Pride

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Psalm 16:2 No Good Outside Of God

O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” Psalm 16:2

The majority of people think that they are an overall good person and that they do good things most of the time. People will often look at other people who are doing good things and say how good that person is. Pride rises up and sees how bad someone else is and makes a person feel good about self deeds. Very few will actually believe that they are not good or not doing any good at all.

David claims God as his Lord and recognizes that his goodness is nothing without God.

Very few people really want to see themselves as a bad person or one that really does not do anything good. It is demeaning to oneself to think in that way. In seeing oneself as bad or not doing anything good, means that there is often no hope of anything better.

Mankind is sinful and as a result of that sinfulness is unable to do anything good, or of any lasting value, by themselves. Once a person has sinned, there is nothing good deserved except punishment of death.

Once a person has repented of sins and believed in Jesus, God dwells in that person and works through that person to do good things. True believers in Jesus recognize that everything that they are is because of what God has done, not what they themselves have done.

Pride is cast out and God is glorified in all that is done. Self is no longer on the throne, but God is placed upon the throne of the heart and life. Only because of God does a person breathe and have life, so only because of God can a person do anything of good, lasting value.

Each and every day there are most likely things that you do that are ‘good’. While it is true that you are doing these things, they are done only because God has given you the ability to do them.

Without God in your life, you would not even have the ability to breath, so without God in your life, you would not have the ability to do anything good. Do not allow pride to rise up in your heart and cause you to think you are doing great things on your own. Give God the credit for the good that He is accomplishing through you.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know God gives you all of your abilities and talents; that you do all things for God’s glory; and that you do all things in God’s strength and abilities.

Picture by Jairph on Unsplash

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Psalm 10:4 Is God In Your Thoughts?

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. Psalm 10:4

Every day, every moment people are seeking and thinking about something. Most often it is seeking how they can make their lives better or more pleasurable and what is the next thing that needs to be accomplished in their day to day living. Their focus is in the moment, with no thought about eternity. In the lives of many, self is the greatest god there is, outside of self, there is no other that is important.

The writer of this psalm is talking about the wicked. He states that the wicked in his proudful self does not seek nor think about God at all.

The majority of the people in the world do not know God, nor think about God. Many of these follow false gods of various false religions, and the rest do not have any room for any god at all, they are a god in themselves.

People focus their lives on what is happening in the moment and how they can make their lives better. Day to day living, going to work, taking care of self, and finding pleasure in life are what is important and on the minds of most people. Very few take time to seek God or think about Him at all.

This problem has also crept into the church. Many in the church think about God on Sundays, but during the rest of the week, they do not read His word, pray, seek God, nor think about Him. God is only for in times of trouble or on Sunday for many.

True believers will live their lives seeking God and His will for their lives. They are constantly thinking about what God wants for them to have and do and how they can please God with their lives.

You have many things going on in your life each day. There are things you must do and accomplish, and these can easily consume your thoughts. As you go about doing these things, you must take time to seek God and think about what He wants you to accomplish in your life from day to day.

When you are faced with a choice, you must be willing to seek God first to help you make the right choice. Keep God at the front of your thoughts, so that you will not fall to temptation and sin.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will seek God at all times and in every situation; that you will keep God at the front of your thoughts; and that you will obey what God tells you to do or not do.

Picture by Marcos Paulo Prado under Unsplash

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Ezra 8:21 Fasting To Be Humble When Asking

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. Ezra 8:21

Asking for help is something that many people do not like to do. It often means that one is weaker and unable to accomplish something on his own and needs the strength and abilities of someone else. Admitting one needs help and then going about seeking help becomes one of the last things a person may do. A level of humility is required.

As Ezra was getting ready to lead the people back to Jerusalem, he proclaimed a fast to humble themselves before God and ask Him to protect them on the journey.

While the world looks at asking for help as a sign of weakness, believers must understand that everything they are is dependent upon asking for help. One is not saved until he seeks God’s help in being forgiven of his sins.

Even once saved, the power of pride often creeps into the hearts of believers causing them to not want to seek help from God or others. To help break that pride, believers can proclaim of time of fasting, going without something that they need so that they can humble themselves before God. Fasting is denying one’s prideful self and abilities to place God’s will in first place and in complete control. As one fasts, he can ask God for His will and favor.

During the fast, he is depending upon God for whatever is needed. It is no longer about self, but about God and His will and ways. The moment a believer takes self off of the throne in humility and places God on the throne, it allows God to do great and mighty things in his life.

No matter how strong or great you are, there are things that you cannot do without God’s help and strength. If God does not give you the abilities, you will fail.

Do not allow pride to rise up in you and cause you to walk without God’s direction. Humble yourself and deny yourself in a fast. Allow God to step in and meet every need you have in His own way. During the fast, allow God to be in complete control and watch Him meet needs in a supernatural way.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will humble yourself before God; that you will allow God to be in complete control of your life; that you will fast and deny yourself before God; and that you will see God do great things in your life and through you.

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2 Chronicles 26:16 Pride Will Lead To Downfall

But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 2 Chronicles 26:16

Pride is something that is often seen as something good. Everyone is expected to take pride in themselves and their accomplishments and not put themselves down. This is something that is trained and instilled in people from the time that they are born and all the way through their schooling bringing it through adulthood.

Uzziah had followed God very faithfully and God blessed him and made him very powerful. Once he became powerful, he let his pride rise causing his downfall by becoming unfaithful to God.

Throughout history many people and nations have risen to great heights of fame and power. Once they hit those extreme heights, many have also allowed pride to begin to fill their hearts and lead them down bad paths, which ultimately lead to their destruction.

Pride is one of those things that scriptures continually talk about God hating. It is all about self, rather than God and others. There is no love in pride, other than love of self. Instead of allowing God to be in control, it places self as the most important and in control. It will allow people to get offended and angry because they are the most important one, due to self-pride.

Believers are not immune to allowing pride to creep into their lives. The world uses pride to destroy believers, because the world does not want to have God in control and get all of the credit.

Instead of allowing pride in their lives, believers must keep their focus upon what God has done, is doing and will do. He is to get all of the credit, rather than self.

Most likely you have allowed pride to slip into your life and thoughts. Be willing to admit when pride slips in and has pulled you away from God and repent of it and turn back to God.

Realize that without God, there is absolutely nothing you can do. You did not and cannot create or do anything without God giving you the strength and abilities. It is God who has given you the breath of life and the abilities to accomplish what you have done.

Praise God for what He is doing in and through your life.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know what God has done in and through you; that you will give God all the credit for the accomplishments in your life; that you will be faithful to God in every area of your life; and that God will be in complete control of your life.

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2 Kings 5:12 Being Unwilling And Missing Out

“Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 2 Kings 5:12

Getting directions from someone else does not always make sense to a person. Since the directions do not always make sense, many people choose to not follow them and do their own thing. Pride gets in the way and causes them to go their own way. In the process of going their own way, many will often miss out on the goal that they were seeking.

Naaman had leprosy and had gone to Elisha to be healed. Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman was angry and did not want to dip into a dirty river and stormed off in a rage.

People are very quick to put God in a box and expect Him to work a very specific way. If God does not work in the expected way, they get angry.

This is commonly seen when it comes to healing. Many want to see God heal a very specific, miraculous way or they feel God did not listen to their need and meet it.

God’s ways are so far above the ways of man, that often they can appear as ludicrous. Sometimes in order for God to provide what one desires, God has him do something that is out of the ordinary and does not make sense.

Many believers often miss out on blessings when they choose to not follow God’s commands completely out of pride or just not believing and trusting. They go away angry and miss what God has for them.

Believers need to do everything God says to do, regardless of how little sense it may make.

There may be something in your life that you are seeking God to take care of. God may be asking you to step out in faith and do something that sounds ridiculous and makes no sense to get the situation taken care of.

Do not let your not understanding or pride get in the way of God meeting your need. If you don’t step out in faith, you may never know what God was going to do. Trust that God knows what He is asking of you and that He will do what He has promised.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know what God is asking you to do; that you will step out in faith and obey God’s commands to you; that you will allow God to remove any pride in your life; and that you will see God’s hand of provision and miracles in your life.