The deception of pride.
As a young boy growing up, I found that the character trait of pride to be very deceptive as it seemed to go against what my heart was feeling. Pride became this murky image that I did not fully understand. However, I was taught from an early age that pride was a good thing. I was taught to always try my best and to be proud of my effort regardless of the outcome. In fact, the report cards I received during elementary school had a separate category for each subject that graded me on effort. In essence, I was being graded on my pride. Unfortunately, I came away from elementary school lacking the spiritual insight I needed to fully understand the entrapment that pride can have.
Behind the scene, this focus on pride took control of my life. Whether it was home life, school, or sports, there was this uneasiness that would come over me. I felt like I was not being accepted by those around me. This spiritual stronghold kept me trying harder and harder to win the approval of others. This was exhausting.
I can remember my roommate at college convincing me to go with him to his dad's place of business to grab as many cases of beer that would fit in his VW Squareback. He would then trade that beer for drugs back at school. On the way back we would stop in Happy Valley to visit one of his contacts. When we walked into his friend's dorm room we were greeted with walls of smoke. It was a Cheech and Chong moment, to say the least. He would bring back some of the popular drugs of the day: LSD, crystal meth, hash cut with heroin, and of course some weed.
Those 4 years at college revolved around drugs. Drugs were my god. Although I knew I was not going down a good path, for some reason I was not able to break these habits. Looking back, I was in the middle of spiritual warfare and fighting with worthless weapons of the world. Fortunately, my Creator had different plans. God ultimately saved me from all this once I left college.
However, even after being removed from this lifestyle, there was still a major problem. I had turned from drugs, but I had not turned toward God. My addiction was to my pride. I had succumbed to a new spiritual stronghold that would dominate me for years before turning my life over to the only real solution, Jesus. I hope you don't have to go through this experience.
Is pride evil?
In both James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 it says that "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble". Whether pride is evil or not is something you will have to deal with on your own terms. However, I find it to be no mistake that this warning appear at least twice in God's Word. In my own life I have found it beneficial to heed them to the point of eliminating the word "pride" and "proud" from my vocabulary.
The Old Testament provides us with many real life studies in pride and humility. The one that I'm drawn to is the relationship between King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel in the first 4 chapters of The Book of Daniel.
When King Nebuchadnezzar tried to brainwash Daniel and his 3 friends by changing their names and trying to force them to change their diets to that of a pagan king, "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank."
Daniel and his friends knew that the king's food was offered up to idols, so they continued to eat a diet of vegetables. As a result of their obedience, these 4 Jewish teenagers were brought before the king for an interview. King Nebuchadnezzar found that their wisdom and understanding was 10 times better than his own wisemen and advisors. This was quite amazing when you consider that King Nebuchadnezzar murdered and persecuted thousand of Jews. Humility matters.
In Chapter 2 of The Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. He goes to his wisemen and tells them that if they can't tell him what the dream consisted of and what it meant, then "you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap." When the wisemen could not deliver a correct response, the king set out "to destroy all the wisemen of Babylon."
Enter Daniel. He goes to his 3 friends and they have a prayer meeting. Daniel did not want his 3 friends or the wisemen to perish. Daniel receives and vision from God and proceeds to tell King Nebuchadnezzar what the dream was and want it meant. Daniel takes no credit for what he shared with King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel saves all of the king's wisemen and his humility has a dramatic effect on the king. "The king answered Daniel, and said, Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret. Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon." Humility wins out again.
In Chapter 3 of The Book of Daniel, Daniel is not present. King Nebuchadnezzar builds a 90' tall statue representing himself, and forces the known world at the time to worship it. (He seemed to have conveniently forgotten that he called Daniel's god, the God of gods in the previous chapter.) Daniel's 3 friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refuse to bow down in front of the statue. As a result, they are thrown into a fiery pit that was heated 7 times more than normal. It was so hot that the king's men who escorted them to the pit were killed in the process.
As God would have it, these 3 humble and obedient servants received a visitor while they were in the fiery pit. When they exited the flames, "the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them."
Chapter 4 of The Book of Daniel is perhaps the most amazing display of pride one could imagine. King Nebuchadnezzar has another dream. When the king's wisemen could not interpret the dream Daniel is called in to save the day. The tree that the king saw in his dream represented the great kingdom of Babylon that King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over. However, the tree gets cut down with only a stump remaining with a band of iron and bronze around it.
Daniel tells the king that he will lose his kingdom for 7 years but it will be restored to him once the king admits that Heaven rules. Daniel suggests to King Nebuchadnezzar that he stop sinning and to show mercy to the poor. The king disregards Daniel's warning for 12 months. King Nebuchadnezzar spends that time bragging about how great Babylon is because of his efforts. Finally God had enough of the king's pride and King Nebuchadnezzar is driven from his kingdom to be with the beasts of the field. "That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws."
At the end of 7 years King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom is restored to him. In fact he holds a press conference in front of the known world. "Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation."
I believe I will see King Nebuchadnezzar in heaven. Pride loses again. Humility always wins.
How to defeat pride.
It was my senior year of High School and one week before our first football game of the season. We had just come off a year with no wins, so we were excited to turn the tide on that season. As quarterback of the team I had been named co-captain along with my best friend. A few days before the opening game of the season we were playing soccer in gym class and my friend was the goalie. As I approached the goal I kicked the ball and he successfully blocked my attempt at a score.
The next day the whole team learned that my kick had ruptured my friends kidney, and he was out for the season before it started. It was quite the blow to our team. We went on another losing streak.
I remember walking into a meeting in the gym the night before the final game of the season. Our heads were hung low. It was not a fun meeting. The next day we all got on the bus, as it was an away game. I remember that my dad did not go to the game. It was the first time he missed one of my games. We were up against a team that had just knocked off the leagues leader the week before. As God's mercy would have it, we won the game convincingly. It felt like we had won the Super Bowl. The bus ride hope was memorable.
Events like these can define our future and can become part of our children's and grand children's legacy. At the time, we never know how God is attempting to mold our character as we go thru the valleys of life, facing battles of every kind. He is hard at work whether we know it or not. I have come to believe that the antidote to pride can be multi-layered. In my life, the gift of perseverance has created a yearning for humility. I have found that sometimes success can be a bad teacher if we neglect the lessons God has for us along the way. In my life it has taken the passage of time and a long look-back to understand what was really going on.
Some of my favorite passages that have helped me on my journey are found in The Book of Romans.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I believe I have been given free will not just to choose good over evil, but to choose what is best in God's eyes. I have concluded that what's best for me is found in God's Word. Had I not gone thru the trials I faced in High School I would not truly appreciate the gifts of faith, perseverance, patience, character, and hope.
I have concluded that's not about winning, it's about submission to my Lord and Savior as I travel thru life on earth. Will I allow The Potter to mold the clay? Will I choose humility over pride? Will I allow God to grant me peace in the midst of chaos? As Job reminds me: Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Job 13:15
