What exactly is pride?
Pride is a sneaky sin, so sneaky it seems rather than repenting of it, you should be rewarded for it.
Websters definition: a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction of one's own achievements.
Is that wrong? That I'm proud of what I've accomplished, and want the respect I think I deserve?
When did it start?
Lucifer, who was powerful and full of wisdom, was perhaps the most beautiful and splendid angel ever created by God and of the highest order, but his pride caused his downfall and God cast him from heaven. The once highly exalted angel living in eternal bliss, wanted more. Pride entered him, and rather than bowing before the Kings of Kings he stood up to be worshiped himself. He wanted to be like God. He wanted to rule and reign over his own destiny. He wanted control. He wanted to change his God given course to decide for himself. So in the height of his rebellion, Lucifer the once beautiful angel, was cast out of heaven into the earth, and renamed Satan, meaning adversary, losing his purpose in God.
Pride was also the first sin committed on earth
Pride is demanding things our way. Just like Lucifer, Adam took his life in his own hands, rebelling against the perfect life in the Garden, questioning if God really had his best. The infamous apple is the epitome of “doing things our way” with complete disregard to the laws of God, bringing nothing but heartache, regret and destruction.
Lucifer was cast out of heaven, just as Adam was cast out of paradise because of pride- the sin of taking the reins of our life and refusing to surrender. Until we are broken we have not fully relinquished control.
What is brokenness?
“One is not broken until all resentment and rebellion against God and man is removed. One who resents, takes offense, or retaliates against opposition or lack of appreciation is unbroken. All self-justification and self-defense betrays an unbroken spirit. All discontent and irritation from circumstances and situations reveals unbrokenness.”
Exchanging self confidence for confidence in God
God’s great purposes in his dealing with us is to reduce us, as any confidence in one’s own abilities is fatal to confidence and faith in God. Therefore, before God can release His own power to meet one’s need, He must bring that person to the end of himself. -Watchman Nee
Until one is broken, he is full of himself, his plans, his ambitions, his opinions and judgments, worshipping his accomplishments that there is little room for God. Where this is true, God cannot enter a deeper reality until there has been a divesting of selfish aims and goals, an utter self-emptying. Usually this requires disastrous failures, complete disillusionment with one’s self.
Pride demands rights rather than surrender
Any demanding of one’s rights portrays pride; the right for life to be fair, the right to be loved, the right to be healthy, the right to be beautiful, the right not to be physically handicapped, the right not to suffer, the right to be promoted, the right to never experience injustice, the right to never to be betrayed, the right to never receive a bounced check, the right to have a loving husband, the right to not have a flight cancelled, the right for your dog to be potty trained, the right to never have a bad hair day. the right to have a diet that works, the right to have a husband that works.
The only right a Christian has is the right to give up his rights.
When we get right with God we no longer stubbornly insist on our rights or having our own way.
What is surrender?
In the final surrender of pride, we relinquish our demands to have life go our way, but rather allow God to move in our trials. We relinquish the satisfaction of our own achievements, and rather recognize God's intervention in our success. We humbly let go of being right, for being in relationship.
In the end, surrendering pride is returning to the Garden
Lisa Hamilton/ The Hamilton Post
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