pride Archives – Sonshine's Journal

April 11, 2023April 11, 2023

Rejection and Decisions

1Sam 13-14 How do we handle rejection? The people rejected Samuel in favor of a king. God reminded him that they were not rejecting him but God Himself. That is a powerful lesson for us to remember when we, too, face rejection. Samuel’s humble character is revealed in how he faced this. He went to God, not other people. What do I do when rejected? Do I turn to God and lay this burden before Him, or do I wallow in my self-imposed pity party? May I learn from Samuel that when rejected, handle it with humility.

Saul is chosen king, but he is a faithless king. He is ensnared by his fear of people rather than God. [Prov 29:25] He makes foolish vows which cause the people to be faint, which happens when God is not consulted. He who makes foolish vows will ultimately pay the price as King Saul did. Be wise and discerning when considering a vow because it is usually hypocritical and because of pride. “OUCH!”

Lessons for us from these passages: Remain humble when rejected and understand that God is rejected more so than us. Secondly, consult God before making decisions that will affect others.

September 1, 2022September 1, 2022

Whom do you fear?

Jer 47-49 God gives Jeremiah His words regarding the nations around Judah who worship idols, and the message has bad omens. You will be defeated! God tells Jeremiah this about Moab: “you trust in the things you do and in your riches.” and “Your god Chemosh will go into exile along with his priests and his officials,. Your god Chemosh will go into exile along with his priests and his officials. “[Jer 48:7]

God singles out Moab because of their child sacrifice practices to the idol Chemosh. Today we have the same sin in our nation with the sin of abortion. It grieves the heart of God, and my own heart is grieved.
Solomon wrote that we must fear God, not man, yet men refuse to do that. The most significant and alarming sin is that of pride. “Fearing the Lord is the beginning of discernment, but fools have despised wisdom and moral instruction.” [Prov 1:7]

May I not be found as a fool but as wise.

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022

Pride vs. Compassion

Is 16-18 The Sin of Pride

They say there are two sides to every coin, which is true in these chapters. Isaiah the prophet reminds Moab and others of the consequences of pride. God will be patient just so long; then He brings about perfect justice, for He is the Lord God Almighty, and He will not share His glory with another.

There is a second lesson to glean from these chapters: Do we see the fallen and feel compassion, or do we gloat and say that they “got what they deserved.” Isaiah reminds us that to do so is also the sin of pride because we elevate ourselves to think this will not happen to us.

As Isaiah weeps for those who face God’s hand, we must remember that Jesus wept over the sin of pride in Israel and that He weeps over our sin’s consequences. God has spoken: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride and the evil way and perverse utterances.” [Pro 8:13]

June 20, 2022June 20, 2022

Pride’s Downfall and the Believer’s Power in Prayer

Psalm 81 and Romans 1 What a mixed-up world we live in. Our nation has lost its compass. They glorify sin and want us to join them. The psalmist and the Apostle Paul hit the nail on the head: it boils down to this: stubbornness of heart. So God gave them over to their stubborn desires; they did what seemed right to them. [Ps 81:12, Rom 1:24-32] God is pleading; listen to my voice and I will subdue your enemies. But, they refused to listen then and they refuse to listen now. My heart is saddened by how what was once beautiful is now tarnished with two glaring sins: homosexuality and abortion.

What should be my prayer today and every day? It is this: that all men repent and follow Him so that they would know this truth: [Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in Christ.]

Today pray for families, national leaders, churches, missionaries, and more. There is power in prayer!

May 1, 2022May 1, 2022

The Contrasts: Pride & Humility

2Chron 26 Pride goeth before the fall.

Uzziah started with glowing statements of following God, but like Joash, who was faithful only as long as his mentor Jehoiada the priest was alive. Uzziah, similarly, was only faithful during the lifetime of the priest Zechariah, who had faithfully taught him how to honor God. Both Joash and Uzziah are, as Romans 1:20 says, “without excuse.” God always provides what we need to be faithful, but it is our choice, and for both Joash and Uzziah, the lack of repentance came at a cost. Uzziah had a faithful façade, but behind that was an insatiable desire for power, leading to his downfall. Listen again to the Proverbs, “a proud and arrogant person, whose name is scoffer acts with overbearing pride.” [Prov 21:24] King Uzziah lived that verse at the most critical point in his life; when he became powerful.

How then can we master this enemy of pride? Interestingly, the Proverbs writer again counsels us: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. [Prov 9:10] As sinful people, we do not naturally seek to fear and honor God. It goes against our nature because we want to be God, like our arch-enemy, Satan. We must cultivate a reverent fear of the holiness and majesty of God, so we are not caught in the sin of pride like Uzziah.

March 8, 2022March 8, 2022

Submit to God

Judges 5-8 The Sword of the Lord & Gideon

God is gracious to show us through the story of Gideon that we face two enemies: fear and pride. [Prov. 29:25]. In the story of Gideon, we see how those enemies are used to draw us away from giving God the glory. First, Gideon sequesters himself in a winepress where he threshed out the family’s crop. When the Angel of the Lord challenged to take down the Baal altar, instead of trusting the Angel he took ten servants and did it -in the middle of the night. Yet, God again was gracious and told him to sneak into the enemy’s camp where he heard: The Sword of the Lord and Gideon. Still, Gideon had not conquered those enemies in his life. After the battle, instead of reminding the other tribes that God was the Victor, he appeases them and includes them in the victory. And then, lastly, Gideon added to his enemy list by collecting gold to make an ephod which became a snare to the nation and his family.

Sin is ugly! Pride is ugly!

We teach this story to children because it is exciting, but do we forget this part of the story? There is a lesson here. God is jealous, and He will not share His glory with another. [Is. 42:8] In making the ephod of gold, he did precisely that. We do the same and it all boils down to this sin: fear is a snare as is pride. These are our enemies and we must fight against them.

Today give God the glory and remain humble. He who humbles himself, God will exalt, [Luke 14:11] and the contrast is also true.

August 2, 2021August 2, 2021

“Our Response Reveals our Heart.”

2 Kings 20 God has placed this story of King Hezekiah to teach us several wise lessons. The backdrop began in the life of Hezekiah when he endured a terminal illness. Perhaps you can relate because you, too, are facing a terminal illness. When we hear devastating news, do we go to God, who is the author and finisher of our lives as Hezekiah did? How we respond reveals our heart. God not only heard Hezekiah’s plea but, in His graciousness, chose to heal him miraculously. God was gracious and gave him a sign of his answered prayer for healing, and the addition of fifteen years added to his life. How do we respond to the good news?

Not long after, some Babylonian visitors came supposedly to encourage Hezekiah and he revealed all of the treasures of Israel. Did all of their false overtures blind Hezekiah? Why did he not take them to see the House of the Lord? By showing them the riches of Israel, Hezekiah revealed a proud heart. When confronted by Isaiah, Hezekiah’s response in vs. 19 seems out of character, but is it? How we respond reveals our heart. Hezekiah was like those who accomplish much and take the credit upon themselves. How do we respond when others gush over our accomplishments?

The lesson we can glean from Hezekiah is that our words and actions reveals who we truly are. What is your response?

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

Beware of Fame

2Kings 14, 2Chron 26 You have heard this phrase: “the apple never falls far from the tree.” We find the truth of that parable in the life of King Uzziah, the son of Amaziah. Amaziah had a problem with pride, and Uzziah, it seems, had the same problem. So whereas many wanted to see the death of Amaziah and sent assassins to carry out that dastardly deed, they looked up to his son Uzziah (also called Azariah).

Uzziah was a good king for many years. He did what the Lord desired, and he reigned for 52 yrs. He did what the Lord approved just as his father Amaziah did…BUT. There is that little word again to draw our attention to the whole story. What happened after the “BUT?” The author of 2Kings doesn’t tell us the entire story, but the Chronicler does. It seems that, like Amaziah, he had a problem with pride. He became very famous and powerful, and BUT, (there is that little word again BUT) once powerful, his pride destroyed him. His undoing was fame. He thought he could do not only what a king does but also what a priest does. So there is a lesson here for us; beware of fame because it becomes a temptation. Remember, these wise words: “After pride came, disgrace followed; but wisdom came with humility.” [Prov 11:2]

Will Uzziah’s son learn from his grandfather and father? Stay tuned.

February 8, 2017

The Ripple Effect Of One Sin

one-sin-ripples-outrezized-ex-24-32 How often do we fail to realize that it only takes one sin to affect others? We read about the anointing and consecrating of Aaron to the Priesthood. What an honor! What a position! Did Aaron realize what God had just given him? With great ceremony, Aaron had received the blessing of God. You, like Aaron, may have been anointed or called to a position of leadership. How do you handle this coveted position? With honor; with humility; or with pride? When God called Moses to the mountain for more instructions he left newly anointed Aaron and a compatriot Hur in charge and did so before the elders:

“Here are Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute can approach them.” [Ex 24]

Yet just 8 chapters later we find Aaron, ALONE! as one of two “men in charge,” compromising and failing in his God anointed responsibility. This leaves us wondering: Where was Hur all this time? Why did Aaron yield to the people to make the golden calf? And lastly and more importantly, why did he lie to Moses when he returned from the mountain? When Moses asked him why he made the golden calf he answered “They, that is the children of Israel, said to me,” (sounds like Adam in the Garden) and then (note rolling eyes here as Aaron notes the miracle): “I threw it [the gold that is] into the fire, and this calf came out.” Ah yes, from the miraculous to the ridiculous! Reading this we say “really?” But, when caught in sin we often do much the same thing if we are honest.

Could it have been that Aaron’s pride in his position overshadowed his responsibility and relationship to Hur, the people, his sons—but more importantly to God? Or was it the fear of men that caused him to yield? Or could it have been a combination of both? It appears that Aaron had not only forgotten his mandate from Moses to consult with his co-leader and the elders; but more importantly, had not quite grasped what it meant to be the spiritual leader who must give an account of his leadership! Hebrews reminds us that our “leaders…[are to] keep watch over [our] souls and will give an account for their work.” [Heb 13:17]

Point to Remember: For Aaron, it was a combination of fear of men and pride of others following him that was greater than he following God.

Learn from Aaron: The fear of man is a snare [Prov 29:25] and one sin affects or ripples out to affect the whole community. In this event, three thousand are killed and later his own sons used strange fire and God takes them out.