Pride may be the chief of all sinful states. I don’t mean the kind of pride that elates you when you see your child accomplish something great. I mean the kind of pride that moves you to look down on others because of what you think your own status is, or should be. I also mean the kind of pride that keeps you from admitting a fault, or asking for forgiveness, or trying something new because of how you believe it may trigger others to view you. That kind of pride is forged in self deception. That deception is demonic, and designed to keep you at the pinnacle of your values hierarchy instead of God.
This kind of pride is selfishness. Selfish pride gets between you and God. When you are filled with selfish pride, you won’t go to the altar and willfully humble yourself in sacrifice. And you won’t give up an honor that you think belongs to you if God asks you to lower yourself and do something for his purposes. In fact, pride, like all sin, will promote a separation between you and all that is from God. Consider Psalms 10:4 where we’re told that the prideful person doesn’t seek God, and even deteriorates to the point that he may even say that there is no God. This selfish pride is the falling domino that leads to your own self destruction (Proverbs 16:18-19). In such a state, you no longer fear God, and because of that, you lose the roots of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
To be separated from God in this way is to be separated from true riches, true life and true honor (Proverbs 22:4).
Of course, getting rid of pride doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t care about yourself. It means that you put things in the right perspective. Paul tells us to look after not only our own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4). In looking out for our interests, as well as the interests of others, we should not try to elevate ourselves, but instead, we should work to elevate those around us. Doing this will be one barrier against the growth of selfishness and pride.
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