Pride Tuesday, Aug 22 2006

Pride

Pride is the excessive love of one’s own excellence. It is ordinarily accounted one of the seven capital sins. A desire to be important or attractive to others or excessive love of self (holding self out of proper position toward God or fellows). Pride is a sin of comparison in which we compare our strengths to the other fellow’s weaknesses. It is essentially an act or disposition of the will desiring to be considered better than a person really is. Pride may be expressed in different ways: by taking personal credit for gifts or possessions, as if they had not been received from God; by glorying in achievements, as if they were not primarily the result of divine goodness and grace; by minimizing one’s defects or claiming qualities that are not actually possessed; by holding oneself superior to others or disdaining them because they lack what the proud person has; by magnifying defects of others or dwelling on them.It is said that pride is the beginning of all sins. Men want and need to feel good about themselves. Pride is named as the first sin because it caused Satan’s fall from heaven even before creation. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. God hates pride. It was the first sin in paradise. As a sin, pride is unique. All sins turn us away from God, but pride is a direct attack upon God. It lifts our hearts above Him and against Him. Pride seeks to dethrone God and enthrone itself.

Symptoms of Pride

- constant critiquing of others.

- blindness to the needs of others.

- Unwillingness to associate with people of lower position.

- speaking ill of persons behind their backs (PsPS101:5),

- a proud, haughty look (Prov. 6:17)

- boasting (Isaiah 28:1)

- delight in ruling people (Matt. 20:25,26)

- accepting undeserved acclaim (Acts 12:21-23),

- boasting in one’s wisdom (1 Cor. 3:19-21)

- taking pride in one’s superiority to others (1 Cor. 4:6,7)

- selfish ambition or vain conceit (Phil. 2:3,4)

- boasting of future plans (James 4:13-16)

- ignoring advice from older, spiritual people (1 Peter 5:5,6)

- refusing to submit to anyone else (Eph. 5:21).

How dependent are we on the praise of others?

Are we more concerned about a reputation for godliness than about godliness itself? What do gifts and rewards from others say to us about our ministry?

How do we respond to criticism from people in our congregation?

Fight Pride

- Stay in the Word. Read, search, know, memorize, love, pray over, and meditate upon such passages as Psalm 39:4-6, Psalm 51:17, Galatians 6:14, Philippians 2:5-8, Hebrews 12:1-4, and 1 Peter 4:1, all in dependency upon the Spirit.

- Seek a deeper knowledge of God, His attributes, and His glory. Job   and Isaiah teach us that nothing is so humbling as knowing God (Job 42)

- Practice humility (Phil. 2:3-4).

- Remember daily that “pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).

- View overcoming pride as a lifelong process that calls you to grow in servanthood.

- Meditate much on the solemnity of death, the certainty of Judgment Day, the vastness of eternity, and the fixed states of heaven and hell.

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Lying Tuesday, Aug 22 2006

Lying

We find ourselves living in a society that actually conditions us to lie. Our employers ask us to lie for them on many occasions. For instance, the secretary who “covers” for the boss when he doesn’t want to be disturbed and the salesman who makes claims for his product which are not true are both lying. Many times our “embellishments” on job recommendations for friends and acquaintances are nothing but lies. But God makes it clear that “all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

Lying destroys trust. It destroys friendships, families and relationships. It destroys credibility. It shows contempt, disrespect and/or hatred for others. In other words, it makes love for others a lie in that person’s life. It can cause the person to avoid being held accountable to themselves or others. Lying would include exaggeration, so called ‘little white lies’, deliberately withholding facts or beliefs so that others will draw wrong conclusions about who a person or subject is about so that the perpetrator of the lie benefits, often financially. People make all manner of excuses for sin but the reality is there is no excuse for lying. If one is tempted and succumbs to lie, it needs to be dealt with as sin, and confessed and repented of. Many lie to cover their own inadequacies or ego, or to be accepted by others in some way. They do so by having determined to deliberately deceive the group, individuals or friends, because they want to be part of the group for fellowship or other purposes. We need to develop the proper attitude toward lying. Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, admonished the Christians of his day thus: “Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another” (Ep 4:25). Lying is a serious sin, worthy of death. Under the Law, the punishment for bearing false witness was death. (Dt 19:16-21).God killed Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:1-11). The punishment for all liars shall be the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). They shall be denied entrance into the kingdom, for they cannot dwell with God (Ps15:1-2; Rev21:15, 27). Lie includes flattery (Psalms 5:9; 12:2; 62:4) and socalled “little white lies” (1 John 2:21). Lying is forbidden by God. (Ex 20: 16; 23:1; Lev 19:11; 6:2-7; Dt 5:20; Matthew 19:18). Satan is the “father of lies.” (John 8:44). Lying is a part of our old nature, and it must be put to death (Col 3:9-10).

Dare to be true: nothing can need a lie: A fault, which needs it most, grows two thereby. (George Herbert )

A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future. (Author Unknown)

Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. (Thomas Jefferson )

May the God grand us sufficient grace to escape Lying and to be found as truthful individuals.

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Hypocrisy Tuesday, Aug 22 2006

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the pretension to qualities which one does not possess. It’s a misuse of the gift of speech because language is used to conceal instead of reveal. By pretending to be what they are not, hypocrites imprison themselves. They are afraid to step out and reveal their true selves. Hypocrites are liars. They practice deception. They bear false witness against themselves. Hypocrisy is a part of being human. It is the result of the conflict between our ideals and our desires, between what is and what we think should be. It is the conflict between what we think we have to do to survive and what we say we think is right. Hypocrisy means contradiction – the difference between thoughts and words— keeping something in mind and saying something else. It is also a contradiction between words and deeds (Mt 23:2, 3); a difference between life inside home and outside. There are some who behave themselves excellently outside, but their behaviour at home will be awful. They will be like angels on Sundays and the devil during weekdays. These hypocrites will act as though they are nice to others but in their hearts they will set traps for them. They simply `act’ desiring public applause (Mt 23:27, 28). They give undue emphasis to the external things rather than the inward life (Mt 23:25, 26). Covetousness (Ezek 33:31) and emphasizing minor things rather than the fundamentals are also the other reasons (Mt 23:24). Jesus did not say, “Woe unto you, adulterers…thieves… murderers…,” but He repeatedly pronounced, “Woe unto you, hypocrites.” Hypocrisy is that grave a sin. Jesus condemned hypocrisy as one of the most serious sins .Hypocrisy is a form of apostasy when people draw near to God with their lips when their hearts are far from him.

Are you Hypocrite?

- Do you ever embellish your good deeds to others, perhaps even make some up?

- Are you ever irked when others receive praise?

- Do you ever turn the conversation in a direction that is more likely to bring you praise?

- Is your motivation to serve God and others equally strong when no notices it?

- How do you respond when people don’t appreciate your service?

- Do you deliberately hide your problems or moral failures from others, or only talk about them well after the fact?

- Do you get defensive when people point out problems in your life even when you know they are right?

- Do you react with outrage when someone sins, even though you have committed the same sin?

Overcoming Hypocrisy

- Keep closer relationship with God, the most important Person in the universe, the one who knows you with all of your sins—and yet who loves you and accepts you just as you are! This frees you from any need for pretense.

- Be open with others about your sins and problems.

- Practice “secret” spirituality. The easiest way to do that is to be sure that a good part of your walk is “low visibility.”

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Lust Tuesday, Aug 22 2006

Lust

Lust is an overwhelming desire or craving. Lust is having a very strong desire for someone, usually sexual and without love being involved. Lust entices you with promises of feeling great with lasting pleasure. The reality is that it will leave you feeling miserable, wanting more and hating the consequences. Lust says “Here’s how you can be satisfied without doing things God’s way”. The truth is that lust will leave you unsatisfied and will push you to greater highs through crossing your personal and society moral boundaries. Uncontrolled lust will lead you on a path to self destruction.Lust is said to be a capital sin. The reason is obvious. The pleasure which this vice has as its object is at once so attractive and connatural to human nature as to what keenly a man’s desire, and so lead him into the commission of many other disorders in the pursuit of it. Lust has many destructive effects. The most serious effect is that lust corrupts our ability to love God. John explained that lust is a way of loving the world. He wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in  the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”

The Consequences of Lust

Mental/Emotional: Shame and guilt accompany lustful behaviour. Though the thoughts initially  bring pleasure, it eventually bring disgust and shame, and fear of exposure consumes the individual.

Physical: As individuals attempt to hide their lust, the attempt increases stress-related illnesses such as ulcers, colitis, and general muscular tension.

Relational: Lust often leads to a self-consciousness which becomes a barrier to relationships.

Spiritual: God has said that lust is a sin which builds a spiritual barrier. In gratifying our sinful nature, we turn from what God has planned for us and we seek fulfillment in the wrong place, finding spiritual emptiness.

Overcoming Lust

1. Pray. You need to pray specifically and often. Ask God to give you the purity of thinking that is characteristic of Christ (Romans 8:5).

2. Avoid exposure. Breaking the power of any addiction requires breaking habit patterns. Minimize your exposure to the temptation. Avoid certain places, people, or programs, anything fraught with temptation. Choose wholesome alternatives.3. Stop destructive thoughts. Since lust begins in the mind, say “stop” immediately, when an unwanted thought intrudes. You must choose to oppose the unwanted thought, moving it from thought to action.

4. Replace destructive thoughts. Think of anything else, whether neutral or constructive: count, recite a verse, sing a hymn, count your blessings.

5. Seek God’s new nature. Without a commitment to be God’s person, the other strategies will fail. When the Holy Spirit controls us, He will produce holiness and self-control in our lives.

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Greed Tuesday, Aug 22 2006

Greed

Greed can be defined as the excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one need or deserves. There are two stereotypes of the greedy person: one is extravagant, making ashow of his possessions to impress others; the other is a miser who has a lot of money but hoards it and delights in counting it but not using it. Billy Graham in the book of seven deadly says that Greed has two cousins. The first is COVETOUSNESS…THE DESIRE TO HAVE WHAT OTHERS POSSESS. We see the ELEGANT HOME that a friend has purchased, and IN OUR HEARTS we want to own the same or BETTER. Our neighbor has a new car and we want one like it or better… We see that Co-worker who accumulated a lot of money and we wish we had his bank account. The Second sin that accompanies GREED is ENVY. If Covetousness means that I want what others have, envy means that I RESENT THE BLESSINGS OR GOOD FORTUNE OTHERS HAVE RECEIVED….Because I wish the good fortune could have been MINE…and actually leads to a dislike for a person who has what I want… There are at least three forms of greed

1) Obsessive desire for ever more material goods and the attendant power.

In this form, earthly goods are chiefly a means to an end, which is really not that far off from a healthy view. The money, real estate, cars are simply things used to achieve, wield and display personal power. To destroy our desire for power, we must be generous in granting power to others. When appropriate, be submissive to others. Avoid jobs thatare a temptation for a “power grab.” Share credit for successes with others, and claim  a fair share of responsibility for failures being blamed on others. The idea is to stop trying to control everything and everyone. In parenting, this means encouraging children to find their own way, and respecting their choices. It does not mean abdicating  legitimate responsibilities, but loosening our grip on others’ lives as well as our own. God will take care of us, He has the plan. We can’t control everything anyway, so we might as well learn to relax in God’s hands.

2) Fearful need to store up surplus goods for a vaguely defined time of wantGreed is simply a desire to have so much that we can’t possibly run out. The stock market could crash, we could lose our jobs or health, and we could be sued. If we acquire enough stock, real estate, or T-bills, we think we will be safe from want. This is an illusion. Jesus said, “Perfect love casts out fear.” Trust in God frees us from a need to build a massive buffer against poverty

3) Desire for more earthly goods for their own sake.The obvious cure is to divest oneself of as much as possible, but another suggestion might be to consider the grave. When we die, we take nothing with us. If we are bound by “disordered attachments” to worldly goods, the separation forced upon us by death will be even more painful. If we are destined for eternal glory, the temporary  enjoyment of trinkets in this life is simply absurd. Meditation on this begins to loosen the grip of objects on the heart.

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