Is your best never good enough? Talk to a mentor.
“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:45, NLT)
I have this issue with pride. It has been a constant struggle for me for as long as I can remember. As a young child my favorite statement was, “I know!” I didn’t want anyone thinking that they were teaching me anything new. I remember my Dad asking me, “Kristi, do you know everything?” (There was a definite sarcastic tone to his question.) Without blinking an eye I would reply, “Yes!”
As I got older I was forced to realize that I truly didn’t know everything. I also began to learn that people didn’t necessarily like someone who was a “know it all”. Consequently, my pride surfaced through another route and I became extremely talented at handing out my “verbal resume”. You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s when you boast about your connections and share your achievements. Essentially the goal is to promote yourself.
As I grew in my relationship with God, I became convicted about this issue in my life. I knew it needed to be eradicated. Admittedly it was a difficult process but I began to see some improvement. For example, I consciously didn’t tell people that it was my idea they were using. I kept my mouth shut when I wanted to share whom I had been with or what I had accomplished. It was a slow and painful process but I was encouraged with the growth I was seeing in my life.
However, one day God opened my eyes to the fact that I had been “fixing” my pride on the outside but not on the inside—I had neglected the root. It was as if I was putting a Band-Aid on cancer. I had been storing up, treasuring and holding onto pride in my heart. It looked like this: When I would see someone using my idea I wouldn’t tell him or her that it was my idea. But I would say this in my heart, “That was my idea! They’re using my idea!” I was harboring pride in my heart and it was seeping out of my pores. It seeped out through the tone of my voice, the rolling my eyes and my sarcastic comments.
The Bible speaks very clearly about the topic of pride. It is even mentioned as one of the seven deadly sins. It’s like a rotten seed that robs you of life, freedom and the ability to truly know that you are enough—separate from all your accomplishments. As Luke 6:45 demonstrates, what comes out of your mouth is truly what your heart believes. Sadly, what can come out of your heart is the rotten fruit of pride.
In my circumstance, I knew I needed open heart surgery. This was not something I could do on my own; I’d obviously tried but my efforts had failed horribly. As a result, I began to pray and ask God to cut the sin of pride out of my heart. I was tired of making myself god – I wanted Him to be God.
My surgery has been a tedious and painful process. I can’t say that pride has been totally eliminated but there is growth! After each surgery I recognize that my growth comes not from what I have done but from what He has done in me.
Where do you need to allow the surgeon’s hands in your heart? Maybe your struggle isn’t with pride but some other sin. Let’s acknowledge sin for the rotten fruit that it truly is and surrender to the cleansing power of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Father, I want to acknowledge my pride (or any other sin) in my heart. Lord, I believe You are the most skilled surgeon and I can trust You with my heart—even when it hurts. Thank-you for exposing the hardness of my heart and I ask that You would pull out this root of pride. Thank-You that nothing is impossible with You because You are an almighty and powerful God. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen
Question: Won’t you see what the surgeon can do when you place your heart in His hands?
What Do You Fear?
What do you fear, and why? Is it holding you back from realizing your full potential?
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Christine, One of the things I have always loved best about God is that He makes it so easy for us to come back to Him. All you have to do is turn around, turn back toward Him and He’ll meet you there. You said that you feel distant from God, I’d recommend a practice called spiritual breathing. Spiritual breathing means confessing your sin to God, accepting His forgiveness and turning away from the sin. You can read all about it here. A prayer like that can bring you back into communication with God. It’s an excellent place to start. If you’d like someone to pray for you, you can use this form to request a mentor and someone will be in touch, usually within a couple of days. Another great tool as you get back into your spiritual life is this short series, Knowing Jesus Personally. In this series of lessons you’ll go through the basics of what it means to be a Christian. It’s a great place to start if it’s been a long time since you felt close to God.
Let me pray for you right now:
Father in Heaven, I’m here to pray for Christine today. She feels so far away from you. Would you show her that you have not forgotten about her? I pray that you would bring someone into her life who can walk with her as she brings her faith back into her life. I pray that she would take a look at some of these resources and that you would speak to her through them. Show her how much you love her. Remind her that she can always come home. I pray that you would grant her peace and strength and joy as she makes this change in her life. If there has been pain and disappointment, begin the work of healing her. help her to find a church community that she can be welcomed into. In your name I pray, Amen.
Its true that when we try to change in our own strength it is most often futile. We need the hands of our loving heavenly father to gently cut out the sinful tendancies that we all have. Very often it is not a quick surgery but a drawn out experience of letting Him teach us to change. Oh that we would learn to trust Him in the process of becoming all that He longs for us to be!
thank you for open your heart and share the great thing God have done in your life. Sometime our heart can fool us, but thank God for the Holy Spirit that convicted us from sin.
Thank you for reminding me to keep a check on my heart-pride. I certainly have bit my tongue but thought “mine” or “My way would be better.” Great reminder to get to the root of the issue.
Father God, I pray for your blessings of love, comfort, mercy and grace to be poured out upon Christine this day. May she find You today and You be her life line. Fill the large whole that is in her life and may she realize that your Holy Spirit is the only One who could fill the void she mentions. I ask that Christine’s spiritaul life will blossom, mature and grow beyond measure as she seeks You father God. In Jesus name, Amen
I need a life line. I am a long way from my spiritual life and there is a large whole in its place.