Declaring War

Renters in Australia can be subject to quarterly inspections by the realtor that manages the property.  This was a useful prompting for our household to engage in deeper regular cleaning than we might be inclined.  We made it our aim to begin preparing for an inspection days beforehand to ensure everything went smoothly.  I remember another renting family complain of the strictness of their inspector who even reached up under the range hood over the stove and complained it was slightly sticky.  "Who even does that?" said the incredulous renter.  While I felt sympathetic towards our fellow renter, it also reminded me how God does a much more thorough spiritual inspection of our hearts.  His eyes not only observe our words and deeds on the outside, but He is intimately acquainted with our thoughts, motives and hearts.

This week at Calvary Chapel Sydney we considered the statement from James 4:6:  "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  This word "resist" means to put in battle array against, for pride is truly a declaration of war upon God He rallies to oppose.  Let us never imagine our God who is patient, compassionate and merciful will allow His beloved children to be lifted up with pride without negative consequences, for the soul that does so works toward their own ruin.  The word of God and conviction of the Holy Spirit is like a lily-white glove swept over a heart that exposes the filth of pride we cannot see ourselves and reveals our need to repent.  God sent an unclean spirit to chastened king Saul for his pride, struck king Uzziah with leprosy for presumptuously offering incense in the temple (who became angry when confronted by courageous priests for his transgression), and He also struck king Nebuchadnezzar with madness for 7 years.

God could have wiped Nebuchadnezzar off the earth for his transgression of pride, yet he restored his kingdom, reason and glory to him.  After being humbled by God, the king of Babylon concluded in Daniel 4:37, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down."  Those who humble themselves in the sight of the LORD, confessing their pride when it is exposed, mourn their sin and repent, by God's grace He will lift them up.  Those who continue to be lifted up in pride without repentance can expect in due time to be cast down--even people with genuine faith in God.  The scripture provides ample evidence of this fact, and I also know this by personal experience.  Pride is a root cause of almost every work of the flesh, and the wise are not exempt from this malady.  God's wisdom is displayed by humbling ourselves when we are made aware of pride by confessing and mourning it in repentance.  Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom."

Solomon exposed pride as the major cause of all contention in Proverbs 13:10:  "By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom."  To justify pride is to double-down against God and always creates conflict, drama and fights.  The proud are self-assured, justify themselves and their angry reactions like Uzziah, but the wise learn what Nebuchadnezzar did:  when we humble ourselves in the sight of the LORD, He will lift us up.  Pride comes before a fall and leads to strife that can be avoided by the one who walks in the meekness of wisdom.  We do not humble ourselves hoping to be exalted, but because God is exalted and worthy of all honour and praise.  Declaring war on our pride keeps us from declaring war on God by being lifted up by it.