Avoiding the Pitfall of Pride
By Senior Pastor Prince
Guneratnam
“Do you love the world or the things of the word. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life – is not of the father but is of the world. And the word is passing away,
and lust of it; but he does the will of God abides forever” (1 John
Our human nature loves the
world instead of our Heavenly Father. We are blinded to the fact that the world
can only offer us the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of
life. However, if we truly love God, there is no room for the love of the
world. Pride is the love of power, position and popularity. No one is free from
its clutches. Pride is the result of a feeling of low self-esteem and of
insecurity. We doubt ourselves because we feel insecure. We do not know who we
are and the secure position we have in Christ.
Pride is the Facade for Insecurity
To deal with pride we must
first deal with insecurity. Firstly, insecurity is the weapon of Satan. He
makes us feel condemned by accusing us but we must remember what John said in
Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night,
has been cast down.’ ” Satan is real but he was defeated. In Christ we need not
feel condemned or insecure although Satan will continuously accuse us.
In Job 1:8, God asked Satan,
“Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a
blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? In verse 9, Satan
replied, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan questions Job’s sincerity towards
God verse 11, “But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he
will surely curse You to Your face!” As long as we are determined to walk with
God, Satan will always try to hinder us by accusing us. However, God’s Word
encourages us in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according
to the Spirit.” If we are God’s children, we do not have to suffer from
inferiority complex.
Secondly, insecurity is the
result of sin. Sin brings guilt, and guilt robs us of our confidence, making us
feel insecure. There are two directions we can take whenever we sin. We can go
to Jesus and let Him be our Sin-bearer. Alternatively, we can, like Adam, run
to the bushes and trees for cover; that is hiding behind the things of the
world. We look for fine clothes, cars, houses, education, wealth, position,
power, popularity… the list is long indeed.
“He who covers his sin will
not prosper, but whoever confess and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs
28:13). We need mercy, not justice. We need to come under the blood of Jesus
Christ. The answer to our guilt complex is simply to confess and repent (2
Corinthians
Jesus, the Most Secure and Humble Person
Jesus is the antithesis of
the proud man. He is God but He humble Himself to become a man. For our sakes,
He left His Father, His throne and His heavenly glory. In order to overcome the
pitfall of pride, we must emulate His humility.
Jesus expressed His humility
through service. Philippians 2:6-8 states that even though Jesus was “in the
form of God,” He chose to take a form of a servant. He knew who He was and His
standing in God. He never grumbles or complaints. He had no inferiority complex
because he knew what He was doing. This was His secret humility. A government
minister’s involvement in a “Gotong-Royong” (community work) project does not
make him any less of a minister in the sight of others. Like Jesus, the
minister is able to serve because he knows his position and reason for the
service.
We too, must know our
position in Christ. We must know that we belong to the King of kings and the
Lord of lords. Our sins have been washed away and we are heirs to the
How to Avoid the Pride of Life (James 4:7-10; Hebrews
I would like to use the
following scriptures as steps to avoid the pitfall of pride:
1. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he
will flee from you” (v.7).
Submit to god by accepting His
way of salvation. Then, by an act by faith, resist the devil and he will flee
from you.
2. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse
your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded” (v.8)
Cleanse your hands and
purify your hearts by faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ. Draw near to God with
clean hands and a pure heart and He will surely draw near to you. His presence
will give you the confidence and assurance you need to overcome the love for
the world.
3. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and
He will lift you up” (v. 10).
Humble yourselves before the
Lord. Adopt His attitude of humility and do as He bids. “Let nothing be done
through selfish ambitions or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, each esteem
others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). Then, God will lift you up.
4. “… not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25)
Fellowship with other
believers is a safeguard against pride. Our brothers and sisters in Christ will
warn us against it. Thus, it is necessary to belong to the Body of Christ. In the
fellowship of believers, we find strength and enablement to live humbly before
God and man.
Issue 46, July – August 1997