The Disease of Spiritual Pride, Conclusion – Healing

Alas, how much pride the best have in their hearts! It is the worst part of the body of sin and death; the first sin that ever entered into the universe and the last that is rooted out. It is God’s most stubborn enemy! From Jonathan Edwards’ Seven Signs of Spiritual Pride: Undetected Spiritual Pride

Scripture has this to say in part about GOD’s attitude towards the proud –  He despises, detests, opposes, destroys, punishes, rebukes, scatters, and separates Himself from such. Nothing positive here!  

• The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, the LORD God of hosts has declared: "I loathe the arrogance of Jacob.” Amos 6:8
• He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. Luke 1:51

While the proud are an abomination to GOD, He adores the humble and bestows on them grace, favor, riches, honor and, best of all, righteousness through His Son.

To serve with humility is to serve like JESUS who, though He was GOD (John 1:1&14; 10:30), chose to become a servant and Savior to the world, took on the nature of common man and went to the cross in our place as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. (Philippians 2:6-8). GOD honors those who honor His SON.

Believers can be dangerously unaware of spiritual pride.

Jonathan Edwards describes spiritual pride as our secret enemy – “…because of the nature of spiritual pride, it is the most secret of all sins. There is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable and there is no other sin in the world that men are so confident in. The very nature of it is to work self-confidence and drive away any suspicion of any evil of that kind.”

Spiritual pride produces a false confidence within us and hides the evil inherent in it so well, so as to deceive us into thinking that we are offering our best service to GOD when, in truth, we are dishonoring everything that He is.

Fortunately, we have a Father who loves us and is the GOD who sees and knows everything about us – El Roi is HIS NAME. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13.)
If we belong to GOD, He will rescue us even from our secret faults.

Scripture tells us that “The Lord knows those who are his;, and Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19. When the Holy Spirit reveals to us what is buried in our hearts, to correct our sinful behavior, we ought to listen and act immediately. 

If we truly love GOD we want to avoid becoming hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:7-19).

The path to serving with humility, joy and truth.

There is but one way to restore a broken relationship and heal a transgression against GOD – confession, repentance, praise and prayer; and this is what got me over.Once I became aware of what I had become in GOD’s eyes. I confessed my sin of pride and repented for the strange fire I had been offering to Him that had grieved His Holy Spirit. 

For weeks I sought GOD’s heart to heal mine but being mindful that nothing of my own would be enough, I gave back to GOD what I could have confidence in, that which was His, the promises in His WORD. I asked HIM to be true to Himself and to –

• Show me all the sins lurking in my heart and cleanse me from hidden faults (Psalm 19)
• Continue to search me and show me when (not if) I begin to stray again and lead me back to Him (Psalm 139)
• Set a guard over my mouth and keep my heart from all evil (Psalm 141)
• Cleanse me of my unrighteousness and wash me of my sin (Psalm 51)
• Teach me wisdom to recognize my own desires and temptations; to speak less and listen more; to be a doer of His word and not just a hearer (James 1)
• Give me understanding according to His word so I can love His Law. (Psalm 119)
• Strengthen me with power through His Spirit in my inner being, so that CHRIST may dwell in my heart through faith and fill me love that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 4)

And so restoration begins...

Since GOD cannot deny Himself He will not reject a broken contrite spirit (Psalm 51). GOD is patient with us because He wants none to be destroyed and everyone to repent. His desire is for us to be healed from our sin-sickness; and so we shall be, if we listen and obey.

Know that as long as we are in these bodies we are vulnerable to failure.

“The old nature never does improve, it is as earthly, and sensual, and devilish in the saint of eighty years of age as it was when first he came to Christ.”  ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 Satan hates GOD and he hates those who love GOD and wish to serve Him faithfully. His mission daily is to devise ways to deceive us into sinning against the Father. Scripture warns us to, Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Sin devours our trust in GOD, destroys our faith and puts a wedge of deceit between us and our Father. Our only sure-fire weapon against the enemy’s fiery darts of temptation is GOD’s WORD and constant prayer..

… if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

We will never be good enough, or strong enough spiritually on our own but there is ONE who is all of that; JESUS who our Father sent to save us. If we are serious about putting spiritual pride aside to become acceptable servants of GOD, we must take our focus off ourselves and fix our eyes on Him.

JESUS, our model for living and serving in grace and truth.

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our good GOD and faithful Father. YOU, O LORD are good, YOUR unfailing love continues forever, and YOUR faithfulness continues to each generation. Because YOU first loved us YOU gave YOUR SON who suffered and died for our sinful pride and arrogance. Father, teach us to be more like HIM, a humble and meek servant, ready to give ourselves for others, not for us but for YOUR NAME and YOUR renown. We are grateful that YOU are patient with us, warning us by YOUR Spirit and waiting to reconcile us back to your grace.  Father, we thank YOU for healing us of the disease of pride, forgiving our sins and redeeming our lives from the darkness and into your marvelous light, so we can be called children, through JESUS CHRIST, our Redeemer and LORD, in whose precious NAME we ask all things. To Him be all honor and glory!  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile