Dangerous Pride

Whenever I recall my rebellious teen phase, I smile and cringe at the same time. I remember when I would never listen to my parents and did what I felt was right. I remember times when I lashed out at people who tried to bring me down and thought that I deserved respect and distance. Simply put, I was prideful and brash. But hey, a lot of teenagers go through that. Looking back though, it was so silly because it came in conflict with everything that I am learning now. Pride is the illusion that veils responsibility. Pride is the roadblock from Christ, because Christ is the ultimate sign of humility. The problem is, pride is a “Catch 22.” If you are prideful, then you probably don't know it until you have a taste of humility. Fortunately, there is a solution. It takes the form of, you guessed it, the Holy Bible! So let's take a look, shall we? (I feel like Mr. Rogers)

Read 1 Peters 5:1-14.
What strikes me the most in this passage is “God opposes the proud.” God actually opposed me when I was blinded by pride. My God, the One who created me and the entire universe, stood against my pride at that point in my life, and that is definitely humbling. My pride vs. God. You can't even make odds for that kind of match-up. Another wake-up call is knowing that pride opens the door to sin. Satan preys on those who are prideful, and the above passage tells us to resist the attacks. Therefore, the best way to defend against it is to remain humble. Being humble is a huge challenge, and is something I am currently grappling with. What really helps is to keep yourself in check, particularly the tongue. Before you say something, think about it for a second. Does it really help? Is it appropriate? Does it even matter? Another important thing to do is to strip away your perspective of yourself. For me, I just realized that I am not No. 1. It also helps to retain a serving heart. Do things that you normally wouldnt for your friends and family. I know it's hard but its a new year, so make it a resolution or something. Know that God rewards the humble and strikes down the prideful, so you should strike down your pride before He does. But be encouraged, because according to the passage, “you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”


Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
It’s Senior High Retreat this weekend. Pray for those going, that the Holy Spirit will continue working in their lives.