The Enemy That Yet Lurks Within

"A man's pride shall bring him low." - Prov. 29:23

Pride was the first sin that was ever committed in the universe. It was and has always been the first sin within the human breast and the last one to be put to death. It is the most deeply-rooted evil in the depths of the human soul, more far reaching that we can even realize.

Let us meditate on the warnings of our Heavenly Father regarding this most deadly and subtle sin which is our constant and daily enemy.

Pride, arrogance, and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. - Prov. 8:13

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble there is wisdom. - Prov. 11:2

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. - Prov. 16:18

Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.- Prov. 21:4

- One's pride will bring him low. - Prov. 29:23

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts . . . pride . . . all these things come from within and defile the man. - Mk. 7:22

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. - James 4:6

It was pride that cause Lucifer, the highest of the angelic order, to be cast down to hell, banished forever from the heavenly army. (Is. 14:12-15)

It was pride that thrust Adam and Eve from paradise. (Gen. 3)

It was pride that made Pharaoh stubbornly say, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?" But his pride was leveled to the ground- well, to a watery grave. (Ex. 5:2)

Through pride alone the leper Naaman resisted Elisha's directives for healing, but humility brought him skin like a new born. (2 Kings 5:11)

It was pride thrust Saul out of his kingdom.

Uzziah prospered by God's favor, but when he became strong, his heart was lifted up to destruction. (2 Chron. 26:16) Pride is the greatest demolition crew in the history of the world.

When Hezekiah was sick and dying, it was pride that kept him from returning according to the benefits he had received; therefore, wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem; BUT Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, SO THAT the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in his day.(2 Chron. 32:24-26)

Haman, one of the proudest men in all the Old Testament, was hung on the gallows that his own pride built. (Esther 7:10)

Nebuchadnezzar became a temporary beast because of pride until God had fully humbled him. (Dan. 4:35)

The Jews' pride produced such blindness that they could say to Christ, "We are Abraham's seed and we were never in bondage to any man." (Jn. 8:33) Oh! What about a fellow named Pharoah for 400 years? Did that little fact somehow slip your mind?

The proud, the arrogant, the conceited, the self-centered, the selfish-- none shall escape God's resistance, for He resists (stiff-arms) the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

Without even realizing it, we take pride in so many different things:

- possessions, gifts and abilities: what we possess

- our body and appearance: what we look like

- our work or ministry positions: what we can do

- relationships: who we know

- cars: the decaying piece of metal that gets us different places

- knowledge: what we know or think we know

- children and grandchildren- those we we have re-produced

- our church: the expression of His own glory in the earth

- our opportunities: what God has given us

We could go on and mention an endless list of things used to produce pride within;

Consider such wisdom regarding the ugliness of pride:

- If you want to please the devil, begin to admire yourself. - Anonymous

- Most of us have too big an appetite for appreciation. - John Blanchard

- The whole human race is infected with the disease of pride. - John Calvin

- There is nothing that human pride resents so much as to be rebuked. - G. B. Duncan

- The proud hate pride in others. - Benjamin Franklin

- Pride is the inmost coat which we put on first and the one we put off last.- Joseph Hall

- The devil is content that people should do good works, provided he can make them proud of them. - William Law

- The natural man is always play-acting, always looking at himself and admiring himself. - D. M. Lloyd-Jones

- No sin is so deeply rooted in our nature as pride. It cleaves to us like our skin. - J. C. Ryle

- Guard against those little tricks by which vanity tries to bring around the conversation to yourself to gain the praise or notice which your thirsty ears drink in so greedily. - Samuel Wilberforce

- As death is the last enemy, so pride is the last sin that shall be destroyed in us. - John Boys

- Spiritual pride is a white devil. - Thomas Brooks

- The man who thinks he is too big for a little place is, in fact, too little for a big place. - Vance Havner

What do you take pride in? What causes your heart to inflate with pride? In what do you glory?

There is only one person and one thing in the entire universe that calls for our pride:

Jesus Christ and the cross of Calvary; He alone and this alone deserves recognition and boasting.

Let us deal with pride as we would a poisonous snake we find on our front porch. Get a tool and put it to death anytime it shows its ugly head.