One among my daily thoughts are how good am I as a Christian? How much of a believer am I? Am I just displaying myself as a good Christian or am I being the person Christ wants me to be? How fit am I to serve the kingdom of God? How seriously do I see God’s kingdom as my eternal abode? Have I feared God enough to be in His presence? Have I seen the ultimate in God’s kingdom? There are many things I have yet to see and experience. If you ask me have we seen God’s kingdom in it’s entirety, I shall say no. Because it is so vast, that we have only seen a part of it.

We talk about pride in this part. The story of Lucifer, how with a single thought of self-generated pride, he relinquished his position as God’s highest angel is known to us. The pride led Lucifer to fall and his doom in hell was certain in the years to come. Pride made Lucifer the cause of his own destruction. The Morning Star as he was called ascribing to his beauty was reduced to nothing all because of his self generated pride.

Pride has the ability to diminish the existing relationship with God. But do we keep our pride at bay? Or are we letting it loose? Sin always enters through the backdoor. It can sweep in silently and grab hold of our most prized possession – our relationship with God. Our consciousness will never realise the difference between what is right or wrong. Our mind will gradually lean towards sin and it’s roots will cling onto us. This later becomes an unbridled disease. When we rise, it’s obvious that pride will come along with it. The question is how often do we withstand it? How can we stay on the road to Christ when we are blessed abundantly? The question is a contemplative one which has been bothering me recently seeing the pride of many who are self proclaimed believers.

Prosperity and riches weren’t the primary reason what we lived for here. They were given to us  as we prepare for eternity as an additional blessing. The blessings we accrue today are the mercies of God. God designed us to be active more spiritually than to be worldly. Our treasures are in heaven. They don’t stay with us on earth forever. So if our pride is about our worldly riches, how then can we say we are a true believer?

In Daniel chapter 4, the Bible mentions that Nebuchadnezzar who was the king of Babylon had a dream that made him sleepless. Daniel in those times was the greatest prophet during Nebuchadnezzar’s rule who could interpret visions. As he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the king took pride once more in all that he had built. His kingdom, even his own palace, he thought was the result of work. With one single thought, Nebuchadnezzar was exiled into the woods, wandering like an animal. It took him seven years to get back his sanity after which his kingdom was restored to him.

A true believer must have the following characteristics:

• Humility:

A believer must become the most humble in the presence of God. He should never consider himself above anyone else or anything else. A true believer should have a mindset of reverence, not simply an outward act of humility when the heart is as cold as stone.  An example of this would be Moses, who was the most humble man on the face of the earth during his time. The glory on his face shone like the sun as he came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Being prosperous does not mean that humility will come along with it. We have to inculcate that habit within us. The more prosperous we are, the more humble we should become. That is the true sign of a believer.

Isaiah 66:2 – “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

An act of humility should make us penitent before God. Penitence is described as “The action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong”. How humble we are shows how Christ-like we are.

• Fear:Isaiah 66:2 says that the one who trembles at God’s word is highly esteemed. This means that we should stand alert of God’s commands and his will. The Word is a double edged sword says the Bible. It will tear apart all our inner evil and the bring the light within us. We should be in fear of the Lord as he were just beside us like the bush that burned when Moses was in the desert. Revelations 1 says that His eyes are like blazing fire and his feet are those of bronze. His voice is like rushing waters. Even John fell dead at the sound of God’s voice in the island. Fear is a sign that we will never move beyond what God has instilled in us.
• Perseverance:

To persevere means to continually push ourselves beyond our limits. James 1:4 says “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Faith develops perseverance. Perseverance develops character. And character breeds hope – Romans 5:4.

If pride is left uncontrolled, it will turn out to devastate us. God offers a solution to turn in our pride for his love. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud – 1 Corinthians 13:4. So how do we override pride? The solution is to love others as much as we can. This is the solution to pride that overtakes the heart. This is what makes a believer Christ-like. Love brings in the joy that overcomes hatred, jealousy and many more.

How do we love one another?

The solution is quite simple.  To love another person may seem a simple thing to say but in reality it is difficult for some to override the pride they stored all these years. So how shall we actually overcome pride to actually let love in after all these years?

The answer is prayer.

Prayer can overcome a wide variety of things but to willingly let go of pride we have to make up our mind first. This allows God to act and to restore our peace where we can stand against the devil. Pride needs to be overridden with the power of God’s spirit. You shouldn’t let go of pride tomorrow, you should let go of it today. That is how urgent the need to relieve ourselves from the bondage of pride is.

Follow the three thumb rules to overcome pride:

• Love another as you do yourself. Just don’t simply like them. Accept them for who they are. Our body can only handle love. It cannot handle pride. The scripture also mentions to love another.
• See nobody lower than yourself. The scripture teaches that everyone is equal before God – weak or strong, rich or poor.
• Treat everyone the way they would treat you. This will bring about everything in proportion.

In all my years, I have seen people humble themselves even if they are blessed immensely. They are the rare gems I have seen giving all glory to God for all that He has done for them. Man’s pride can make him lose everything in one second. Which is why we have to be alert against the tactics of the devil. He is set out to destroy us. But God has set out to save us. More love means more God in our hearts.

If you feel this article has changed you personally from within, do share your experiences with us at mbmteam@outlook.com.

God bless,

MyBibleMessage