It Starts Small

The other day I wrote something that has even stuck with me. Judas sold Jesus for a very small amount of money. He traded a life of living for death. He sold Jesus for money. Man I can not tell you the things I have sold Jesus for in my life. I have sold him to fulfill loneliness. I have sold him to fulfill the need for protection and providing. I have sold him to find relief from my fear and anxiety. I sold him out to the world and in return I received what was rightfully owed to me: death and destruction.

WHat causes us to say no to Jesus and yes to the world? We all struggle with the disease, and we can even pinpoint it, but how do we miss the symptoms of it? How do we seemingly walk off the path of righteousness, if we were ever on it, into the darkness of no?

Pride.

Pride is defined as, self-respect or improper and excessive self-esteem known as conceit or arrogance. Pride is defined as elevating one’s opinions and thoughts above God`s authoritative Word. It shows its ugly face in many forms, and one of these forms is relying on your own strength and wisdom to be successful. I just like to think as pride is the ultimate “no” to GOd our Father and Jesus. It looks God in the eyes and says no. It refuses the calling and conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Pride is refusing to see yourself as God sees you. Ultimately, pride is extreme love and focus on oneself. Pride stems from self-righteousness or conceit and God hates it because it is a hindrance to seeking Him. Pride is what trades Jesus for your selfish desires.

WHat are the signs and symptoms we are saying no?

Fear

I believe the number one symptom of pride is fear. Fear is believing God will not or incapable of impossible or the promises he has given us.

Pride says God can not protect me.
Pride says God can not provide for me.
Pride says God is not with me.
Pride says God is not in control of all things.
Pride says I was not created by God for a purpose.
Pride says I do not believe.

All fear can be tied into an attack, through lies we believe, on the promises and character of God. Our fear can be linked to one of three deep dark holes in our hearts: providing, protecting and relationships. These are essential needs God created in us. Only through him can these needs be filled, but fear of these needs not being met causes us to disbelieve God’s promises and seek the filling of these needs through the world. This is where we sell Jesus out. We trade him for fleshly pursuits to fulfill those needs. We think the key to overcoming is more money, sex, relationships, family, fame, fitness, etc. We choose to say no to the filling of these needs by God and vainly seek the world to fill those needs.

Pride is the root cause of all fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety refuses to rest in God’s promises and sovereign care. Fear is a lack of trust and leads to the poison of self-reliance. We fear because we do not have faith in God. We fear because we have become preoccupied with ourselves to the point we do not have self control.

Entitlement

Entitlement is the root of pride. The opposite is humility to live a life of servitude. Entitlement says I demand to have… I am owed…. We think we deserve people’s praise, love, success, comfort, accolades, fortune, fame, etc. We think that God is unfair that we suffer, have heart breaks, or that he disciplines is. We think that God should be fair, but God is not fair, he is just.

When we experience suffering, pain, or a heartache, we grow bitter, frustrated, and feel we are entitled to more. Either we have forgotten or never believe to begin with that apart from CHrist, all we deserve is the condemnation for our sin. God owes us nothing. God did not promise a life of ease or that we would have all we wanted or desired.

Ungrateful

Pride says we are good people and we deserve more, and when we do no get what we want, we feel we are justified in our ingratitude of what we have. Pride is never satisfied with the things the Lord has blessed us with. Pride is a lack of contentment. Pride is never satisfied with enough. Pride gets what it wants, but it is not enough.

Pride is inconvenienced and experiences being uncomfortable all the time. Pride complains all the time. God clothed and fed the Israelites in the desert, but their self idolization led them to continually complain and murmur against God. Their stubborn hearts rejected contentment and God’s daily mercies out of their own self idolization.

Pride grumbles at the hearing of another being blessed. Pride is jealousy that someone was blessed and you were not blessed equally or the same way. Pride says they stole the blessing you were supposed to have. Pride is the root of envying and jealousy. Pride says that is mine or I should have that because I deserve that more than them. Pride is ingratitude. There is no praise or worship in the heart of pride.

People Pleaser

Pride is self-worship and self-preservation at any cost. Pride is the root of all lies, deception and manipulations. Pride lies it was to pleasing others in the hope we will receive praise and adoration. Pride lies about others to get those around us to believe we are in the right and they were the cause of all wrong. Pride lies and slanders others so that we look like we are justified in what we are doing. Pride blasphemes God’s Word to justify ourselves in the eyes of others.

Pride manipulates people and situations to get what we want. Pride hides the truth of who we are and our true intentions and motives. It seeks to use people in a gross way to accomplish our own fleshly desires. Pride does not care who we hurt in the process of getting what we want. Pride is deceitfulness. It is walking around in sheep’s clothing, when all along we are just a wolf looking to get ahead and sacrificing whomever we want to get there.

Some think people-pleasing is a positive trait because they are so clearly concerned with serving others, but that belief is nothing more than a sneaky deception we put over a wolfish habit. People-pleasing is all about self-satisfaction. It is fearing man more than God. It is seeking the fleeting happiness that comes from man’s approval.

Prayerless Life

Pride says I do not need anyone. I can do life on my own. Pride says I am capable, independant, and self-reliant. I do not need God’s help, providing, or protection. Only I can protect myself, provide for myself, and only I know the way. Pride says I do not need time with God. I do not need to study His word. I do not need him to point out my flaws, because I am just fine in how I am. I do not need Him to get in the way of my life or the plans I seek and desire for myself. Pride says because I am in control, I do not need to seek him or pray. We think 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.

Hypocriscy

Pride produces the spirit of hypocrisy in people. Jesus gave a clear definition of pride when he spoke to the pharisees who were the epitome of pride:

²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Matthew 23:27

Yikes! Pride looks good on the outside, but on the inside you are dead and filthy! Pride is a life of hypocrisy. You talk the talk but never walk the walk. Pride is making commitments to others and God but knowing full well you will never be committed to anything unless it serves you. Pride makes false commitments and promises. Pride is boastful in all things God, but in secret, you do believe nor serve God.

When you’re proud, you elevate your status. Pride is forgetting the mercy God has shown you. Pride thinks you are better and holier than everyone else. Pride easily find fault with others. Pride blames others for our actions and words. Pride justifies sinful behaviors by accusing the fault on others. Pride is a lack of integrity and taking responsibility and accountability for one’s self. Instead, pride blames others.

Rebellious

Pride is a fancy name for complete rebellion against God. Pride is rebellion against any form of authority in our lives. Pride says no one or no thing is going to rule over me. I am the lordship and king of my life. I will never submit nor surrender my life to anyone, let alone God. Rebellion is saying I know better than God. Rebellion brings nothing but pain and suffering and death to our lives. Pride is death to everything. Pride destroys relationships. Pride destroys our jobs. Pride destroys churches. Pride destroys our communities. Pride…. Pride trades Jesus for our own selfishness.

Paul tells us to throw all these things into the grave because they are the path to death. He who loves his life will lose it. To live is Christ.

4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:4-6

Is there really any better way to live outside the humility and servitude to Christ?
Is pride working out for you?
Is refusing God’s promises and rebellion giving you the best life you could ever want?

What can truly be better than being made whole, redeemed and transformed by Christ to live a life of freedom and liberty through Him? What is really worth more than Jesus?

Is “no” worth it to you?