MIND MANAGEMENT: THE PRIDE OF LIFE

09/30/2022

"Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) If the enemy wants to lure you into temptation, he may query your self-estimation. In Matthew 4:6, he used this strategy on Jesus when he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands, they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Understand that you are what God says you are and no more. The pride of life is triggered by the desire to be more than God says you are. Again, the enemy harps upon timing and or motive coupled with your desires to tempt you in the area of the pride of life. In the first recorded temptation in the Bible, the devil combined the three points of temptations; the lust of flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. However, the most lethal was pride of life. "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). The point here is that Eve was already like God but the timing and motive behind knowing good and evil that made Eve buy the bait was furnished by inaccurate information and the pride of life. She thought of herself more highly than she ought to have in that moment and fell because she promoted herself. Romans 12:3 says, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." The pride of life is predominantly a battle of the mind and the Bible says to think soberly as the antidote. So how do you think soberly based on the measure of faith that God has dealt to you? Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." In essence, think the word of God and nothing more. Jesus dealt with the pride of life by confessing the written word of God. He said to the devil, "...“It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God’ ” (Matthew 4:7). Maybe, like Jesus, the devil has queried you or put thoughts in your mind to make you feel guilty about where you are in your life, declare to him like Paul, "...by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain..." (1 Corinthians 15:10). Understand that God will have you think highly of yourself but not more highly which is why you must estimate yourself by the word of God. Refuse to promote yourself beyond the word. A good example, is when God say to flee something or avoid keeping company with a certain type of person in the scriptures but you decide to withstand it because you think you are able to control yourself. You are not proving you are moral, you are falling into temptation via the pride of life. So, just do as the word of God has said. God bless you Faith-Filled Confession I am what God says I am. I estimate myself, my associations and capabilities by the holy word of God. I do not see myself beyond the instructions, correction and inspiration of God's word. Therefore, I do not err and the pride of life is kept at bay in Jesus' name. Amen.

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Isaiah 10-12; Galatians 5