Reasons Why You Must Exchange Pride for Humility, and Do It as Soon as Possible - Part 6
Reason #1:
You Will Be Brought Low
Herod, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Lucifer … all brought down because of pride. But do these stories have any relevance for us?
Were these stories just the isolated experiences of a few who had risen to extraordinary positions of power and influence in life and were randomly chosen by God to demonstrate His supremacy by bringing them down? Not at all. The Scriptures clearly warn each of us that pride in any of our lives will trigger similar consequences. That is the rule. There are no exceptions. It is clear from the Scriptures that this is a guaranteed consequence for anyone who exalts himself in pride. And the higher he exalts himself, the farther he will have to fall. No one is exempt. God does not play favorites, and He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Believers and non-believers experience this alike.
“If you are proud, you will be destroyed. If you are proud, you will fall.”—Proverbs 16:18 (NIRV)
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased”—Matt 23:12 (KJV)
“Everyone, common people and leaders alike, will be humbled. Those who are now so proud will bow their heads in shame.”—Isaiah 5:15 (ERV)
“Look, the Lord God All-Powerful will use his great power and chop down that great tree. Their highest officials will be brought down. Their most important leaders will be humbled.”—Isaiah 10:33 (ERV)
Look at this warning in particular:
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”—Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)
The words used in this verse provide a graphic warning of the consequences that are inevitable for anyone who exalts himself in pride. The word “haughty” in this verse could also be translated “height, exaltation, grandeur,” as in thinking of one’s self more highly than he ought to think (Romans 12:3). The word “destruction” that is used in this verse has also been translated as “breaking, fracture, crushing, crashing, ruin, shattering.” The word “fall” here could also be translated as “calamity,” and means “ruin.” This is the only time this particular word is used in the Bible. God chooses His words with very precise intent.
The warnings in the Bible are clear and abundant.
“Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance”—Proverbs 18:12a (AMP)
“A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down”—Proverbs 29:23a (AMP)
“Proud people will stop being proud. They will bow down to the ground with shame, and only the Lord will still stand high. The Lord All-Powerful has a special day planned when he will punish the proud and boastful people. They will be brought down. They might be like the tall cedar trees from Lebanon or the great oak trees from Bashan, but they will be cut down. They might be like the tall mountains and high hills or like the tall towers and high walls, but they will be brought down. They might be like great ships from Tarshish, filled with such wonderful cargo, but they will be brought down. At that time those proud people will fall. They will bow low to the ground, and only the Lord will stand high.”—Isaiah 2:11-17 (ERV)
It was true under the Old Covenant, and it is still true under the New Covenant. There has been no change in how God deals with pride in any of us. These words of Jesus confirm that the consequences of pride have not changed:
“Whoever exalts himself [with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low)“—Matthew 23:12a (AMPC)
“All who lift themselves up will be brought low”—Luke 14:11a (CEB)
“for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased”—Luke 18:14 (KJV)
This is What God Does
God is known for many of his attributes and acts. For example, God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is Who He is and what He does. God is also The Creator. He created everything out of nothing (John 1:3). God is also the One who brings down proud people. He does this consistently.
*“You are the one who saves people who suffer, but your eyes are against the proud. You bring them down!”—2 Samuel 22:28 (CEB) *
“And I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their guilt and iniquity; I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible and the boasting of the violent and ruthless.”—Isaiah 13:11 (AMPC)
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.”—Ezekiel 21:26 (KJV)
When God demanded an accounting from Job, He asked Job if he really had what it took to fill God’s shoes. As God described His roles to Job, one of the things he rhetorically asked Job was whether or not he could humble every proud person as God does.
“Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? [Since you question the manner of the Almighty’s rule] deck yourself now with the excellency and dignity [of the Supreme Ruler, and yourself undertake the government of the world if you are so wise], and array yourself with honor and majesty. Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him; Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job].”—Job 40:9-12 (AMPC)
All of these passages warn of devastation for those who lift themselves up in pride. How can we avoid such disastrous consequences? On the one hand, we may be encouraged by parents and teachers to do great things in life, but if we accomplish amazing things, how can we escape the judgment of God if we are lifted up in pride? Can we prevent people from praising and honoring us for our actions? If we receive praise and honor, won’t we be tempted to have pride in ourselves and our accomplishments?
What is the best approach? How should we respond in situations that could likely lead us to have pride in ourselves?
Paul Cain exhorts us to “dump the glory.”
