On Pride

This is from Charles Stanley's In Touch Daily Devotinal:

June 19, 2005 Keeping Grace Flowing
James 4:1-6

While you can never lose your salvation, you can dam up the grace of God in your life by your attitudes and behavior. Proverbs 6:16-17 states that God hates pride.
Dr. Don McMinn, in his book Spiritual Strongholds, defines pride as "inordinate self-esteem, vainglory, preoccupation with one's self."

McMinn lists some characteristics of pride: "selfish, ostentatious, showy, haughty, egotistical, vain, conceited, loves self, pompous, arrogant, immodest, contentious, narrow-minded, opinionated, loud, boastful, materialistic, demanding, moody, critical, reluctant to accept criticism, highly competitive, desire to always be in control, refusal to admit one's weaknesses,
inflated sense of one's abilities or opinion, inability to accept God's forgiveness."

McMinn's first recommended solution to pride is to develop humility: "At least three times the Bible instructs us to humble ourselves' (Matthew 18:4, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6), so humility can be self-induced. Humility involves confessing our dependence upon God and respect for other people. The Bible promises wisdom (Proverbs 11:2), good tidings (Isaiah 61:1), and honor (Proverbs 15:33) to those who are humble."

All other sins cry out, "I have a need." Pride is the only sin that cries out, "I need nothing. I can manage." And that is exactly why God hates it.


Pride is an area of weakness; it's something I struggle with on a daily basis. I constantly compare myself to others. At work, I constantly find myself wanting to be the best. For what? Not to glorify God, but for human praise. I don't like it, not at all.

I thought this devotion was good because it listed all the synonyms of pride. Selfish, moody, critical, reluctant to accept criticism, highly competitive, desire to always be in control, inability to accept God's forgiveness...these are the ones I struggle with the most.

Praise be to God that He delivers us...the Word says He hears the rightous and delivers them. Well, I certainly am not righteous, but by His blood we all are made to be righteousness.

God is good.

He is so faithful. Well, since I've been saved, my "religion" has been a big secret to my mother's side of the family. She didn't want anyone to find out. I've been scared for the almost 3 years that I've been saved to let my grandmother know. Well, I worried for nothing. Because my relationship with Stephen is growing :) my mother felt like she should "break the news" to my grandmother that I go to church. So she did this weekend. You know what my grandmother said? That she trusted me, and that it was my choice! Praise God! Now, it was flesh that kept me worried. I kept saying to God, "Lord, I don't care if it turns my family against me, then so be it...it has to be that way." When I said that, however, I said it with a lot of fear and uncertainty, like, I hope I can really feel like that. Maybe God just doesn't give me what I can't handle (did I say that right?)...but with Him, He becomes our strength. Jesus wants us to put Him first, you know? Before our family. And I can't worry about what is going to happen. But when my mother told me she was going to tell my grandmother, I had a peace. It's not about me, you know? Somehow I always make it so it is.

What is more important is the salvation of my grandmother. Please pray for her salvation. She is getting elderly and just had a chest infection...thanks to those who prayed for her.

God keeps blessing me in little ways (along with big). He's teaching me that I can't earn His grace, because I sure don't deserve what He does! I'm so used to legalism. I've been really serving God for 2 years now, and my thinking is still so legalistic!

We're all works-in-progress, I guess. I just struggle with the fact that I'm not perfect! :)

The Antagonizer

So my sister Jaime (age 21) is home for the summer. We have a history. When we were younger, I was so incredibly mean to her. She used to annoy me, and still can (today I'm still suffering from the guilt).

Anyway, she likes to say stuff, or do things, that provoke or offend me in regard to my spiritual life. She makes a lot of comments about Jesus. So the other morning as I was in my room she was yelling right outside my door "HOOOLY...the cat is HOOOLY the bathroom is HOOLY the shower is HOOOLY," and so on. Now, she knows I pray in the morning because she has walked in my room (purposely) and found me doing so. I was MAD!!! Oh my goodness, was I mad! I wanted to go outside my room and say to her "Shut up!!!! I'm praying!" But you know what? That's exactly what the enemy wanted me to do. Fits of rage is not one of the fruits of the Spirit. So instead, I prayed. I said "Lord, what would you have me do?" And the verse that came up was from Isaiah 53:
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Now, it's not severe like that, but I think God is trying to tell me to just be longsuffering. It's not about me. I get so mad, but it is not about me! I need to stop complaining, but I'm telling you, she annoyed me. Some of it is anger because she's disrespecting my Father, but some of it, which I'm really ashamed to say, is flesh. But God is good. I don't want to get offended, you know? After I prayed I was able to see it better, but at first I was really fleshy. I get so mad; why can't I just be patient and longsuffering immediately? Well, I guess that's because I have to lean on the Holy Spirit. The Fruit doesn't come from within me, it comes from the Holy Spirit. I have to be in constant communion with Him. But to me, the fact that I was having my devotion and I still got mad says something, and it's not good.

On a better note, I haven't binged in like 3 days! I decided to go to bed as soon as I get home from now on, because I binge at night. It's so tempting, but when I do it it ruins my whole next day and I just hate myself so much. Thank you guys for praying...please keep praying. God shows me I can do nothing in my own strength. It's humbling, but I'm glad He's humbling me.