Tag: santification

10 Ways to Revere God’s Holiness

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Revering God’s holiness is essential to our faith. It means recognising His absolute purity, majesty, and separateness from sin and responding with deep respect, love, and obedience. The Bible repeatedly calls us to honour God’s holiness, as seen in 1 Peter 1:15-16, which says:

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”

But how do we practically revere God’s holiness in our daily lives? Here are some ways we can do this:

1. Worship Him in Spirit and Truth

True worship comes from the heart. Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Revering God’s holiness means approaching Him with sincerity, humility, and devotion. Worship should not be mechanical or ritualistic but should flow from an understanding of His greatness.

  • Approach God with sincerity, humility, and a heart devoted to Him (John 4:24).
  • Praise and adore Him through prayer, song, and thanksgiving.

2. Live in Obedience to His Word

Reverence for God is demonstrated through obedience. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep My commands.” Obeying His Word means aligning our lives with His teachings, striving to live a life set apart from sin, and seeking to reflect His righteousness in our actions.

  • Follow His commandments and teachings (John 14:15).
  • Strive to live a holy life, set apart from sin (1 Peter 1:15-16).

3. Approach Him with Reverence in Prayer

Prayer is an intimate conversation with God, but it must also be approached with awe and reverence. Jesus taught us to begin our prayers by acknowledging God’s holiness: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).

  • Pray with awe and respect, acknowledging His greatness (Matthew 6:9).
  • Seek His will rather than simply presenting our own desires.

4. Honour His Name

God’s name is sacred, and we must be careful in how we use it. Exodus 20:7 commands, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Using His name with reverence means avoiding careless speech and ensuring that our words reflect our deep respect for Him.

  • Speak of God with reverence, avoiding casual or disrespectful use of His name (Exodus 20:7).
  • Let our words reflect His holiness in all situations.

5. Study and Meditate on His Word

Spending time in Scripture helps us understand who God is and deepens our reverence for Him. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” By regularly reading, studying, and meditating on the Bible, we develop a greater appreciation for His holiness and guidance in our lives.

  • Spend time reading and meditating on Scripture to know Him better (Psalm 119:11).
  • Apply biblical truths to our daily lives.

6. Repent and Seek Purity

Holiness and sin cannot coexist. 1 John 1:9 assures us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” A heart that truly reveres God seeks purity, repents of sin, and desires to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

  • Confess and turn away from sin, striving for purity of heart (1 John 1:9).
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to transform us into Christ’s image.

7. Fear the Lord in a Healthy Way

The Bible speaks of the “fear of the Lord” as the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). This fear is not terror but deep respect, recognising God’s power, authority, and justice. A healthy fear of God leads us to honour Him, avoid sin, and seek His will in all we do.

  • Have a deep respect for God’s authority, justice, and power (Proverbs 9:10).
  • Recognise that He is both loving and just.

8. Set Apart Time for God

Honouring God’s holiness means prioritising time with Him. Observing a time of rest and worship, such as the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-10), helps us focus on Him without distractions. Personal moments of prayer, reflection, and communion with God also strengthen our reverence for Him.

  • Dedicate time for personal worship, reflection, and communion with Him.
  • Observe a Sabbath rest to focus on God’s presence (Exodus 20:8-10).

9. Honour Him in Our Daily Conduct

Revering God’s holiness should be evident in our actions, not just our words. Colossians 3:12 encourages us to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Our daily conduct should reflect Christ’s love, demonstrating to the world that we serve a holy God.

  • Show love, kindness, and humility as a reflection of His holiness (Colossians 3:12).
  • Let our actions and choices align with His righteousness.

10. Lead Others to Know His Holiness

A life that truly reveres God naturally points others to Him. Sharing the Gospel, encouraging faith in others, and fostering a culture of reverence in our homes and communities are ways to honour His holiness. We should strive to be examples of godly living, inspiring others to seek and worship Him.

  • Share the Gospel and help others grow in their faith.
  • Encourage a culture of reverence in our homes, churches, and communities.

Conclusion

Revering God’s holiness is not just about external actions but about cultivating a heart that genuinely honours Him. Worship, obedience, prayer, repentance, and daily living all play a part in demonstrating our reverence. As we grow in our understanding of His holiness, we draw closer to Him and reflect His glory to the world.

May God give us the grace to truly honour and revere His holiness in all we do!

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** Photo by Alex Andrews at Pexels

When God’s Truth Gets Compromised

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Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And clever in their own sight! ~ Isaiah 5:20-24

The connection between rejecting God’s revealed truth and the widespread moral and spiritual failures within the Church is profound. This issue goes beyond cases of abuse or leadership compromise; it strikes at the heart of how the Church perceives and proclaims the authority of God.

The Importance of God’s Design for Marriage

Marriage is not merely a social construct; it is a sacred institution established by God to symbolize the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:31–32). This covenant reflects God’s character, His faithfulness, and His love for humanity. When leaders reject or distort God’s design for marriage, they are not only undermining biblical teaching—they are denying the authority of the Creator Himself.

When a leader aligns with ideologies that contradict God’s revealed pattern for life and sexuality, they are no longer serving the God they are ordained to represent. By accepting cultural redefinitions of marriage and affirming practices contrary to Scripture, they openly reject God’s authority over creation and dismiss His character as good, wise, and loving.

The Assumption:

• If God’s design for marriage is no longer ‘good,’ then God Himself cannot be good, but that is a lie. Psalm 145:9 states, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

• If God’s definition of marriage is labeled ‘offensive’ or ‘homophobic,’ then God is cast as a dictator rather than a loving Creator, but that is a lie. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

• If God’s Word is dismissed as irrelevant in modern society, the Church does not lose its foundation or witness, as this claim is a lie. The gates of hell will not prevail against the true Church, which is not confined to manmade denominations but is the community of faithful believers (Matthew 16:18). Scripture, such as Hebrews 4:12, affirms that God’s Word is alive, active, and transformative, reaching the depths of human nature and exposing truth.

When Church leaders publicly reject the biblical definition of marriage, they reject Christ Himself. This is not a small error; it is a profound act of betrayal. Leadership in the Church requires not just personal faith but a commitment to defend and proclaim the truth of God’s Word, no matter the cultural pressures.

The Connection to Abuse and Cover-Ups

This rejection of God’s authority is deeply connected to the Church’s failure to address abuse. The same leaders who abandon biblical teaching on marriage and sexuality are often the ones who prioritize institutional reputation over justice and truth. Both failures stem from a desire to appease societal trends or maintain power rather than honor God and protect His flock.

The many abuse cases demonstrates the disastrous consequences of this approach. When leaders fail to bring sin into the light, they betray victims, misrepresent Christ, and erode trust in the Church. The attempt to cover up abuse is not merely a failure of human judgment—it is a rejection of the gospel’s call to repentance, justice, and restoration.

Cultural Capitulation Harms the Gospel

The broader cultural capitulation to ideologies around marriage, gender, and sexuality has only deepened the Church’s crisis. By aligning itself with these movements, the Church sends a message that God’s Word is outdated or incorrect. This not only leads Christians astray but gives secular ideologies the power to infiltrate and reshape the Church’s teaching.

For instance, under compromised leadership:

• Children are taught unbiblical ideologies in schools, often endorsed by Church policies.

• Faithful Christians are ostracized for upholding Scripture, losing jobs and reputations.

• Sinful behaviors are affirmed, leaving many under the false impression that they are in right standing with God.

These failures have eternal consequences. Scripture warns that those who live unrepentantly in sin will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9). Leaders who affirm sin or fail to call for repentance are complicit in leading others away from salvation.

Rejecting Christ Through Compromise

The rejection of God’s design for marriage is not a mere doctrinal misstep; it is a rejection of Christ Himself. The Archbishop of Canterbury, and leaders like him, disqualify themselves from spiritual leadership by their blatant denial of foundational truths.

The Bible makes clear that leaders will be judged more strictly by God because their actions and words influence others, they have a big responsibility. They’re supposed to guide others toward God and live as good examples. If they lead people the wrong way, they’re held accountable for that (James 3:1). Matthew 7:15–20 warns us to watch out for leaders who seem good on the outside but don’t actually live in a way that honors God. Jesus says you can tell who they really are by their “fruit.”

If a leader’s actions show compromise, dishonesty and cause spiritual harm, they’re not following Jesus faithfully. In fact, they’re going against Him, no matter what they claim. This kind of behavior is “anti-Christ,” opposing what Jesus stands for. When the fruit of leadership is compromise, deceit and confusion, it is evidence of a failure to remain faithful to Christ.

In short: Leaders have a heavy responsibility to lead well. If their actions don’t match their words and they cause harm instead of helping, again, it shows they aren’t being faithful to Christ. That’s why we need to be careful and pay attention to what kind of “fruit” their leadership produces.

This is not a minor issue. Leaders who reject biblical truth about marriage, sexuality, or holiness cannot effectively shepherd God’s people. They have aligned themselves with a worldview that is “at enmity with God” (James 4:4).

A Call to Repentance and Reform

The solution to these intertwined issues—abuse cover-ups and doctrinal compromise—lies in repentance and a return to biblical faithfulness. The Church must:

1. Appoint leaders who are born-again, Spirit-filled, and uncompromising in their commitment to Scripture.

2. Hold leaders accountable to God’s standards, not human traditions or cultural pressures.

3. Confront sin openly and pursue justice for victims, trusting in God’s power to restore and heal.

The Church must reject the temptation to conform to societal ideologies and instead boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel. As Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

True freedom—freedom from sin, deception, and spiritual harm—comes only through faithfulness to Christ. Leaders who reject this truth and lead others astray bring judgment upon themselves and harm the Church’s witness.

Let us pray for a revival of truth and faithfulness within the Church. May God raise up leaders who will honor His Word, protect His people, and restore the Church’s commitment to the gospel. Only through His grace can the Church be cleansed and renewed.

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***Based on CEO Andrea Williams article at Christian Concern / Photo by Lil Artsy at Pexels

Why Jealousy and Envy are Soul Destroyers

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One of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not covet.” Proverbs 27:4 reminds us of the destructive power of envy: “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?” Envy and jealousy are not fleeting emotions—they can erode relationships, cloud judgment, and separate us from God’s peace.

A person’s attitude in life is all-important. Much of the work of counseling involves helping people accept their reality and reshape their attitudes. Many people harbor poor attitudes about themselves, others, and even God. Unfortunately, it is human nature to compare ourselves to others. Jealousy and envy are often the toxic results of this comparison, combining anger, insecurity, fear, and greed.

Jealousy, like its cousin envy, is a silent and destructive force. It can hide for years, silently scheming, until it strikes through slander, gossip, or even violence. Jealousy involves desiring what others have, while envy resents others for their blessings. Both attitudes are the opposite of love and aim to see others fail. They stem from an inability to recognize God’s provision in our lives and a lack of gratitude. James 3:16 warns us that “where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

Comparison, low self-esteem, and a desire for status or attention fuel jealousy and envy. Social media and a lack of meaningful relationships can amplify these feelings, as can a lack of intimacy with God. Life is not about possessions or status. Coveting what others have is idolatry, as it places material things or success above God. God promises to provide for our needs, and He calls us to store up treasures in heaven by living generously and faithfully.

To overcome jealousy and envy, we must first acknowledge their presence in our hearts. We need to humble ourselves before God, asking Him to reveal the motives and feelings behind these emotions. Once we’ve confessed these sins to Christ, we can begin the process of transformation.

  1. Cultivate Gratitude.
    Gratitude is a powerful antidote to envy. Reflect on the blessings in your life and thank God daily, even for the small things. The Psalms are a wonderful resource for turning thankfulness into prayer. Gratitude shifts our focus from what we lack to what God has already provided.
  2. Avoid Comparison Traps.
    Social media often paints a false picture of people’s lives, fueling unhealthy comparisons. Instead, focus on activities that nourish your soul and draw you closer to God. Remember that God does not judge us by outward appearances, wealth, or accomplishments—He looks at the heart.
  3. Focus on Jesus.
    When we fix our eyes on Jesus, our perspective changes. Jesus modeled humility and selflessness, and He reminds us that eternal treasures matter more than worldly possessions or status. Living to please God brings peace and joy, knowing that we are saved by grace, not by our achievements.
  4. Understand the Root Causes.
    Analyze the triggers for jealousy and envy in your life. Why do certain people or situations provoke these feelings? Talking with trusted friends, counselors, or pastors can help uncover underlying issues and past wounds. Healing often begins when we confront these root causes and surrender them to God.
  5. Pray for Others and Yourself.
    Praying for the people you envy transforms your heart. Genuine prayer moves us from resentment to love and helps us see others through God’s eyes. It also deepens our relationship with God, who has given us unique talents and opportunities to serve others. True growth happens when we embrace these gifts and use them to glorify God.

Contentment is key to overcoming envy and jealousy. When we trust God as our provider, we stop striving for things that don’t truly satisfy. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us to “keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

By cultivating gratitude, avoiding comparison, focusing on Jesus, addressing the root causes of envy, and growing through prayer, we align ourselves with God’s truth. These steps free us from the bondage of jealousy and lead to a life of peace, joy, and love.

Life is not about possessions, status, or recognition. It is about walking faithfully with God, trusting His plan, and rejoicing in His provision. As you surrender your struggles to God, remember His promise in Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Seek Him first, and He will replace jealousy with peace, envy with love, and fear with contentment.

Prayer to Overcome Jealousy and Embrace Contentment

Heavenly Father,
We come before You with humble hearts, acknowledging that jealousy and envy can creep into our lives and cloud our vision of Your goodness. Lord, search our hearts and reveal any sinful attitudes that hinder our walk with You. Help us to surrender these feelings to You, trusting in Your abundant grace and provision.

Teach us to be content with what You have given us and to trust that Your plans for our lives are good. Fill us with gratitude for Your blessings, both great and small, and remind us daily of Your steadfast love and faithfulness.

Lord, protect us from the traps of comparison and the lies of the enemy that tell us we are not enough. Instead, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Help us to find joy in serving You and others with the unique gifts You have entrusted to us.

Give us the strength to love those around us genuinely, even when envy tries to take root. Teach us to celebrate the successes of others and to pray for their well-being with sincere hearts. May our lives reflect Your love, which does not envy but rejoices in the truth.

Father, remind us that true joy and peace are found in Your presence, not in earthly possessions or status. Guide us to store up treasures in Heaven and to seek first Your Kingdom and righteousness.

We thank You for Your promise that You will never leave us nor forsake us. Fill us with Your Spirit, transforming our hearts and minds to be more like Christ. May we walk in freedom, contentment, and the joy that comes from knowing You.

In Jesus’ name, we pray,
Amen.

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** By Fritz Chery at Bible reasons + Michael Linn a licensed professional counsellor, Resolute Counseling.com + Quote by Dr. Bill Edgar former president of Geneva Edu and pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church / Photo by Brett Jordan at Pexels

10 Ways We Grieve The Holy Spirit

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In Ephesians 4:30-32, we are shown three things that grieve the Holy Spirit.

The word grieve in this text means to throw somebody into sorrow and to affect somebody with sadness. That tells us that the Holy Spirit is not a ghost, force, power, wind, oil, or a dove without a personality. He is a Person who lives within us, and we, as Christians, have the ability to have a relationship with Him. We also have the ability to cause Him deep heartbreak.

10 Things To Watch Out For

1. Toxic Emotions

We grieve the Holy Spirit when we hold on to toxic emotions. Bitterness, wrath, and clamor all describe toxic emotions. The closer we get to the Lord, the more we’ll become aware of these emotions and let them go. 

2. Grudges

The reason many of us love to hold onto a grudge is that it takes time and energy to build, and we are unsure of who we are without it. People believe that harboring resentment stops them from getting hurt again. These things all make sense to our hurting minds, but the Bible warns against such choices. You cannot host the Holy Ghost and harbour a grudge.

You can have the Holy Spirit and harbor a grudge, but you cannot host Him. When you host somebody in your home, they get your attention and respect. 

We cannot host the Holy Ghost properly if we harbor things in our hearts.

3. Offense

Offense is like an automatic weapon – once you pull the trigger, it keeps firing. It is always tied to pride and control. Your offense might give you an excellent, logical reason why you should feel or act that way, but as you yield to it, the sweet grace of the Holy Spirit is withdrawing.

Jesus said we will be offended in this world (Luke 17:1). We will get offended and hurt. But what hurts the Holy Spirit’s feelings is when we hold onto our hurt feelings and develop theories, gossip, switch churches, and become people who hold on to toxic emotions. When we allow these toxic emotions in our hearts, they become deep-seated bitterness.

4. Bitterness

Bitterness is different from offense:

• Betrayal is what people do to you; bitterness is what you do to yourself. 

• Bitterness is internal, and betrayal is external. 

• Anybody can be betrayed, but bitterness is optional. 

When you are not a believer in Christ, it is so easy to fall into that choice. A Spirit-filled believer needs to understand that it breaks the Holy Spirit’s heart when we hold on to bitterness.

5. Unforgiveness

When you release forgiveness to someone who wronged you, you are not setting them free; you are setting your future free. When you stay in that state of bitterness and unforgiveness, the person hurt is actually you. Holding unforgiveness is like drinking rat poison and hoping a rat dies from it.

We all encounter these feelings but when we permit them to stay and grow, they push away intimacy with the Holy Spirit. You may still read the Bible and go to church but if you are holding onto the past, the Holy Spirit cannot be released to flow freely in your life. I encourage you today to let go and let God. The Holy Spirit wants to inhabit you so powerfully, but He cannot inhabit a vessel that is filled with toxic emotions. You need to keep your heart pure for the Holy Spirit.

6. Evil Speaking

The Holy Spirit is grieved when our speech is morally rotten (Ephesians 4:29). What is the first thing the Holy Spirit does when He fills us – we speak in other tongues. If your tongue is not cleansed, the Holy Spirit is grieved. When Isaiah came into the presence of God, the first thing he noticed was that his tongue was unclean.

7. Cursing

The Bible says when Peter denied Jesus, he cursed and swore. That was the state of somebody who denied Jesus. Anybody who allows cursing to come out of their mouths already has something broken in their relationship with God. No Christian should be guilty of such unbecoming talk. Abort those thoughts quickly in your head and don’t give birth to them by speaking them out of your mouth.

8. Lying And Exaggerating

Lying is deceit. Deceit often requires sufficient truth to make something seem realistic, valid, or appear true, while in reality, it is not. Partial truth is not truth but a little lie. Exaggeration is not a mistake; it is a lie. When you exaggerate or present a half-truth, you align yourself with the father of lies. Remember, the Holy Spirit’s name is the Spirit of Truth. He honors and loves the truth.

9. Harsh Speech

Christians should speak with a sense of the grace of God in our words (Colossians 4:6). “The way it is” often hurts – we should give more grace than that. Even if we are correcting or reproving somebody, we cannot do it raw; it must be correctly seasoned with grace. The person might have messed up but they are not a mess. That is grace.

10. Rudeness To People

We grieve the Holy Spirit when we are rude to people (Ephesians 4:32).

The Scriptures say Jesus did not break a bruised reed. That is talking about people, not plants. You encounter people who are ‘bruised’ as the Scripture describes them. They vent on you. They act out of their brokenness and can be harsh to you unfairly. Instead of replying harshly and breaking them down, you can come with understanding that they are hurting. For the Holy Spirit to remain upon us, there has to be a pursuit of kindness, humility, goodness and forgiveness.

The Holy Spirit is deeply affected by how we treat people. He loves people so much. When He sees injustice or that somebody becomes harsh and loses tenderness in their heart, He is grieved.

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*** By Vladimir Savchuk © Copyright – Vladimir Savchuk. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author at HungryGen / Photo Pixabay

7 Ways Pride Grows in Our Hearts

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In his excellent book, Humility, Andrew Murray states that “pride is the beginning of every sin.” The puritan Thomas Watson said of pride, “It is a spiritual drunkenness; it flies up like wine into the brain and intoxicates it. It is idolatry; a proud man is a self-worshiper.” The Bible states, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Pray that God will place the mi

Pride is universal—something we all deal with, ancient as Adam and relevant as the morning news. Yet we don’t always see it, for it grows like weeds around our lives.

Oh, we see it in the obvious ways, but we can be blind to its deceptive, subversive presence in our hearts. We know the disease, but we don’t recognize the symptoms. And that’s why we need the insight of our Great Physician to reveal its symptoms and release us from its grip.

Here are seven symptoms of pride I’ve been seeing in God’s Word as the Spirit works in my own life.

1. Fear

Pride is at the root of fear and anxiety when we refuse to humbly rest in God’s sovereign care. Fear simultaneously reveals our lack of trust and our poisonous self-reliance. We fear because we don’t have faith in the Lord, are enormously preoccupied with ourselves, and lack self-control.

When Peter stepped out on the stormy sea to come to Jesus, he was walking in humble faith. But when his gaze shifted to his circumstances and to self-preservation, he trusted in himself, became afraid, and began to sink. Jesus saved him while admonishing him: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31).

2. Entitlement

Self-sacrifice stems from a humble heart. Entitlement is rooted in a prideful heart.

The core of the gospel is that we are not entitled to anything except just punishment for our sins (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). Yet we deceive ourselves into thinking we’re better than we are, and deserve better than we have. We think we deserve God’s mercy. We think we deserve people’s praise. We think we deserve love, success, comfort, accolades. We certainly don’t think we deserve suffering, heartbreak, or discipline.

But when we experience these things, we grow bitter, frustrated, and disturbed because we believe we’re entitled to more. We forget that apart from Jesus we are rebels who deserve only condemnation.

The disciples regularly wrestled with entitlement. On one occasion, they were arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus’s response was a rebuke: “Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” (Luke 22:26).

3. Ingratitude

Our proud hearts say that we’re good, that we should get what we want, and if we don’t, that we’re justified in our ingratitude. If we’re somehow uncomfortable or inconvenienced, we can complain. It’s our right. Humility, meanwhile, recognizes that God is good and gives us what we need, so we have no reason to be ungrateful. We lack nothing (Deut. 2:7; Ps. 34:9).

The Israelites grumbled in the wilderness, though God fed, clothed, and led them through it (Ex. 16:2; Deut. 8:2). Their stubborn hearts rejected God’s daily mercies out of self-idolization. But God’s Word rebukes our whining: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent” (Phil. 2:14–15).

4. People-Pleasing

Pride is self-worship and self-preservation at all costs—and people-pleasing is the direct result. Some think people-pleasing is a positive trait because they’re so clearly concerned with serving others. But that’s nothing more than a sneaky sheepskin we put over a wolfish habit. People-pleasing is all about self-satisfaction—fearing man more than God—and seeking the fleeting happiness that comes from man’s approval.

The apostle Paul knew human approval was a pointless and prideful pursuit. Thus he could say, “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).

5. Prayerlessness

Pride deceives us into thinking we can “do life” on our own—we’re capable, independent, unstoppable, self-reliant. We think that we don’t need God every hour, that we don’t need his help, grace, mercy, courage, and hope. So, surely, we don’t need to pray.

But a humble heart submits itself to God in prayer because it knows it can do nothing without him.

When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah’s response was not to go to God in prayer. Instead, he fled, his heart furiously and arrogantly silent (Jonah 1:3). Only when God humbled him in the fish’s belly did Jonah finally cry out in prayer (2:1).

6. Hypocrisy

When you’re proud, you elevate your status, forgetting the mercy God has shown you. You think you’re better than everyone else, so you easily find fault with others. Pride produces a hypocritical spirit.

The Pharisees’ hypocritical pride blinded them both to their sin and to God’s mercy—which made them cold-hearted and cruel toward others. Jesus had harsh words for them:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. (Matt. 23:27)

7. Rebellion

Rebellion against God manifests itself in resistance to God’s Word and God-ordained spiritual leaders. It’s the reflex of a prideful heart. It also shows itself in a lack of submission—wives to husbands, children to parents, employees to bosses, citizens to government. Rebellion says, I know better than you, God, when I don’t.

Even though Adam and Eve had all they needed for life and joy, they pridefully rebelled against God’s good decree, thinking they knew better than him. And this ancient rebellion brought untold pain, suffering, and death—for them and us.

Humbled for Us

Yet there is hope for the proud heart in the incarnation of humility, Jesus Christ. Immanuel—God with us—condescended to live among us, die for us, and raise us to new life. He never had a shred of sinful pride—no fear, no entitlement, no ingratitude, no people-pleasing, no prayerlessness, no hypocrisy, no rebellion (Phil. 2:4–6).

The God-man emptied himself of all he deserved to save us from all we deserve. He who was entitled to the highest honor forfeited it for our eternal good.

Because of his humility, we can be forgiven of our pride. That’s both the sting and the joy of the gospel. It deals with our pride by destroying it, reminding us that life is not about us, and that we deserve only the wrath of God. Jesus also deals with our pride by taking the just punishment for it on himself, that we might be renewed in the image of our Creator (Col. 3:10) and made humble like our Savior.

Being humbled is not smooth or painless, but it’s the daily rescue we need. Hallelujah to the Redeemer we have.

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*** By Jaquelle Crowe at The Gospel Coalition + Missionary Rob Jackson / Photo at Pexels