“Climbing Out of the Pit with Love”

Have you ever read Proverbs 16:18? I have read this scripture several times and even in my legalistic days, quoted it for people I thought needed it. But the scripture says, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Let’s look at it a little deeper…

Pride – A feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction from one’s own achievements. Be especially proud of a particular quality or skill.

Haughty – Proud, Arrogant, Vain, Conceited, Snobbish, Superior, Self-Important, Condescending, Pompous (A pompous ass who pretends he knows everything)

Haughty and Pride are connected for sure but are not the same!

I believe a door is open to a spirit of haughtiness when there is a continuance of a prideful attitude! You see, the enemy doesn’t shine a light and say, “Here it is, a prideful attitude that will bring you destruction! NO! Remember who you are dealing with…He is a THIEF and a LIAR that comes to STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY! He is a coward and he will NOT allow you to see it!

See pride is a progression that comes on slow. Something that you justify in your mind. Connecting things to it that doesn’t belong. I.e. No one else is going to do it in the same quality that I can, so I will just have to do it myself! It’s a constant mental power struggle! It’s trying to keep you in constant control of your environment because you are knowledgeable and know more than others around you…PRIDE!

When I encountered a haughty spirit, I was looking around wondering why people were mad at me, treating me the way that they were, because to me, I had justified every action I ever took, so I couldn’t be the one that was in the wrong…And if you aren’t careful, you will create more of a problem when your carnal flesh wants to retaliate! Instead, I was lucky enough to fall on my face before God, asking Him to reveal to me what this was I was dealing with!

God was gracious enough to show me. Always remember, He will never bring you to a place without showing you how to get through it. When He revealed that this was in fact a prideful attitude and a haughty spirit, I immediately repented before God and then went to the people who were treating me ugly and asked them for their forgiveness as well. Then He showed me, I Corinthians 13. I would advise you to go read it, study it, and ask God to open your eyes to what He is telling us in this chapter. Pay close attention to verses 4-8!!

It is not easy, in fact, dealing with this was the hardest trial I ever had to go through besides loosing my parents. I just had to come to the conclusion that I will not allow anything (including myself) to separate me from the love of God!

I’m happy to say that everything worked out, other doors of opportunities have opened and I’m walking in a newness of light! God is love and if we are His children, we will love everyone including who we think are our enemies!

Show Gods love. Be kind and patient. Stop trying to know it all and be right all the time. For years I have blamed trying to be perfect and expect everyone else to be the same on being O.C.D. But instead, choose to use that effort to show the world who God really is! Allow the fruits of the spirit to grow and produce in you. (see Galatians 5:22,23) Trust me, you will climb out of your pit from the fall that pride and haughtiness brought you to and the love that you will encounter will give you peace like you’ve never had before!