So I repent of pride

So Lord, I repent of this. 

Pride deludes you of yourself. Your abilities, your strength, your 'power'.

Hab 2:4  “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. 

The Lord spoke to Habakkuk about the pride of Babylon and it's pretty much the same for every proud man. What comes after self glory? "not upright within him". It's an easy equation that:

mind that says "I am great" + action of pride = sin

From Daniel 5:23b

And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Photo by Kunj Parekh on Unsplash

Daniel was talking to Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, who did nothing but glorify himself of his possessions and forget who all those things came from. He knew what happened to his father. 

Nebuchadnezzar was a proud man and so God punished him. God gave him some sort of sickness that he became like an animal, a "beast" (Daniel 5:21). However, Nebuchadnezzar repented, he eventually recognized he was not god, that there is true God whom he should worship and that is the God of Daniel, the one true God. 

Pride is a tricky road. I am also guilty of this. I would think I know better. I thought I am the one wiser but God would show me that my soul is puffed up, therefore I do this and I do that. 

One time, in a bible study, I was listening but I didn't like how the teaching was going. It was not the system I know it should be done. It was not false teaching but I was just not comfortable with the 'style'. So I had lesson in my mind on how it should be taught and along the way, I find myself not listening anymore because I thought, I know this more than the speaker. The lesson ended and the group shared how the lesson was helpful to them and that it convicted them. 

I thought, why can't I share my own reflection? Then, I realized, I was in a different bible study, I was not with them. I was on my own bible study. I am proud and so I repent of this. 

Like what Daniel told Belshazzar, he had to be reminded that "God is whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways".  I had to remember too that what I have, what I own, what I know, are ALL GOD'S. Everything is borrowed. Everything is grace. 

Pride is tricky because it deludes your mind of yourself when actually, you are nothing but dust. I am a created being, a sinner but saved by grace through Jesus, my Lord. 

I am grateful of this humbling truth. Yes, gratefulness should fill me, instead of pride.