Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Over the years, I have been a caregiver to my dad, my mom, my aunt, and others. There were times when I didn't feel God's presence because I was too deep into feeling sorry for myself. One day, I was driving with my mom and my frustration with whatever she was saying got the best of me. I hit another car! 

Thankfully, no one was hurt, but even more thankfully, later that day when I cried and prayed for God to tell me why these things were happening to me, he placed Proverbs 16:18 on my heart. Pride comes before the storm.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

I didn't understand why he placed that verse on my heart, so I looked up biblical definitions of pride and found myself everywhere I looked! I once heard someone say that pride shows up in more of the attitudes we exhibit than we realize. I now know that for me, it shows up in irritability and impatience, in my lack of a submissive attitude, in stubbornness, in comparison, and in competition. It shows up in my insecurities, in being argumentative, and in the need to be right. And it shows up when my desire to be heard trumps my willingness to listen.

Once I learned that, I thanked God for bringing my sin to light. I confessed my sin, and I asked him to change my heart. I then placed my trust in him. 

I'm not saying I never feel sorry for myself anymore, but when I do, I’m able to come back from the abyss of pride much faster because of the changes God has made to my heart. This is something I can’t do on my own, but God can. The wisdom of knowing that he is right there in the deep waters with me and the resulting growth in my faith have caused me to be grateful to God for the challenges. He rids me of my pride little by little in the process of changing my heart. 

Now I can confidently pray, “Come, Abba, take me into the deep waters so I can draw closer to you, as I move out of pride and into your love!” 

Isaiah 43:2
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

Questions:
Where do you exhibit the sin of pride in your life?

Next Steps:
Start a journal. Research the sin of pride in the biblical sense. Write down the definitions you find in your research to help you identify where you exhibit pride in your life. Confess your sins of pride as you discover them and repent of them (turn away from the sin and find a new course of action). Ask God to change your heart and then place your trust in him. Keep watch for the next prideful moments so that you can tell your sins to God and readjust your course each time you are prideful.

Prayer:
Father God, I am so very grateful for your presence in my life. Continue to change my heart as you carry me through the deep waters. Bring to mind my prideful moments so I can confess them, turn from them, and find a better way. I cannot swim through these deep waters alone. I need you, and I ask you to continue this journey with me—that I might live through your strength and become more like your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray in his most holy name, amen. 

Series Theme Verses:
Luke 8:15
And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.