Lucifer was the most powerful angel in heaven at one time. He was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty,” according to Ezekiel 28. Yet in all of his talents, abilities and attributes that God gifted him with at his creation, Lucifer started to believe that those abilities had more to do with him than they had to do with God. In that mental miscue, Lucifer’s aspirations grew mightily:
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘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;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14
With the sin of pride causing the fall, Lucifer was cast from heaven and became Satan. From that point on, Satan used his intelligence deceptively to cause others to fall and to follow him. His lies continually remind us of our abilities and talents, and completely sidestep the acknowledgment of the God who gave us all we have and made us all we are.
A dear friend in the Lord once shared with me some words of wisdom, speaking of pride. “I work really hard at not letting pride rule my life, and becoming more humble. Then, I find myself becoming proud of how humble I have become and the whole cycle starts over again!” To think that we can get through this life without pride is prideful! Just as Lucifer’s fall from heaven was prideful, and the subsequent sin of Adam and Eve was prideful, so is each and every sin in our lives.
We worship ourselves, rather than God. We put our own desires above God’s. We use God’s name in a flippant way, making Him lower than He should be in our eyes. We continue working, trying to improve our condition, rather than ending our week with a day of rest and worship. We fail to give respect to our parents, as God placed us in specific families for His reasons. We take another’s life, either physically or verbally, uncaring of the effect that will have on others, or even the effect it will have on ourselves. We sleep with whomever we like, whether married or not, because that gratifies our selves rather than glorifying God. We take the possessions of others because we want them, putting our desires above God’s or the desires of others. We fail to tell the truth, elevating our own status, covering our own mistakes and using our words to destroy. We see what others have and desire more for ourselves, discontentedly ignoring what God has in store for us.
Did you notice that each of the sentences in the previous paragraph deal with pride? Additionally, each sentence applies directly to the Ten Commandments, in order. Each of our sins has its basis in our own pride!
C.S. Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.”
Tomorrow, we will discuss the “pride of life” and how Satan uses it to ensnare us. In the meantime, focus on the battle at hand. Reflect on the many gifts in your life, and instead of taking credit for earning them, be thankful to Him who gave those gifts. As quickly as He gave them, He can take them away. The biggest step is to go from “I want” to the contentment of being where you are and the satisfaction of having what you have.
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