PERILS OF PRIDE
Pride is the Greatest Problem Man Has
Satan is not our greatest enemy. Our greatest enemy is self, and pride is the greatest problem of self. Pride is at the
bottom of most of our struggles! Even if Satan were bound right now, man still has a nature of pride which must be
carefully watched and restrained (2 Cor.12:7). Men fall because of pride (Prov.16:18; 29:23).
Pride is the Reason Satan Fell
PRIDE opposes God and seeks to exalt self above God and the will of God. This is the reason God resists the proud.
Satan wanted something for self that God knew was not good for him to have. Satan wanted equal rights. He demanded
equal voice and equal say with God (Isa.14:12-14). Lucifer wanted to run the universe. Pride rose up within him and he
thought —“I am just as capable of running heaven as God is.” (Note the five times Satan said, “I will.”) Pride is also at
the bottom of great deception. Please read Obadiah 1:3.
God had already conferred upon him extraordinary beauty, wisdom and charisma (Ezek. 28:12-15), but he was not
satisfied with all of these! Satan wanted to be unequalled and unexcelled. He desired to be King of all kings, and Lord of
all lords. When God denied him his prideful desire, he sought to turn all of heaven against God, and he succeeded with
one third of the angels. Pride is at the bottom of great iniquity and rebellion. Pride has torn and tormented Satan for
eons of time, and he will yet seek to run the world through a man he will produce in our days—the Antichrist.
“Who exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped” (2 Thes. 2:4, 2:3-12). Here is the deification of
self—a man drawing all attention and worship to himself. Satan will inhabit this man and receive worship for himself.
This is what pride is all about—something for me (1 Kgs.1:5; Acts 20:30; Jer. 45:5).
Pride Displaces God
PRIDE is a concentration upon ME—my will, my ways, my ideas, what I want . . . and it pushes God off the throne. Pride
resists God and the will of God, in order to exalt self instead. Pride is at the root of all sin because it displaces God and
puts self upon the throne. Man’s greatest problem is this— “I am my own boss . . . I run my life, not God.” As our Father
and Creator, God desires to be enquired of and have input into everything we do (Lu. 4:4; Isa. 50:4), but pride says to
God in effect — “Get out of my life, I am running the show, not You.” Romans 1:18-32 is a displacing of God.
PRIDE cannot tolerate being crossed. Pride is offended and insulted easily, which then sets off other evil passions such as
grudges and bitterness. Pride is the source of most torments. This is the reason none of today's most advanced methods
of treatments (psychology, psychiatry, etc.) have any lasting solutions, because they ignore man's greatest malady—an
inflated, self-centered, voracious ego—Pride!
PRIDE never allows man to rest! Jesus was totally free of emotional turmoil because He had conquered pride. He said, “I
am meek and lowly in heart” and He told His Bride to learn this from Him, that herein we would find rest in our souls
(Mt.11:29). Humility is the key to freedom in the hearts of men. But Satan and anyone else who is filled with pride, has
no peace. Job 1:6-12 suggests that Satan is continuously tormented and restless, “Going to and fro in the earth and
walking up and down in it.” Pride and the absence of peace go hand in hand.
PRIDE is the reason men and women harden their hearts. As we have already mentioned, a proud heart is a very strong
heart. It is a heart filled with plenty of fight. When people harden their hearts, it is because they have a very proud,
strong heart. Pharaoh is an excellent example of this (cf. Ex. 8:15).
