Pride goes before a fall

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18 KJV).

The scripture clearly teaches that God resists the proud but gives more grace to those who are humble, which is a major reason why pride goes before a fall. That means whenever there is pride, a major fall, whether spiritually or materially, is in view. The downfall of the proud is not accidental. God actively brings down every haughty spirit.

Lucifer wanted to lift up himself to be like the Lord and was brought down from the place of beauty, honor and glory the Lord had put him. Jesus humbled Himself to take upon Him the form of a servant and the Lord exalted Him to the highest place of authority.

Pride can manifest itself in different ways, such as an inflated sense of self-worth above others which naturally leads to the expectation of better or superior treatment by others. However, there is a subtle form of pride that many are not aware of. It is pride towards God. It is the pride of a sinner’s heart that says “I do not need God”. This is a double-deadly sin, because it keeps the sinner from coming to God to receive salvation. As believers, we should also guard against not only the obvious forms of pride but the subtle form of pride which makes us feel self-sufficient and no longer see our need for God. In the House of God, the humble who serve others are those who are highly rated by the heavenly council.

MEDITATE

Can you articulate the subtle difference in the expressions of pride amongst other humans and pride towards God? Declare that “I have a meek and humble spirit and the kingdom of heaven belongs to me!”

APPLY THE WORD

It is very easy to miss pride within our hearts because we limit ourselves to the obvious outward boastful or arrogant attitudes. The worst forms of pride might be solely in the heart and we must be on the alert always.