If there is one sin issue that has made me wish for a full and complete cure of my daily struggle with sin, it is pride. Although often internal, my pride doesn’t just affect my heart; it also affects all of my relationships. It stands as the surest and quickest way to get my focus off of my Creator. It even clouds my “good” deeds.
Chris was out sick on Sunday, which meant that FBC had the privilege of hearing teaching from John Pleasnick. John spoke on 1 Peter 5:5-7, explaining what God’s word says about pride and humility.
Many points from his talk were penetrating to my heart, because I know the depths of my struggle with this particular sin. It was point number two, though, that stood as a sobering reminder to me of the serious nature of pride. John said, “God is actively opposed to the proud.” He went on to explain that it isn’t that God has a low-level frustration toward us when we struggle with pride, but he is OPPOSED to us in more of a battle sense.
Whenever the sin of pride crops up in my life—which is often—one of the lies I tell myself is that it isn’t that big of a deal. After all, everyone struggles with pride, right? The problem is, just because pride is common doesn’t mean that it isn’t serious. All I have to do is read Proverbs 16:5 to know this: “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.”
Once the depth and severity of my sin of pride is clear, then I am ready to get to the good news. John explained much of the good news in 1 Peter 5, detailing the joy and blessings that come from putting on humility.
For me, the BEST news is to remember that I CANNOT get rid of sin on my own, and my Heavenly Father knows this. For believers, it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength, drive and means to combat the sin of pride and pursue humility. Praise God for that!
For those who are unclear whether you struggle with pride, please take some time to listen to John’s sermon. He explains how pride can be disguised as worry or anxiety, but the root is the same. Personally, it took knowing more of how pride manifests before I was able to identify it in my life, and I am extremely thankful that God opened my eyes to it.