Ezekiel 28:17 (NASB) Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.
Pride is my “greatest” sin my greatest struggle. Pride, I believe, lies at the root of every sin that I allow to take hold in my life. Pride keeps me from favor with the Lord. Pride prevents me from being used in ways God would have me used. Pride is at the heart of virtually every struggle I’ve ever experienced. It wages war in my personal life, professional life, finances, health, you name it. Pride will not let me lose, admit wrongs or heal wounds. Pride causes me to react, when response is needed. Pride leads me to want when it is not warranted. Pride makes winning more important than what is right or leads to peace, harmony and reconciliation. Pride leads me down so many dreadful paths. The Lord has disciplined me severely, numerous times, for my prideful ways. And yet, here I am, pridefully doing things the same way, under my own “power” and vanity, doomed to repeat the painful process over and over.
The greatest lie about pride is that it is an expression of strength. It is not. It’s a shaky, teetering pinnacle we stand upon that at any moment can be knocked from beneath us. We will be sent crashing far and hard from the lofty perch we set ourselves upon. Pride flows from our own insecurities and the realization that we are not all that we think ourselves to be and fear that others will also come to that conclusion. Pride provides us with a false sense of worth and security, but is the epitome of weakness, blindness, helplessness.
Humility and vulnerability are viewed as weakness. They are not. Humility is the epitome of strength. It’s an understanding that we cannot operate under our own power. It’s an understanding that we have no power. Rather, true power, strength comes from our Creator, our Father in heaven, His Son and the Holy Spirit. Strength and power flow from a reliance on God’s grace and our expression of humility in the face of all things.
Satan is the father of pride. Satan’s fall was the direct result of his pride. His greatest weapon in his war against God is the lie of pride he whispers in our ear. It’s at the very foundation of all that is wrong with humanity.
Pride has cost me and is costing me dearly. I will pay heavily for it in this life and answer for it in the next. I will continue to pray for God to work this from my character, to pry it from my being. I pray for any who read these words and find them hitting the mark in their heart. I ask God for forgiveness of this terrible sin. To any who have been injured by my prideful ways, I ask forgiveness here and hope to realize who you are and ask God for the courage to seek you out. Have a blessed weekend.
In full pursuit of the greatest Trophy,
Scott Pace
