Pride

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The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Proverbs 8:13

A bad word amongst us, eh? No likes hearing about that little word. Never call me prideful or that l am proud. No not I, not any of you. Never a woman who deems so sweet and a man who tries innocently to be on good behaviour. Bah humbug. Don't be full of dog doo and shoo it off as something that others have more than you. Pastors have it as well as those in the pews. Others who do not go to church have it, too.

                       

I tire of pride myself because l am full of it.  l am not ashamed to admit it, but I am ashamed that I have it.  What about you? Are you? Or are you too full of yourself to even see yourself that way?  Church member, what about you? Pastors, what about you? Anyone who reads this, what about you? l pray God Almighty will convict every one of you so horribly that you cannot bear it.  If you are not convicted or feel nothing, you are not only dead inside, but YOU are full of pride.  You will just pass this off as me just doing a writeup for our blog? Do not think of it that way. YOU will pay dearly no matter who you are.  Either you could be a preacher,  a pagan heathen, an idolater, a sodomite, a killer, a liar, a cheat, rapist, etc. You who reads this that the Lord gave me, He has given this to me for a reason.  This is not for something to just do.  He gave me this verse so that anyone of you needs to read this.  Until you are convicted terribly, confess your sins and get right with God, you will go to hell if not saved. 

Isaiah 59:1,2 state 'Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that HE WILL NOT HEAR.' The bold capitalized is my own. But nevertheless the Word of God. One day God will not hear. DO you want that He will not hear your crying out to Him for salvation and death from hell?

                      

I write this with the verse in mind.  Proverbs 13:10 states 'Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.'

                    

We are not well advised as we all think we are. We are not full of wisdom as much as we think we are. All of us are full of something, but it is not wisdom. As l age gracefully, l try to, yet it is hard to do when I am in a world full of sin, pride, dissension, rebellion, lust, and wicked depravity, much backsliding and backbiting.  Why I think the Lord has allowed me to live this long?  It is because He wants me to see so much evil while still not taking me home yet. I long for His coming and His glorious appearing.  But, why He allows me to live?  It is because it is still HIS will. He is not finished with me yet.  He still has things for me to do for HIM and not for me.  He wants me alive even though l get out of hand at times and away from Him although l do not want to.

                  

l believe pride is the cause of many sins. The much unconfessed sins, l believe have. 1 John 1:9 says, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' PERIOD. How to get rid of our stinking pride (All of you have it, too.  Do not think you are exempt because you are NOT). As Leonard Ravenhill once said, 'you stink with pride'. 

Now Ravenhill was a man who NEVER compromised what he preached and taught on.  We need more preachers like him,  Finney, Jones, Sundays, Moody, Evans, and Whitefield.  But now, we hear many messages geared towards everyone who wants to hear nice words said to them (except for some really true preachers). These pulpiteers are full of themselves and with much pride. This is why they hear nothing from the Lord on what messages to preach on, but speak on what they want. Do you think God will be pleased with them?  Never.

Friend, let me tell you these:          

• 'Only by pride' cometh undoctrinated heathens who speak from themselves and never have the touch of God in them.
• 'Only by pride' cometh those who refuse to listen to sound Bible doctrine taught.
• 'Only by pride' cometh those who NEVER preach on standards (SHORT hair for men, LONG hair for women, proper dress and conduct).  Most are very guilty on this. This will get to some as l know many who do not preach on these things. You preacher, it is your duty to a Holy and just God. You preach what God tells you to.  If He tells you to speak on standards, you better do it and don't make light of it.  Do not preach a watered-down sermon to suit those in the pews.
• 'Only by pride' cometh wolves in sheeps' clothing who steals members from churches or take over a church and teach things that gradually becoming cults. Weaker Christians or even some very strong ones are unaware and misled.   
• 'Only by pride' cometh the pewsters in the pews who know it all and will try to rip apart the Lord's house by getting followers to follow them.
• 'Only by pride' cometh the woman with a big mouth who cannot shut up in church.  She brings her opinions instead of her husband's who is supposed to ask the questions to the Pastor.     
• 'Only by pride' cometh the man who is a loof and a big poof in the sense that he is sacred and that he should be revered by everyone. With his nose high in the air, he seems to say: "Look at me.  l am somebody. Notice me. l am most important".  No you are not! Sit down and listen in church or leave and do not come back.

 

BUT, with the well-advised, is WISDOM because:

• wisdom is humility towards God first, then others.
• wisdom is grace to those who may not deserve it, but show it anyway.  It is putting yourself last in all things and thinking less of yourself.
• wisdom is common courtesy in times of hatred and disrespect  by others looking down on you.  You show courtesy in the most vile and hardest of times because you love the Lord and you put Him first in ALL things.
• wisdom is putting others first without giving yourself a thought in things you need or want.
• wisdom is keeping quiet when you do not want to letting others talk.  Please remember Proverbs 29:11.
• wisdom is speaking only when the Lord leads you to and not because you want to say something.
• wisdom is learning from others who has more wisdom and knowledge than you.  It is accepting with a smile that you have learned something new and have never known before.