In my previous blog entry, Take Off the Mask of Pride, I wrote that, “our pride prevents us from seeing our real selves. Our pride prevents us from seeing the sin in our lives. Our pride makes us think that we are better than others. Our pride causes us to put on a mask because we are afraid of what others may think about us because they will see the true us.”
I also wrote that, “when we allow pride to take control of our lives, we become blind to that which pleases the Lord. Let us take this upcoming week to be humble and open before the Lord, to ask Him to search our hearts, and rid ourselves of the pride within us. It is not an easy task, but it will change your walk with the Lord forever.”
The more I reflected on what I wrote last week, the more I was convicted of the areas of pride in my life that I need to repent of before the Lord. When we allow pride to take control of our lives, our walk with the Lord becomes, in essence, an outward show, rather than an honest reflection of what’s happening on the inside.
I remember in my early years as a follower of the Messiah, that I would sit for hours with precious people discipling me and I would confess the different areas where I failed to honor the Lord. I had such a great amount of zeal to lay down the mask that I had in my life for so many years before I became a follower of the Messiah, and I wanted to be real before Him, in order to honor Him.
I wore such a heavy mask of pride, because I cared so much about what others thought of me. Yet when Yeshua took hold of my life, I came to a place where I didn’t care what others thought anymore, and my life started to be less and less about me, and more and more about Him. The Lord became the absolute center of my life, and the more I allowed Him to take over, the less I felt the need to impress others; I so much desired to honor Him in and through everything that I did.
I now find myself many years later, reflecting on those things. I confess that over the years, there are areas in my life in which I have allowed pride to slowly creep back in. I am convicted that I need to once again repent of this, and remove that mask from my life. My prayer was and still is, that whenever I pray, worship, and teach, that it will not be a show to impress others, but rather to honor my God who sees the deepest parts of my heart.
My dear brothers and sisters, I am opening myself to each of you reading this in order to encourage you to humbly come before our Lord, and ask Him to reveal any areas of pride in your heart. One of the most dangerous places one can be is to think he has it all together. This heart attitude blocks the Lord from working within us, which grieves Him. I am reminded of two of my favorite verses in the Word, which I aim to always make a foundation in my life:
“ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” Psalm 111:10
Shabbat Shalom,
Moran
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2 Comments on “Take Off the Mask of Pride (Part 2)”
Dear Moran,
May the Lord who loves a humble heart, teach you, encourage you and reward you with a sweet sense of his presence and care for you.
Thank you for being a light in the world we live in today.
Shabbat Shalom,
Carolyn
Amen and Amen… What’s really sad – but so often true of those of us who Know the Messiah, is that pride really does try to sneak back in – often in ways we miss because we are His and want to do things that please Him. Self will always be self though so even “doing the things of the Kingdom” can feed pride if we aren’t aware of the danger. Which is why our “self-life/will” must be crucified on a daily. The Apostle Paul states in 1st Corinthians 15:31 that he died daily. Romans chapter 6 and Galatians 2:20-21 all speak of the “death to self will.” In the King James Version of the English Translation, Paul wrote in verse 21: ” I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Throughout the years of my own walk with the Messiah, the Lord brings me back to the phrase “frustrate the grace of God” – more often than I really like to admit. But every time pride begins to sneak back in and/or I attempt to wear a “believer’s” mask, or …. (whatever else I may do beyond total dependence on Him), the realization that I am frustrating God helps me to understand why I am beginning to feel so frustrated myself…. In essence it is the result of my having left off “being crucified with Christ wherein the life I now live in the flesh is being lived by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me by reverting back to do my own thing or wearing a mask that pretends all is well with my soul. Pride … maybe we don’t like calling it that, but pride it is. Thank God for His grace that calls us back to Himself! Thank you for confronting this topic… It’s not one that people like to face although we all need to do so. Blessings to you!