If God gives you a great gift, and you become honored by men as a result because of it, it should not make you proud, but rather make you aware of the great responsibility you have been entrusted with to speak words that can affect other people’s lives in major ways.

If you have received more than others from God as a gift, remember that God also requires more from you and your responsibility and therefore your accountability at the last day will be much greater.

It is not something to be proud of, that you have received 5 talents instead of 2, because they are all RECEIVED, not your own achievement.

It is something rather to walk in the fear of the LORD, because of the greater weight of responsibility you carry to use those talents and multiply them and use them right, not in pride and presumption.

The Bible says in Obadiah 1:3 (NKJV)  “The pride of your heart has deceived you.”

And there is nothing worse for a man or woman of God than to walk in deception, when he is meant to speak truth.

In order to overcome pride, it is also good to remember, that although you had some victories in the past, you haven’t finished the race yet, and getting into pride now based on ‘your’ achievements, guarantees you will fall soon, because God says in Proverbs that “pride comes before a fall”  (Proverbs 16:18).

So, since you haven’t finished your race, you don’t want to get proud now, even though you had a great run so far, because you still have more of the race to run and you want to finish well.

Imagine if an athlete, in a race, got over-confident and proud because he was ahead, lifted up his head in pride for being ahead of the others, did not watch the road well and then stumbled and fell.  The chances are he will be overtaken by others and lose the race.

The Bible says: ‘Run as if to win the prize’ (1 Corinthians 9:24) – as if it is only one prize and you, out of everyone, wants to get it, that’s the attitude of heart and commitment God desires.

It’s not just how you start the race or how well you do on the way, but how you finish that matters the most.

There are so many, even great men in scriptures that started so well in the fear of God and at the Peak of their success begin to get over confident and corrupt and begin to sin against God!

None of us are infallible, we all make mistakes, prophets make mistakes, they are tempted too.  But the key to overcoming is humility and always, always seeking the face of God and being dependent on Him.

Renounce pride, it goes before a fall, let God be the lifter of your head as He promised to make a way of escape in time if temptation…

“Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.  Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression,”   Psalm 19:13 (NKJV).

Shalom
~ Syreeta Thomas

Syreeta Thomas

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