The Danger of Pride

I have seen the phrase "celebrate pride" often of late, but I cannot from a biblical perspective be persuaded to do so.  Pride is always a precursor to destruction, and therefore I have great concern for all who rejoice to embrace it.  Much of my young life was poisoned with pride and self-righteousness, and pride would have ruined me completely apart from the grace and mercy of God.  Those who celebrate pride celebrate their own destruction.  Pride was found in Satan in heaven, and he will ultimately be cast down to hell.

John warned Christians in 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."  Pride is of this world, and this world is passing away.  "But shouldn't I be proud of my children?"  Proud?  No.  You should feel blessed and give God praise, for it is God who has given them success.  Every time we are tempted to pride, we ought to give praise to God.  If anyone had cause to be proud it would be God, but His immutable character is marked with humility.  Pride is always a sin, absolutely contrary to a holy, righteous God.

Proverbs 8:13 reads, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate."  Pride and arrogance is an evil way before the LORD which only leads to destruction.  God said through the prophet in Ezekiel 16:49:  "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."  Pride was the iniquity of Sodom, and pride nests in the heart of every person.  My flesh is utterly steeped in pride.  It is only the indwelling Spirit of the Living God who has delivered me from bondage to it.  To this day pride fights tirelessly for control in my mind and heart, desiring to be my cruel master once again.  Those who walk in pride God is able to abase.

The Word of God opens our eyes to the grave danger of pride, and helps us realise our need to be transformed from within.  Here are some quick-hitters from the Proverbs:  Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom."  Proverbs 16:18 states, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."  And Proverbs 29:23:  "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour."  It is pride which keeps a man from God as it is written in Psalm 10:4:  "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."  Pride is an abomination to God, as it says in Proverbs 16:5:  "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished."

To point out the pride which exists in the world and naturally in every human heart is like saying, "Water is wet."  It is a blatantly obvious point, a truth with which we are all intimately acquainted.  The point of this post is not to prompt us to accuse or point fingers at others, but for each of us to ask God to examine our own hearts according to His righteousness:  "LORD, is there any part of my life where I celebrate pride?  I repent and forsake it all.  Cleanse me of all my hateful pride!"  Pride poses a great danger to all people, and Christians who cling to their pride add hypocrisy to their abominations.  Those who walk in pride God will abase, and those who walk humbly God will exalt.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

The Prayer of Faith

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

James 5:14-15

It is the prayer of faith God will answer.  There is no special power in elders to pray, as if elders in the church know the secret words or a better chance because of tenure to acquire God's favour from any who are born again.  It is not the long-winded prayer of an orator which beckons the ear of God.  It is not a prayer of a professional, nor of someone whose prayers have been answered before.  There are no healing properties in oil applied to the sick which brings a miraculous cure:  it is the simple prayer of faith in God.  Prayer duration and diction do not enter into it, but a heart and mind compelled through faith.  Faith demonstrated by obedience is the key.

Do you realise God knows what you need even before you ask?  Our Heavenly Father is not like a the wicked judge in the parable Jesus told who must be pestered into action.  He is not like a man who forgets!  To think we must pray all night for God to earn the right to be heard or that we must repeat ourselves like a man before dumb idols who cannot hear is folly.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8, "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  We always ought to pray without fainting (Luke 18:1), and the indwelling Holy Spirit is critical to lead us in prayer.  Romans 8:26 tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

So if God knows what we need before we even ask Him, why bother to pray at all?  Because "Ask and ye shall receive" is a principle of the kingdom.  We are not to neglect asking, and we ought to examine our motives according to God's Word:  why am I asking?  James 4:2-3 says, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."  We ought to be persistent in prayer, but there is no substitute for the prayer of faith.  It may be a lack of faith which causes you to harp on one string before the LORD day after day, thinking you must earn the right to be heard by speaking much.  If I believe God has heard me - prepared for my request long before I asked - I can have confidence in Him He has heard me and I will have my request as it is written in 1 John 5:14-15:  "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

No one has greater access to God because of their role in the Body of Christ or by virtue of the amount of oil used in anointing.  It is the prayer of faith according to God's will He hears and answers.  God is in control, and when we submit to His rule and trust Him, the heavens are freely opened to all who fear Him.  Hebrews 4:14-16 exhorts us, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Reading books on prayer will not teach you how to pray, nor can they impart faith to make your prayers fervent or effectual.  We need the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.  Prayer simply ought to be done, and apart from faith in God will always be a fruitless endeavour.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 proclaims God's will for all:  "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  Boldly enter into God's throne room of grace, for in times of need you have an attentive audience with the Most High.  Paul was conscious he spoke to God thrice about the messenger of Satan in His life, knowing God had heard him clearly each time.  God may answer your prayer with "No," but what is true for Paul is true for all those who pray in faith:  "My grace is sufficient for you.  My strength is made perfect in weakness."  It is through the perceived weakness of prayer God's strength will be made manifest to all.

"As You Wish!"

In the classic film "The Princess Bride" based on a novel by William Goldman, a young woman found true love in a servant who worked for her.  When she made requests of him he would always answer, "As you wish."  The Grandfather, played by Peter Falk, read this line from his book:  "That day she was amazed to discover that when he was saying 'As you wish," what he meant was, 'I love you.'"  True love is always displayed through action, and Westley showed he loved Buttercup by his faithful service.

Being a hired hand, it may be said Westley did not have a choice whether he obeyed Buttercup or not.  But Westley certainly did have a choice.  It could have cost him his position or had other negative consequences, but Westley had the freedom to choose.  The same can be said for all people concerning belief, trust, and obedience.  God has given every person the freedom to choose who we will serve.  There are ultimately two final choices:  I am free to live according to my will or God's will.  Jesus held forth this truth as He bowed before His Father in heaven in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Luke 22:41-42 reads, "And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

God does not tell us His wishes - wistful thoughts of a powerless being who is at the mercy of men who claim to serve Him - but He has revealed unto those who trust God His perfect will.  God can accomplish all things without the aid of man, yet He has chosen to use people as His vessels infused with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus laid down the will of His flesh that He might do the will of the Father, and it is the same for us.  In all things we are either doing as we wish or submitting ourselves to do God's will.  It is through obedience to God's will we demonstrate our love for God, even as Westley proclaimed his love for Buttercup through faithful service.  As Jesus said in John 15:10, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

Saying and doing as God wills is a way we display our love for God.  May our lives everyday plainly say to Jesus Christ our LORD, "I love you."

God's Love for You and Me

We have embarked on a study of Song of Solomon during our Sunday morning messages at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  The epic romance of the Shulamite and her beloved is like a rich tapestry, with multiple layers of meaning and insights into the love of God.  It is amazing to think of royalty courting and marrying a common working woman, but even more phenomenal to consider the great love of God for people.

As I studied the beginning of chapter 2, it dawned on me how Solomon's love for the Shulamite was revealed in at least five ways.  The love God has granted us by His grace ought to be love which marks our lives towards God and all we meet, especially those of the household of faith with whom we have been made one body through Christ.  The way Solomon displayed love for his betrothed is a striking parallel to the way the love of Jesus has been given to me.

Solomon's love for his betrothed was personal.  He affirmed his love through sincere compliments, and she was all fair in his eyes.  He preferred the company of his beloved over all others.  To him, it was as if she was the only woman around:  if she was a lily, all others compared to her as thorns.  He was a protector of his future mate, offering refuge like a shade tree from the sun's heat.  He provided for his beloved with their future in mind, building a lovely house they would share together.  Solomon also displayed his love publicly without embarrassment, and he rejoiced to claim his beloved as his own.

Isn't this strikingly similar to how Jesus has revealed His love for us?  The love of Jesus is personal:  He shed His blood for me.  Romans 5:8 reminds us, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  He prefers the company of those He calls friends, those who love Him and keep His commandments.  Jesus Christ is my refuge in whom I find rest.  He has provided for all my needs in this life, and is also preparing a place for me and all others who trust Him in heaven.  He has displayed His love publicly, dying on the cross to atone for sins.  As it is written of Christ in John 1:11-13, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Since God's love has been shed abroad in the hearts of Christ's followers through the Holy Spirit, so His love is to be dispensed through us to all.  Loving God and others with the sacrificial, active love of God confirms that we are indeed His, adopted into His royal family.  It is all of grace.  Let us not be ashamed of Christ or His gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe.