Pride & Arrogance

I will confess that both of the characteristics have shown themselves at some point in my life. I must fight pride every day. I believe pride and arrogance make everything about me. It’s “my life”; “I deserve more”, or “if you don’t like me as I am, get lost”. These statements and many more scream of pride and arrogance. The statements that I struggle with are much more sneaky and subtle. I often feel entitled to special treatment. I sometimes think in a very prideful or arrogant way, if my heart is not in check.

“All sin can be traced to pride”. This is a quote from my pastor several months back and it stunned me at first. It’s such an absolute statement. I started digging and studying and I believe it’s a true statement. Pride lies deep inside my heart and when it rears its ugly head the results are really messy and disgusting. Isaiah speaks destruction on the people of Israel because of their idol worship, pride and arrogance. Check this out…

¹¹ Human pride will be brought down,
    and human arrogance will be humbled.
Only the Lord will be exalted
    on that day of judgment.

¹² For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    has a day of reckoning.
He will punish the proud and mighty
    and bring down everything that is exalted.  (Isaiah 2:11-12 NLT)

I mostly want what I want. I’m not as concerned with what others want. I don’t always check what I want now, with how this will affect me later. I am very self-centered at times. When my pride and arrogance is out of control I will go for whatever I want at the expense of others as well as at the expense of my future. I have thought things; I have bought things; I have done things that took years to fix or repair. I have idols that are deep in my heart that “fly in the face” of God.

This passage reminded me to look deep inside my motives before they become my actions. I don’t like what I see sometimes. The sin is my life is submerged deep inside. This passage put a light on my soul. I’m reminded that the Lord knows me like no one else. I’m thankful that Jesus came and brought grace. His love and grace dove to the depths of my soul and started dissecting the pride and arrogance that resides there too often. His grace can’t co-exist with pride and arrogance. His grace is winning the fight for my soul. I’ve tasted the freedom that comes in laying down my rights and any power I might have to surrender to Him and His ways. One way or another, my pride and arrogance is going to fall; either voluntarily surrendered or by force at judgement. I’m going to surrender daily my pride and arrogance before it destroys more space in my soul.

Pressing On!

Dwayne