Bust Pride in the Mouth Now!

Wow! You’re probably wondering, why so graphic Courtnaye? My answer to that question would be, “Because God hates it.” Plus, you know I’m pretty real! But seriously, it’s actually an abomination unto Him. Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” So you see, God is pretty serious about this, and as His daughter I am too, and so should you. Furthermore, if this is left unchecked, it could be very destructive to our spiritual health and hinder all that God has for us. That’s why I’m talking about it today. I believe it’s time to nip it in the bud and catch it at the root, before it grows into something so detrimental that it demolishes everything that’s important to us…and to God for that fact. So let’s begin to bust it up, so we can conquer this toxic emotion.

I’m going to deal with pride from an angle that you probably might not have thought of before. But for starters, let me say that pride stems straight from the heart. Oh YES! It’s that yucky feeling that stirs around in there, and before you know it, it spews out of your mouth and it shows up in your actions. Have you ever felt that before? Quite frankly, when it happens, others who are sharp or discerning in this area will pick it up on you. To go deeper, it’s that unhealthy sense of personal rights, position, prestige, and persona. It’s a form of arrogance, high opinion of oneself, haughty, exaggerated self-esteem, conceit, and a delight or satisfaction of one’s own achievements (according to Webster’s New World Dictionary). Realistically, the issue of pride comes in many different flavors, and I’ll be the first to tell you that all of them are nasty.

There’s the pride of position. You know when you’ve either received a promotion or one is on the horizon and you start getting this overwhelming sense that you’re going to be somebody and EVERYONE is going to know it. Yuck!

And how about the pride of who you are (or your husband, children, or family) – This is another one that some people can get caught up on. Yuck! Galations 6:3 says, “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Remember, we are nothing without Christ.

And then there’s the pride of knowledge. This is the one where we think we know everything about everything. The truth is…we don’t. In this life, there’s always something that we can learn from others and this takes humility. I’m not saying that we should hide behind a rock, because we may know some things that we feel inclined to share with others. The point here is to make sure that you don’t get puffed up (prideful) once you do come to that knowledge. Wisdom is needed here as to when and how to use or release that knowledge. 1 Corinthians 8:2 says, “While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church.” (NLT) So when you share something that you know with someone, make sure that it's done out of love and edification vs. being prideful of that knowledge. The Holy Spirit is good at nudging us when this begins to fester.

Oh yeah, and what about the pride of life? Been there…unfortunately! That’s the one when you feel this irresistible sense of prestige. You know, the one where you feel like you deserve to have the finer things of life. I mean after all, “We are kingdom kids right?” I remember telling my husband that one day. Ha! You should’ve seen his face. But I could taste the pride coming up before it ever flew out of my mouth. Yuck! I’ll tell you what has helped me though. First John 2:16 which says, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Whoa! The Word of God is quick and powerful! It’s sharper than a double-edged sword…cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” (Hebrews 4:12-13 – KJV/NLT). NOTE: There's nothing wrong with having nice things...the key are the motives behind it all. It's the "why?" behind the "what?" It has to be pure. God is always interested in our true motives and intentions of our heart on the matter.

And last, but certainly not least, is the pride of accomplishments. This is where we have to be careful not to boast about what we’ve done. Remember we can do nothing without the Lord. All glory belongs to God in anything that God has allowed us to do. 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 says, “The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what God has done. When people boast about themselves, it doesn’t count for much. But when the Lord commends someone, that’s different.” (NLT). The other part to this is to let others praise you. That’s actually Scripture. Proverbs 27:2 states, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” This keeps you safe. It doesn’t mean that you can’t say thank you to someone if they give you a compliment for what you’ve achieved or accomplished, you just have to make sure that you remain genuinely humble and give all due glory to God, because without Him, you wouldn’t have been able to accomplish it anyway. Amen!

Listen, the important thing here is recognizing that God hates pride and we need to get rid of every notion of it in our lives. It's downright nasty. I hope you would agree. I’ve learned over the years, that the best thing to do when I feel pride rising up is to quickly recognize it, expose it, and confess it to God once it appears, and repent. I've said something like, “Yuck! Yes Lord. That’s me. Please forgive me of this nasty pride within me. I know it displeases you. I repent. In Jesus name.” Of course, this is just my example. I’m sure you’ll have your own way of doing it, but the point here is that you get rid of it…quickly. I'm often reminded of when Satan got kicked out of heaven because of this. Talk about an immediate demotion and eternal destruction! Note: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18).

So let’s be sober and alert ladies and stay low (humble). The Bible tells us that, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) And we need His grace! So let’s do this! Satan is not playing in this last hour, and neither should we. It’s time to bust pride in the mouth and expose the enemy within! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! And we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. Amen!

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s get ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

P.S.

Here’s a great link for more Scriptures on pride and humility. Memorization and meditation on these verses will help you conquer this! Click here… http://www.openbible.info/topics/pride.

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