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“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
Step 4: Acknowledge pride
Scripture says, “God resists, or opposes, the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Pride is a killer! It is one of the subtlest tools of the enemy. God actually resists the proud! Who would want to be opposed by God! Yet in the church we often do find pride, but it wears a different cloak than it does out in the world. In Christian circles we know that pride in our position and possessions are not a Godly thing. We scorn openly the pursuit of “fame and fortune” alone. Yet pride exists in our hearts and in our churches in two prominent ways that we often try to justify.
There is often pride in standing for a “principle of righteousness” while walking away from reconciliation. Making such a stand is not wrong in itself; however it is often accompanied by a lack of grace and a spiritual superiority that cuts off the Spirit of God from working in a situation. If you are ever tempted to “stand for righteousness” against another Christian check if your trademark of love is visible. Make sure your heart is clean in all the secret places and that you have done all you can to live at peace (Romans 12:18). If the basis for your stand is your own pride, be very careful, for God resists the proud.
The second place pride plays a major role in the church is in the area of spiritual gifts. You may have a discerning heart or a prophetic gifting. God may reveal truth to you in a situation. Again, be very careful. God calls us first to prayer and often nothing more. If words are to be spoken God will clearly reveal that, but the first task is to obey the call to prayer. Much damage has been done in the church when someone feels they have received a word from God and simply talks, rather than prays, about it. If you think you sense something, pray, pray, pray and God will reveal if there is anything else He requires. God’s whisper in your Spirit will never be in conflict with what He directs in His Word. When we speak in spiritual pride, the Spirit is grieved and we cut off that which God was at work doing in our lives and in the situation (Ephesians 4:29 & 30). The simple question before opening your mouth is…
“Will this lift Jesus higher or will this lift me higher?”
Be slow to speak, especially words that sow negative seeds about another, and be quick to listen.
Father God, show me where I may be harboring spiritual pride within my heart. Help me to be careful to listen to Your gentle nudges when I need to be silent. May I be careful to pray before I speak. I want to lift Jesus up in my church. Help me to guard my tongue as well as my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Questions: Can others see your trademark of love? How do you handle hurt in your life? Does your response lift up Jesus?
Part 1: Know Your Enemy
Part 2: Keep Short Accounts
Part 3: Accountability
Part 5: Plant Stakes
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Whoops….yeah Cathy forgiveness is so important. We’ve been forgiven much haven’t we. I’ve been a person who reacts out of emotion so have had to ask for much forgiveness over the years. God has mellowed me and has taught me to ‘seek HIS counsel first before I react from my soul, human person.
I’m not saying I always do it….lol…..oh dear no. But as we practise this we will find we don’t have to keep asking forgiveness as often….HE took ‘a stony heart’ [many reasons; no doubt some of them pride related] and turned it into ‘a heart of flesh’ that allowed me to emphathize w/and understand others….
a long journey which I’m still on… Until Heaven!
Today the Message spoke to me:
Ps: 119
‘ You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow HIS directions, doing your best to find HIM.. and later,
‘Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course YOU have set; Than I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with YOUR counsel.’
verse 1 to 8
Shauna, your mum gave you wise counsel. Bless you sister for staying the course and along Father God to let it all settle and understanding will come in HIS perfect time. Just stay faithful to Him.
Yeah Cathy, I’m tracking w/you re forgiveness the evil one would surely like to keep reminding us and keep stirring the pot eh?
You’ve reminded me that we all must remember that we are all a part of HIS body and when one part hurts or is dysfunctional it affects the rest…. AND if we remember that our fight is not w/flesh and blood but w/powers and principalities then it will keep ALL of us on our knees, humbling seeking HIS will and purpose for our church family and us as individuals…..
Shauna I LOVE, am estatic at the thot of the ‘Father dancing over us….. I LOVE to dance before HIM too! And the rest of your thot: “we are His and He is ours. NO ONE can come between Father and us enless we let them.”
Hallelujah…..and keeping seeking HIS face sister-friends
What a blessing we have this format to encourage and support when slings and arrows are flying..again Hallelujah! Now back to some house work. ….. lol
Andi, thanks for reminding us about forgiveness. Sometimes we have to do that over and over again, because our humaness wants to focus on the negative. I know I think I have forgiven someone for a past hurt, and then all of a sudden I am thinking about it again.
From these devotions on when church hurts, it reminds me that there is no perfect church on earth, no matter which one we belong to. We will only find perfection when we get to heaven. In the mean time, we have to forgive and accept the things we can’t change.
I was VERY impressed upon that prayer is where it starts, should stay and end with! I am convicted and need to get on my kneees. I am going through a tough time in my marriage and am seperated at the moment. I have flet alot of eyes on me as I go to church. That is tough to already have things going wrong in your marriage but to have brothers and sisters in Christ questioning you or avouding you it really seperates the men from the boys :) I am trying to keep my forgiveness accounts up to date and trust that Father will deal with others and I just keep my focus and heart is His hands and He will take care of it all. My mom tells me “let go and let God”. And YES Jesus’ blood is enough. I know my eyes are opened now that I am the one who experiences trials. I used to look down on those having marriage struggles. I do not want that prideful heart to be apart of me again! Just remember, Father dances wildly over the thought of each one of us, we are His and He is ours. NO ONE can come between Father and us enless we let them. I will practice what I preach :) Bless you!
Adrienne, I’m so sorry to hear of this terrible thing that happened to you. It would be difficult to accept his first statement but the second was just plain mean and unthinking. Did it take some time for you to be able to forgive this young man? I bet you prayed a heck of a lot for him in regard to any ministry God would place him in?
The church is filled w/imperfect people and so we are open to still being hurt or to hurting others. It is like a family and we must keep ‘short accounts’ ….. let folks know when they’ve hurt us and seek forgiveness when we’ve hurt them.
I’m including a portion from an email story doing the rounds as it seems to say it all:
Interestingly the controversy was over the suitability of a young woman w/a past to marry the preacher’s son…. and this is his response:
“What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin.
Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial.
So, does it wash away sin or not?”
The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters.
Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely.
If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.
What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus! End of case!!!!
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:23……. end of story’
Over the years I know I’ve been hurt or have hurt others….I do believe this is unintentional hurt as it is difficult to accept that my Christian brothers and sisters would be so cruel as to inflict intentional pain upon each other.
SO again I come back to; we must be open and transparent enuf to say ‘ouch that hurt,’ and to be willing to deal w/these things.
In areas of ‘misunderstanding intentions’ or simply someone not ‘getting/understanding who I am I have sometimes used and seen others use the ‘wait and see’ style and this often works.
When I realize a person is ‘waiting to see’ what makes me tick, etc then I pray, leave it in HIS hands and wait until I believe HE is asking me to say or do.’ In the meantime I always say hello and ask how they are doing.
This has changed some opinions of false perceptions of me over the years.
A few times I’ve just had to accept that some folks don’t get me and not allow pride to enter in or a bitter root of rejection;
As a new believer I thot everyone should love each other equally; but even in the church there are folks who will become life-long friends and others we don’t have much in common w/except our love of Jesus [so I’ve learned to give them respect and courtesy and love in HIS name and to be kind to all my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus].
I hope you know what I’m trying to say here?
SO I think I’ve said God will often use a variety of ways to help us w/strained relationships; we need to be open to His leading; humble ourselves to approach in non-confrontational love at times; in others to confront in love;
at all times to pray and seek HIS wisdom
BUT always to remember we are all imperfect people but covered in HIS blood therefore we are changing more and more into HIS likeness and image.
Yes, pride hurts on the receiving end and it also block your blessings. I was told of a similar experience (a classmate who was to marry a pastor). They were engaged and due to be marreid in the summer and a few days before the wedding he told her that “the Holy Spirit” spoke to him and told him that he could not marry her. Later she was told that he felt she didn’t support him in purseing is own church. However on several ocassions he would compliment her on supporting him and loving him for him. Prayerfully he will stop lying to himself as to why he called the wedding off. Before he started dating this young lady he was previously engaged to someone else and called it off – saying that she wasn’t of the things of God.
Pride hurt me terribly when I was young, but only because I was on the receiving end of someone else’s pride.
I had been engaged to a young man during college. He was studying for the ministry. But after a year-long engagement, he broke it off with me saying that I was “not preacher’s wife material”. He also said he would use this experience later on in his ministry when counseling couples.
It hurt so much to be told that I wasn’t good enough for him and his future ministry.
So please, if you do think you need to avoid someone because they are not as good as you, as “religious” as you, or if they sometimes drink too much or use off-color language too much, re-think how you might appear to others first before writing off that individual.