“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16, ESV)
Yesterday, I asked you to consider obstacles in life. Are the obstacles you face the ploy of the Devil to hinder your way or are they the grace of God to redirect your path?
The answer is both. Sometimes an obstacle is the Devil at work. Sometimes an obstacle is God at work. Every situation is different. Every situation takes discernment. In the next few posts, I hope to discuss how we discern from God to choose the course to take. Do we press forward through the challenges or do we chart a new course?
One important thing to consider is pride. Pride has been the downfall of many. Pride gets in the way of where God would lead us. The Devil likes to take advantage of our pride.
We don’t want to admit a mistake. We are a stubborn sort of people. We stay a course to save face. It is pride that keeps us from humbling ourselves. It is pride that keeps us on a path of destruction.
I remember a time when I was driving – before the days of GPS – and I got lost. Although I did not know where we were, I did not want to admit defeat. I continued to insist that I knew where we were. The passengers in the car did not buy it. But I was not willing to humble myself and ask for directions. We eventually got to where we were going, but it took much longer than necessary. My pride caused a great inconvenience.
How many of us are lost but fail to ask for help? We are struggling along the way, but we don’t want to admit we need help. We fear what others may think about us if we admit our short-coming. But in our pride, we are unwilling to ask for help. And we continue to suffer. I have discovered that healthy and successful people are the ones willing to humble themselves and ask for help.
What situation do you face where pride has prevented you from altering your course and asking for help? Where have you been stubborn to persist in a pattern of failure and desperation?
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