I have let down, disobeyed, disregarded the will of my creator BUT honor me so I look good before man. I guess it shouldn't surprise us a few chapters later when he murders priests. Putting man's opinion of us before God's is pride.
Pride is choking the Church. The Lord has shown me through fear, the enemy is using pride against God's people. Pride separates us from each other. Pride causes division in the Church. I believe people sit on the fence because of pride. Because of what man thinks. Pastor's compromise and tickle the ears, please the congregation instead of God. God is about to wipeout the fence. It is time to choose. Scripture says He will spew out of His mouth the lukewarm. Scripture also says to confront your brother in Christ if he has fallen into sin. I believe there are too many pastor's afraid to do this, because they want to be liked. Discipline, calling out is part of love, but in this country of spoiled young, we don't see it that way. You can't pick and choose which scripture to follow while ignoring those you are uncomfortable with. This is another form of lukewarm fence sitting. It is all or nothing. You are a scripture based Christ follower or you are not.
Years ago I went out to lunch with a group of people. One of my friends mom was with us and she told me I had broccoli in my teeth. I bit my fingernails so I could not get it out. She finally leaned over and plucked it from my teeth. Why this story now? Because the way I see it; pride is like having broccoli in your teeth. Everybody can see it, but you. The only way to hide it is to keep your mouth shut or you can ask a friend to help you pluck it out.
Jesus loves you.
“Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.”
― Andrew Murray, Humility
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