The Father of Pride

Scripture:

Isaiah 14:13 "For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north'".

Observation:

Most scholars would agree that Isaiah 14:13-21 describe Lucifer, or Satan as we better know him. In this verse we see his desire to ascend to heaven and set his throne above God's stars. From the beginning, Satan has wanted to be equal with God. He was created beautiful and thought he could be equal with God. It was his pride that got him kicked out of heaven and it is our pride that will cause God Himself to resist us. God hates pride!

Application:

Why does God hate pride? Is it just because it reminds Him of Satan from the beginning? I believe that God hates pride because it says that He is not good enough at providing for us. The bible is full of references about pride. Pride is simply saying, "I can handle this better than You God, so I'll take control here". All of us have some level of pride because we all like to be in control of our lives. It is difficult to let God fully have control, because it makes us feel out of control and we usually feel we know better what we need than God does. Humility is realizing that you can't makes it without God in your life. This is where God wants us! he wants us totally dependent upon Him. It is then that He begins to bless us.

Prayer:

Father, You are amazing! I am sorry for allowing pride into my life and taking things into my own hands instead of fully trusting You. Teach me to trust You more. Satan is the father of pride and I want nothing to do with anything from him. Help me to lean on You more and on my own self less. I need You in my life to lead, guide, direct, empower, help etc. The list goes on and on. I can't make life work without You at the controls. Take control Father, I will follow.

Jeff