Sunday, February 15, 2009

PRIDE: THE HEART OF THE DEVIL

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When it comes to deciphering the whereabouts of the devil and his demons, you don't have to go much further than the all-pervasive world of pride. Pride is certainly one of the best, if not primary, themes of the Evil One.

You can check it out in the Garden of Eden. The first thing the devil did is to make the woman doubt what God said. "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God has made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1) Then the devil changes and contradicts the words of God. He said God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Gen. 2:17). "And the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die." (Gen. 3:4)

Finally, the devil lied to the woman. He said, "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." (Gen. 3:5) Note how this was in the mind of the devil from the very beginning. You can actually be like the Most High God.

The devil's final temptation of Eve is the most powerful one because it was how Satan himself fell, wanting to be equal with God. Eve tried to become a god herself by her rebellion against the One True God.

This is the goal of so many popular teachings today: YOU CAN BE LIKE GOD. In fact, you can BE GOD. This desire to be gods is demonic because Lucifer himself said, "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." (Isa. 14:12-15)

The close connection between pride and the work of the devil can be found in writings of Peter and James. In I Peter 5:5-9, Peter says: You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him.

In James 4:6-10, James says: But He gives a greater grace Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Jesus used a phrase on three different occasions that compared the acts of humbling yourself and exalting yourself in pride. One was when He was listing out the wretchedness of the religious leadership. Another was when Jesus said it's important not to take the seats of honor at a banquet or assembly, but allow others to seat you there. And then when the righteous Pharisee was praying next to the tax collector, let's listen in: To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God." Then Jesus repeats this saying: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

You can count on it! If you exalt yourself, you will be humbled. And if you humble yourself, you will be exalted. Now who is it that is doing the exalting and humbling. Well, it's you, however by doing either exalting or humbling you are inviting a third party to come along with you.

Here's how it works. Both humbling and exalting yourself foundationally is before God. When you lift yourself up, you will not receive God's vote of justification. We see this in the comparison of the Pharisee and the tax collector. But if you humble yourself as the tax collector, Jesus says "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God."

But there is something else here. If you humble yourself before God, then God is on your team. So it stands to reason that when you exalt yourself, you invite the vote and partnership of self-exaltation of the ultimate pride-seeker, the Devil. Do you want to call on the devil's help? Exalt yourself and fill up with pride. Do you want to call on God's help? Humble yourself and fill yourself up with God, Himself, in Jesus.

I love the words of President Lincoln that apply here: At the close of a scientific convention in Washington, the members called upon the President. One of them said: "Mr. President, we trust during this time of trial in which the nation is engaged, God is on our side, and will give us victory." The noble Lincoln replied: "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My great concern is to be on God's side. For God is always right!"

Remember, God is opposed to the proud and gives grace to the humble. So, which do you want: God's opposition or God's grace?

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