October 5, 2023
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
This particular Scripture out of the book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon with the leading of the Holy Spirit. He was the wisest king living in his time because of the fact that the Lord blessed him tremendously granting him the request for a wise and discerning heart.
Throughout God’s word we can definitively see that one of the things that He hates the most is pride. One of the main reasons why is because of the fact that a proud man or a proud woman will not have any room for Him. A person that has an arrogant attitude filled with self-centeredness will only see things their own way. It is very difficult for someone with these attributes to be fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the first accounts of pride that we can see in the Holy Bible is when Lucifer allowed his conceit to cause him to get cast out of Heaven. Isaiah 14:13-14 discloses, “For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”
The devil wanted to be worshiped like God, he wanted to be seen as God, and he wanted to be higher than God Himself. A proud attitude will always cause a barrier between you and the Lord. He wants His children to have a humble spirit fully surrendered to His direction, instruction, and will for our lives.
Let’s take a closer look at the Scripture that I have highlighted regarding pride. The word “pride” used is the Hebrew word “gā’ôn” which means: exaltation, majesty, pride, and arrogance. The word “destruction” in the passage is the Hebrew word “šeḇar” which means: breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash, ruin, and shattering.
So when we dissect what Solomon is describing with these two words we can conclude that an arrogant spirit will lead to a breaking and shattering in your life. There is no good thing that can come from the sin of pride. God calls it an abomination or disgrace meaning it is something that He hates.
The fact remains that a man’s heart will reveal that man’s pride because no matter how hard they attempt to conceal it, the haughtiness will eventually peek its nasty head. That is why it is so important to read your Word, study it, and apply it to your daily life because it is saturated with words of wisdom.
Another part of the passage of Scripture that is important to understand is when Solomon states, “…a haughty spirit before a fall.” The words “a haughty” used there is the Hebrew word “gōḇah” which means: height and exaltation. The words “a fall” is the Hebrew word “kiššālôn” which means: a stumbling, a fall, and a calamity. The pride of your heart is what is going to cause you to stumble and bring unnecessary disaster into your life.
One thing that you never want to risk is being so filled with pride that you wouldn’t be able to hear the Lord’s voice. That is a very dangerous place to be. The voice of God is what is going to guide you, lead you, and warn you when danger is near. If you are so consumed with yourself you won’t be able to discern when the Lord’s is speaking to you.
A lot of Christians believe that what they look like on the outside is what matters: they carry their Bible around, they go to church on Sundays wearing their best outfits, and they speak the proper church etiquette. They “appear” to be the perfect Christian to those around them, but they cannot fool the Lord. He is concerned with the condition of a person’s heart. You can’t love anyone else (including the Lord) if you are entirely consumed with yourself.
So what characteristics should we be exhibiting? What is the opposite of pride? The word that is in direct opposition with the word pride is the word humility (meekness, humbleness, and gentleness). If you are struggling with pride one thing that you can do is ask yourself: is how I am handling this situation meek, humble, and gentle and am I taking another person’s feelings into consideration?
Reading and studying the Word of God is the number one way that you are going to be able to renew your frame of mind. It is powerful and a literal Sword that can slice through those unwanted traits.
There are many verses of Scripture that disclose how the Lord feels about pride that you can meditate on:
Galatians 6:4 “But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”
Isaiah 2:12 “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low.”
James 4:6 “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Proverbs 13:10 “By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.”
There are also many verses of Scripture that tells us how important having humility is:
Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Luke 14:11 “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Proverbs 15:33 “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Study and meditate on the Lord’s Word so that you can have a point of reference on how you should be living your life as a believer of Jesus Christ.
Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent
Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds
What are Spiritual Strongholds?
The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1
The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2
The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration
The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles
The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!
The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding
If you’ve missed any of the other weekly quotes, no worries I am listing them down below:
Positive Quote for the Week: The Real You
Positive Quote for the Week: A Merry Heart
Positive Quote for the Week: Spiritual Maturity
Positive Quote for the Week: No Limits
Positive Quote for the Week: Your Tongue is a Weapon
Positive Quote for the Week: The Battle is His
Positive Quote for the Week: True Love
Positive Quote for the Week: Imperfectly You
Positive Quote for the Week: The Process
Positive Quote for the Week-Hidden Pain