Reasons Why You Must Exchange Pride for Humility, and Do It As Soon As Possible
Reason #1:
You Will Be Brought Low
If we find ourselves in positions of greatness, we must remember that it is only because God gave us the means to achieve those positions, and the opportunities to obtain them; and God can take them away at any time.
Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson the hard way.
The Fall of Nebuchadnezzar
As the leader of the greatest empire on earth, he was the most powerful person in the world. He had no equal. In fact, no one was even close to him in power and authority. Daniel described him by saying that his “greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens” and his “dominion to the end of the earth” (Daniel 4:22). No leader in our modern times compares to the all-encompassing power and authority he wielded. He seemed untouchable.
And then, at the height of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, while he was walking on the roof of his palace in Babylon…
“He said, ‘Isn’t this the great Babylon I have built as a place for my royal palace? I used my mighty power to build it. It shows how glorious my majesty is.’
“He was still speaking when he heard a voice from heaven. It said, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, here is what has been ordered concerning you. Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass just as an ox does. Seven periods of time will pass by for you. Then you will recognize that the Most High God rules over all kingdoms on earth. He gives them to anyone he wants.’
“What had been said about King Nebuchadnezzar came true at once. He was driven away from people. He ate grass just as an ox does. His body became wet with the dew of heaven. He stayed that way until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle. His nails became like the claws of a bird.
“At the end of that time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven. My mind became clear again. Then I praised the Most High God. I gave honor and glory to the God who lives forever.
“His rule will last forever. His kingdom will never end. He considers all the nations on earth to be nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven. He does what he wants with the nations of the earth. No one can hold back his hand. No one can say to him, ‘What have you done?’
“My honor and glory were returned to me when my mind became clear again. The glory of my kingdom was given back to me. My advisers and nobles came to me. And I was put back on my throne. I became even greater than I had been before.”—Daniel 4:29-36 (NLT)
So, at the end of this extreme ordeal that Nebuchadnezzar had endured, what was the point? What had changed? What had he learned?
In the last verse of Daniel chapter 4, he tells us what he learned:
“In conclusion, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and give glory to the King of heaven: For everything he does is true, his ways are just, and he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”—Daniel 4:37 (ISV)
Does God humble people because He is jealous, and wants all worship for Himself? Is He really selfish in that way? No, not at all. The truth is that we are not built to handle the temptations that come with being an object of extreme worship and adulation. It is a trap for us that results in pride, which leads to deception, distorts our perceptions of truth and reality, and causes many other destructive problems for us.
God, in His wisdom, directs us to make Him our supreme object of worship and glory because He is able to handle it. He is unaffected by pride and its disastrous effects. He is able to receive all of our worship and glory and absorb it without damaging side-effects. We are not.
There are many other reasons why supreme glory and honor and worship should be directed to God alone. For one thing, He is the only one truly deserving of it. Also, sincere worship that is directed to God releases beneficial blessings for us. This kind of sincere worship is essential to achieve a perfect balance of honoring God in the way that He deserves and releasing blessings for us in return.
“…now the Lord declares:… those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be treated with contempt.”—1 Samuel 2:30 (NRSV)
Pride, in the cases of Herod and Nebuchadnezzar, resulted from the false belief that they had achieved greatness by their own doing, rather than acknowledging that everything they were, and everything they had, was given to them by God, and He could take it away at any time He chose. In both of these cases, He did just that.
As Jesus reminds us, “apart from Me you can do nothing.”—John 15:5 (NASB)
A key to avoiding the disastrous traps that brought destruction into the lives of Herod and Nebuchadnezzar is to realize that everything that is good in us did not originate with us. It was given to us by God and others, so we cannot take credit for it.
“A person’s gift opens doors for him, bringing him access to important people.”—Proverbs 18:16 (ISV)
As Bill Faught correctly points out, “The bearer of the gift does not make room for himself; the gift makes room for him”.1 And where does the gift come from? It doesn’t originate with the bearer of the gift. It may have been inherited or imparted by others, but ultimately, it came from God. The bearer of the gift did absolutely nothing to earn it, and so taking credit for it is ludicrous.
“For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?”—1 Corinthians 4:7 (AMP)
“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky.”— James 1:17 (ERV)
You may be an incredible person with amazing achievements, but to conquer the destructive influence of pride, it’s essential that you always keep in mind where your incredibleness came from, and acknowledge the One Who gave you the abilities and the opportunities to achieve your amazing accomplishments.
Reference: 1— Faught, Bill Jr. (2007). Ten Symptoms of the Lucifer Syndrome. Mustang Oklahoma, USA: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC. Page 41.
