Do you take pride in your accomplishments? Is pride something you struggle with? Do you struggle with anxiety? Is worry a constant companion? Do you muddle through each day? Are you observant? Do you notice what is happening around you? Do you see the big picture?
Pride can trip us up quickly. We can become prideful in our humility, thinking highly of ourselves for humbling ourselves before God. We don’t think about it. We come humbly to God in prayer…then we begin to think of ourselves better than others because we humble ourselves.
We can also be held captive by worry and anxiety. We can be consumed by them, becoming immobile or disengaged. Our anxiety can cause us to distance ourselves from family and friends. Or it can cause us to be incapable of thinking for ourselves, resulting in us leaning on others far more than we normally would.
How do we combat pride and anxiety? We must be alert. We are to take a step back, evaluate our behavior and actions. We must recognize we have become captive to them, then discipline ourselves against them. To discipline ourselves we must humble ourselves before God, asking him to remove them from us. It requires us to submit to him with a humble heart.
Why is it important? The devil prowls around looking for opportunities to use them to devour us. He uses them to draw us away from God. He does not do it all at once but pulls us away slowly, one step at a time. Only by periodically evaluating our behavior and actions can we recognize what is happening and return to God on our knees and ask him to pull us back into his arms. Only God can protect us from Satan’s ploys, tricks, and conniving.
I pray we all take time to evaluate our behavior and actions. I pray we remain alert to Satan’s schemes. I pray each one of us will humble ourselves before God, asking for his protection. Evaluate your behavior. Evaluate your actions. Be alert. See Satan’s schemes. Humble yourself before God. Ask God to protect you.
1 Peter 5:6-8 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.
Marty Pressey 