The Peril of Pride

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Jun Malazo

Over a year and a half ago, my second son began to experience pain and tightness in the area of his heart.  He had complained about this when he was a little boy, but now as a teenager the pain is more frequent and intense.  This caused my wife and me to take some serious steps in our lives. 

This meant numerous doctor’s appointments at several different hospitals in the Philippines.  We’ve had to travel a great distance for our son to be seen by many specialists.  While still living in Canada, hospital visits were also frequent as we dealt with our other children’s health conditions during their early childhood years. 

I’ve noticed something that is common in every hospital that I have visited.  In every hospital there is always a designated area called a “quarantine room” or an “isolation room.”  These types of areas are also found in airports all around the world.

The whole idea of a quarantine room or an isolation room is to contain and control something that may be dangerous to the general public. 

In hospitals, many are quarantined for serious illnesses in order to prevent a potential pandemic disease.  Governments and other organizations around the world take these matters seriously.  They know that once something dangerous becomes uncontrolled it has the potential to cause irreversible and catastrophic events.

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Pride is a serious problem.  It is often left unchecked and uncontrolled which always brings devastating results in our lives.  The Bible is replete with warnings about the problem of pride and its potential danger.  At some point in your life you have fallen prey to the peril of pride.  It will be something all of us will struggle with for the rest of our lives.  But there is a remedy.

First, we need to understand what pride is.  Pride in its simplest definition is the promotion and exaltation of self.  Jeff Redlin, pastor and author, says the following about pride:

“It resists instruction and submission.  Pride is hidden when it is coddled, and it flares when its demands are denied.  It easily finds fault in others and struggles to give genuine praise.  It is hellish in every form.”

It is pride that makes me want my way no matter what others may think or feel.  Pride gives no room for grace.  Pride’s ultimate goal is to please self.

Secondly, it is important for us understand how God views pride.  Pride, no matter how you view it, is sin in God’s eyes.  Notice the strong words used in the following verses about the sin of pride:

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."  (Proverbs 8:13)

"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,"  (Proverbs 6:16-17)

People from all types backgrounds often make a common but major mistake thinking that God is just all love.  It is true that love is one of God’s characteristics.  However, He is also just and holy.  According to the verses above, there are a number of things He hates. 

In fact, God hates the sin of pride so much that it caused Lucifer alongside of a third of the heavenly hosts to be kicked out of heaven (see Isaiah 14:12-14).  Lucifer, who became Satan, wanted to be like God in power but not in character.

Thirdly, it is also important for us to understand God’s attitude towards the sin of pride.  I believe this is a most crucial fact that Christians need to understand.  Notice the following verse:

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."  (James 4:6)

The word resisteth means that God opposes the proud.  He positions Himself opposite the person walking in pride.  It means to oppose as in battle.  Let me ask you, do you want to go to battle against God?  This is very crucial because we need God’s help in every area of our lives.  Without God we can do nothing.  For God to resist or oppose us means we cannot have spiritual victory in our lives.  It will also mean that our prayers will be hindered. 

It is really hard to completely comprehend the wide-reaching extent of what pride will do to our lives.  Here are a few characteristics of pride that will hopefully help us gain a better understanding of its damaging effects.  First, pride is deceptive.  Since pride exalts self, it blinds us from seeing the truth.  It distorts our view of God, others, and of self.  It gives us a false view of who we are.  It also gives us a false sense of entitlement.  Pride hinders us from doing what is right in God’s eyes.

David was a great man of God.  He is known to Bible scholars as “the man after God’s own heart.”  God allowed him to accomplish great things in his life as he became one of the greatest king Israel has ever known.  Yet, pride destroyed his life.  Pride led him to think that he could get away with sin.  His sin led to the destruction of his kingdom and his family. 

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."  (Proverbs 16:18)

The second characteristic of pride is that it is divisive.  Pride is the source of all broken relationships.  Notice the verse below:

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."  (Proverbs 13:10)

The word contention comes from a Hebrew word that means a quarrel, debate or strife.  Pride is the source of all divisions in communities, churches, families, marriages, and work places.  If pride is not restrained, it can ruin relationships for generations to come as it keeps us trapped in a vicious cycle.  Pride keeps us from acknowledging our wrongdoing. 

If there is no acknowledgment of any wrong doing, then true repentance and forgiveness can never take place.  In turn, healing doesn’t happen as we hold onto our pride and the cycle continues.

Lastly, pride is destructive. 

"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit."  (Proverbs 29:23)

The sin of pride gives ground for the Satan to gain control of our lives.  Satan will plant seeds of wrong thoughts in our minds.  He makes us focus on our hurt feelings, our rights, and our needs.  Pride is so destructive that it makes us think only of ourselves by fulfilling our selfish desires while hurting others along the way.

So how do we contain and control pride so it will not make our lives miserable?

Getting back to my visits in various hospitals, another fact I have noticed is that several types of trash bins are found in hospital observation rooms.  A special bin, usually found mounted on the wall, is for containing used syringes and other medical supplies that may carry infectious diseases.  It is sealed tightly and clearly labelled.  Why do you think the hospital administration enforces such a policy?  Why can’t the trash just be mixed in one general container?  The answer, of course, is to prevent potential danger to others.  Pride, once we detect it, must be contained, sealed and taken away.

Pride is something that is ingrained in our sinful nature.  It will be something that we will have to deal with for the rest of our earthly lives.  Every single day we will be confronted with choosing self or others first.  How we respond to it is what will matter. 

We can never stop people from doing hurtful things to us, but we can always control how we respond to them.  The key to the remedy for pride is the choice of how we will act when the feeling of pride whelms up in our heart.  There are two ways we can respond to pride. 

We can feed our pride or we can starve it by choosing to respond in humility.  When we respond in humility, God will give us the grace to overcome the sin of pride.

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."  (James 4:6)