Tag: Pride

Peace Through Troubled Times – Proud

On By KateIn Devotionals, Peace Through Troubled TimesLeave a comment

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

The word “pride” or proud has been hijacked by the liberal agenda today. Sadly, it has become totally the opposite of what the Scriptures intended. The first sin committed was the sin of pride and that was committed by Lucifer.

Isa 14:12-14  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  (13)  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  (14)  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

It is not surprising that the Scriptures state that being proud is a sin! The definition has changed through the years but God’s Word never changes! It is settled, once and for all in Heaven. (Psalm 119:89) Look at the difference between the definition originally intended for the word “proud” and what today’s dictionary describes:

Proud

  1. Having inordinate self-esteem; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one’s own excellence, either of body or mind. A man may be proud of his person, of his talents,of his accomplishments or of his achievements. He may be proud of any thing to which he bears some relation. He may be proud of his country, his government, his equipage, or of whatever may, by association, gratify his esteem of himself. He may even be proud of his religion or of his church. He conceives that any thing excellent or valuable, in which he has a share, or to which he stands related, contributes to his own importance, and this conception exalts his opinion of himself. Proud is followed by of, before the object, supra.
  2. Arrogant; haughty; supercilious.
noah webster’s 1828 dictionary

proud

  1. Feeling pleasurable satisfaction over an act, possession, quality, or relationship by which one measures one’s stature or self-worth.”proud of one’s child; proud to serve one’s country.”
  2. Occasioning or being a reason for pride.”a proud moment when she received her diploma.”
  3. Feeling or showing justifiable self-respect.”too proud to beg.”
the american heritage dictionary

Is it any wonder that the world doesn’t see pride as a sin? But friend, it truly is! This sin of pride is from the devil himself. The Lord Jesus humbled Himself, leaving a kingly throne and became man so He could be the sacrifice for man’s sins. Humbleness is not taught today and it is so desperately needed!

Exo 10:3  And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

2 Chron 34:27  Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

Pride is not something to one should practice as a Christian. Instead, humbling ourselves is far better. If you are not truly born-again, you won’t see today’s topic as a sin. But there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Are We in the End Times? Day 5

On By KateIn Devotionals, End TimesLeave a comment
Photography by Cecelia Becker

(2Ti 3:2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Good morning! Who else is excited about diving into God’s word today? I know I am 🥰 It excites me to know that anyone of us can open our Bible and be taught by God Himself! We don’t need anyone to interpret what the words mean. The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible and He is the One who will teach us! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Today’s word is a small and simple word; but is it really? It doesn’t seem like it would be indicative of the end times but if you hone in on its meaning and how it is used, you will come to realize that it most certainly does apply to these end times. It’s like peeling back the various layers of an onion, isn’t it?

Let’s look at the modern definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Definition of proud:

1: feeling or showing pride: such as a: having or displaying excessive self-esteem b: much pleased c: having proper self-respect

But now, let’s look at the definition according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

Having inordinate self-esteem; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one’s own excellence, either of body or mind. A man may be proud of his person, of his talents, of his accomplishments or of his achievements. He may be proud of any thing to which he bears some relation. He conceives that any thing excellent or valuable, in which he has a share, or to which he stands related, contributes to his own importance, and this conception exalts his opinion of himself. Proud is followed by of, before the object, supra.

Arrogant; haughty; supercilious.
A foe so proud will not the weaker seek.

Daring; presumptuous.
By his understanding he smiteth through the proud. Job 26.

Ostentatious; grand; as proud titles.

WOW! 😮 Can you see why I turn to this dictionary instead of today’s modern English dictionaries? It allows me to understand what the real intent of the word was and when it was put into the English language. So now let’s look at the Greek word used for “proud” in Strong’s Concordance:

ὑπερήφανος
huperēphanos
hoop-er-ay’-fan-os
From G5228 and G5316; appearing above others (conspicuous), that is, (figuratively) haughty: – proud.
Total KJV occurrences: 5

The scriptures that contain this Greek word are found in:

(Luk 1:51)  He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
(Rom 1:30)  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
(2Ti 3:2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
(Jas 4:6)  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
(1Pe 5:5)  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Can you see that none of these have a positive connotation? In fact, the last two verses referenced above say that God resists them. It’s truly not a good thing to be considered proud. But let’s forget about us for a moment and let’s see how the Lord feels about it:

He scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart;

He marked them with the rest of those who will suffer the wrath of God in Rom 1:18-30;

He said they would be prevalent in the end times;

He resists them and gives grace to the humble.

No where do we see that God views pride as a good thing, friend. You can do a word search for yourself in the bible and you’ll discover the same thing. So how does this tie in with the end times, you may ask?

How many people do you personally know that are truly humble? I can name a few in my church, my Pastor and a few close friends. But with those I come in contact with that are not believers, I see how much more pride has filled their hearts. The unbelieving world doesn’t see their own sinfulness. They don’t want to be told they are sinners. They don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ, the Lord in their actions! Their pride leads them to believe that they are on the right path, which as a result is the path to destruction.

If you are one of the prideful, ask God to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Psalm 51:10). Be humble and admit your sin of pride. After all, the first sin of pride came from Lucifer himself!

(Eze 28:17)  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

The phrase “lifted up” here is defined as swelled with pride. Here lies the very first sin committed and it was from Lucifer! He is the father of lies.

(Joh 8:44)  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

If you happen to be reading this and are not saved, it is no coincidence. God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Jump to Day 6.

Are We in the End Times – Day 4

On By KateIn Devotionals, End TimesLeave a comment
Photography by Chris Michaud

(2 Ti 3:2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

As I continue with this devotional series, I literally shudder at the relevance of these scriptures for a time such as this! My heart aches and wants to explode with desire to reach those who are lost and Christians who are misguided! Lord, I pray that You would draw those who need these scriptures so they can be alerted to just how late it is in Your prophetic clock! In Christ’s precious name I pray!

Today’s alert is the word “boasters.” I love Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary because it defines exactly what the English word meant at the time the King James Bible was printed! His definition is below. Because the definition needs expanding, I’ve also included the definitions for “vaunt” and “ostentatious”:

BOASTER, n. One who boasts, glories or vaunts ostentatiously.

V’AUNT, v.i. [L. vanus. This ought to be written vant.]
To boast; to make a vain display of one’s own worth, attainments or decorations; to talk with vain ostentation; to brag.
Pride – prompts a man to vaunt and overvalue what he is.

OSTENTA’TIOUS, a. Making a display from vanity; boastful; fond of presenting one’s endowments or works to others in an advantageous light.
Your modesty is so far from being ostentatious of the good you do –

Showy; gaudy; intended for vain display; as ostentatious ornaments.

Now that you’ve read through these, does it open the meaning of boaster to you? With the invention of the internet and social media, we see people boasting so much more than before. In the past, we were limited to newspapers and boasters were really not something to write about, unless they were politicians. But today, we are truly in the “I” generation. Everything is about me, me, me! Narcissistic people are everywhere. They are obsessed with their own image, their own progress, and they have an exaggerated idea of their own importance. What once was prevalent in politicians and the pharasitical attitudes of church leaders, is now running rampant in the human heart. Is it any wonder that Christ said:

(Luk 18:8)  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

The believer is held to a higher standard than the world. We should not be caught up in the “I” generation’s belief system. We should not be boasters. In fact, Scripture says:

(Pro 27:2)  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

Social media is filled with apps that record one’s actions and words. You don’t have to watch them for long until you see people boasting about themselves. It’s really not something I would have thought of when I first was saved in 1980. Of course, social media was just starting and it wasn’t used for this purpose. Perhaps that is why I see today’s word so clearly.

If you are a believer who is guilty of this, I pray that this post will speak to your heart. As Prov. 27:2 says above, it’s not up to us to praise ourselves. Let it come from someone else and then be humble about it.

If you happen to be reading this and are not saved, it is no coincidence. God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Jump to Day 5.

Nuggets from Proverbs

On By KateIn Nuggets from ProverbsLeave a comment

This is a 30-day devotional on the Book of Proverbs originally written in 2006. It is filled with exhortation and encouragement to live Godly lives while waiting for the Lord’s return! I pray that you will be blessed by it.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Day 28 – Pride

On By KateIn VariousLeave a comment

He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. (Pro 28:25)

The proud heart thinks himself better than those around him. He does not see that this is sin. In fact, he does not even think he is sinning, but the Word says otherwise. An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. (Pro 21:4) It is extremely difficult to witness to the proud of heart. They do not see their sin. As long as this person does not see his sin, he will not see that he needs a Saviour. We see this time and time again when we’re out witnessing to people. “Well, I’m not that bad.” One person even told me he never sinned! The sin of pride is what caused Lucifer to be cast out of Heaven. He thought himself to be like God (as good as, if not better).

Sadly, there are many believers today who also struggle with the sin of pride. Yes, they are saved but they grieve the Holy Spirit in their lives by refusing to see what they are doing as sin. This prideful believer causes strife, the Word says. God’s Word says that He resists (stands against, according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) the proud but gives grace to the humble. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (Jam 4:6b) Why would a believer want God to stand against him? Would a son want his father and mother to stand against him? Of course not. This same son would want his father and mother to stand behind him and encourage him. This is exactly what happens when a believer struggles with the sin of pride: his Heavenly Father stands against him.

Oh that we would always keep our hearts soft enough that we hear that still small voice of the Holy Spirit when He tries to point sin out in our lives. When we do so, we grieve Him. I always thought that the word grieve here meant to make sad. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Eph 4:30) However, Noah Webster defines this word as:

4. To offend; to displease; to provoke.

When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we offend Him – we displease Him – we provoke Him to deal with us. The Holy Spirit is God. His goal for our lives is to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ and to mold us into vessels of honour. He is our Potter (Rom. 9:21).

When pride settles into the Christian’s life, the Christian stops growing in Christ. How can I say that? The Spirit’s job is to mold us to be Christ-like – there’s no pride in Christ at all. He is the epitome of the word humility. Therefore, if the Christian battles this sin, he is not being Christ-like.

Dear God…
May my mind always be
Focused to be more like You
Help me to recognize my sin
And keep You always in my view

Day 13 – Do You Struggle With Pride?

On By KateIn VariousLeave a comment

Prov. 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”Prov. 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

The usual meaning for “pride” is a high regard of one’s self (self esteem). But Noah Webster defines pride further:

2. Insolence; rude treatment of others; insolent exultation.

This prideful person cannot be encouraged toward righteousness. This prideful person cannot be reasoned with. In fact, Prov. 16:18 says that this prideful person will be destroyed by his actions. That prideful person also has a haughty spirit which means that in addition to their pride, they have contempt for others. What a miserable life indeed.

The Christian who is growing in Christ and displaying the fruit of the Spirit will hate evil, pride and arrogancy, according to Prov. 8:13. God goes on to say in this same verse that He hates the froward mouth. Noah defines forward as:

… not willing to yield or comply with what is required; unyielding; ungovernable; disobedient; as a froward child.

These two verses on pride do not paint a pretty picture, do they?

How miserable a prideful person must be! There surely can’t be any peace in this person’s life. I have known a few people in my life time who are living examples of these two verses. To be honest with you, they do not see themselves this way. But the Word of God is truth and we are told that this prideful person will fall. The prideful person is always right in their own eyes. They do not see their mistakes – they only see their own good. They don’t look to the Word for their direction because they are not able to be governed by the Word. In fact, the Word says that a froward heart departs from God (His Word). A froward heart shall depart from me: …(Psa 101:4a) Is it any wonder that they can’t be governed? Is it any wonder that you can’t plead with them to change their ways using the Word of God?

It’s a shame that Christians act this way. It drags the Lord’s name in the mud and paints a horrible picture to the unsaved world. My heart breaks when a believer won’t heed the counsel of God’s Word. The Lord puts us together to help one another. We’ve all been through various sins in our lives, various trials, and various scenarios. As the Lord “grows” us through each of these, we are to take that knowledge and help someone else. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Cor 1:4)

It is the Word (Jesus) who will heal us and forgive us of all our unrighteousness. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1Jo 1:9) Let’s be the testimony for Christ that we should be and leave pride behind. We must recognize our sin, confess and forsake it, learn from it, and help someone else to be reconciled with God through sharing our experience. That is truly the way God wants believers to be. The Word convicts, heals and challenges us toward righteousness.

Dear God…
Thank You for giving to us
Access to Living Water
It’s Cleansing and refreshing
Grounding us like an anchor