28 January
Pride Goes Before Destruction
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly that he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Romans 12:3Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a purpose and a plan, a hope and a good future for each one of us. We all know that when God prospers us, we can expect opposition from the enemy. Sometimes this opposition can come very subtly, but can cause significant damage.
The one area that Paul advises us to be careful of is pride. Proverbs 16:18 says that pride "goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." When you start prospering Satan comes along and tries to convince you that you did it, and not the Almighty Father that prospers you. "I bought a Mercedes Benz," or "I am a good teacher," or, "I can do all things." And over time we think that we do not need God in our lives because we are just too good for Him.
Gods Word tells us that we must enter His gates with thanksgiving. Pride and thanksgiving cannot work together. When pride fills your heart, its all about you. You cannot thank God for something that only YOU could do or accomplish. Can you? God cannot get any glory if YOU are in charge of YOUR career?
Pride is an extremely dangerous weapon that Satan uses against us. And amazingly enough, it is one of the first weapons he uses in his attack against Gods people. He knows that if he can fill our hearts with pride, the lusts of this world will take precedence over God.
You are saved by Gods grace and not by your works, lest any man should boast. Search your heart. If you have pride in your heart, ask God to remove that root. This root produces destruction in every area of your life. God cannot prosper you and use you if you have pride. Pride always comes before a fall.