Pride goes before destruction, and pride brings strife.  (Proverbs 13:10 and 16:18)     Pride causes us to esteem ourselves better than others.  (Romans 12:3)   Pride is very subtle, creeping its way into our lives unannounced and uninvited.  We don’t always realize we have a problem with it.

I remember watching a western a long time ago; actually I watch a lot of westerns (just a bit of trivial information for you).  In one episode there was this poor family in need of food, and the father didn’t want to accept help from anyone because, as he said, “I don’t accept charity, we take care of ourselves”.   Now how stupid is that?  Pride was stopping the provision they needed.  Now if I remember correctly their problem wasn’t due from a lack of their willingness to work, it was because of a drought that their crops hadn’t produced any food.  There is nothing shameful in receiving help from others.  Everyone needs help at some point in their lives.  Sometimes its circumstances that present problems for us that are out of our control.  Think of the recent hurricanes that have devastated families and even nations – how sad it would be if those in need have the same idea as the one in the western.  How can we even meet the needs of one another if no one accepts help!

The dictionary defines charity as: goodwill toward or love of humanity, an act of feeling of generosity, the giving of aid to the poor, and mercy.  Sounds a lot like God for He is love, generous, and merciful.  His love for mankind is the reason He sent Jesus to provide for us the way out of the darkness of sin and put us into His marvelous light.  (1 Peter 2:9)  God’s generosity caused Him to make us heirs and joint heirs with Jesus in His Kingdom.  (Romans 8:17)

In First Corinthians 13:13 some Bible translations have the word charity as love.  First John 4:8 tells us that God is love. So think about it, since God uses people to help people if we have a problem receiving charity from others, then maybe we also have a problem receiving love from God.

Pride will always pull us away from God and out of fellowship with Him.  But we are to draw near to God, purify our heart and come boldly into the presence of God for help.  (James 4:8, Hebrews 4:16)

Pride will always cause us to resist the correction of God and thereby go astray.  (Proverbs 10:17)  However we are to resist the devil by submitting to God.  (James 4:7)

Pride will always interfere with the plan of God because pride thinks its own plan is better.  We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trust not in our understanding and acknowledge Him in all our ways and then He will direct our paths.  (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Pride will always demonstrate division because pride separates by destroying unity.  (Proverbs 13:10)  We are to be determined to walk in love and not through strife.  (Romans 13:13, Philippians 1:15)

Pride will always evaluate our strengths better than others and our weakness as not as bad as others.  Pride will evade the real issue at hand by making excuses for our behavior, words, and motives.  We are to endure the race set before us by laying aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares us, being confident that God who begun a good work in us will complete it in Christ Jesus (Hebrew 12:1-2, Philippians 1:6)

We need to understand that pride is the power Satan uses to entice us to sin and produces selfishness which is a by-product of fear.  Pride gives us the false allusion that we are in control but in reality it is fear driven and therefore we are out of control and under the influence of the devil.

Fear is torment and not of God – nor does it come from Him – because God is perfect love and there is no fear in perfect love. (1 John 4:18)   Please note that the term “the fear of the Lord” is a “reverence for the Lord” because of love, not fear.  When we understand this perfect love of God, we understand how we can come boldly into the throne of grace and into His presence.  (Hebrew 4:16)

“Father God, my heart’s cry this week is that You will reveal to each of us if there is any pride in us, no matter how great or how small, and deliver us from its stronghold.  I pray that we will purposely determine to not fear, not be selfish, not to be prideful in any area of our lives, but to purposefully submit to the Word of God; to walk in love and freely receive from you all the provisions you have for us according to Your Word; in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.”