Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Tackling My Ego
Today’s Verse:
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. ~Romans 12:3
The greatest battle that most of us have is with our ego. We have a tendency to have a much higher opinion of ourselves than we should. A preacher was once gloating over how eloquent of a preacher he thought that he was. He asked his wife, “How many great preachers do you think are still alive?” She replied, “One less than you think!” The larger our ego, the larger our pride. Pride is overconfidence in who we think we are, what we think we can do, and how much we think we have. This morning, we want to think soberly about our ego.
There is the evil in pride.
“An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin” (Proverbs 21:4). Pride is a sin. Pride is called an abomination to the Lord. A proud look is said to be one of six things that the Lord hates. God resisteth the proud. There is nothing good about pride. Pride is manifested in one monosyllable: “I.” Lucifer’s downfall was pride. He said, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Our ego feeds on pride. Our ego is fueled by pride. When pride is in control, there is the absence of humility. When pride is in control, our accomplishments are about what we did and nothing about what God did. Pride is evil.
There is the evolving of pride.
Pride manifests itself in many other sins. A hardened heart and lack of repentance is a manifestation of pride. A hardened heart is reluctant to say, “I am sorry,” or, “I am wrong.” A hardened heart refuses to apologize for mistakes. Pride results in uncontrolled anger and wrath. Anger and wrath are emotional outbursts connected with being corrected: we get angry because we have been caught or told to make a correction. Pride results in a spirit of unforgiveness. We do not want to ask for forgiveness because we want the other person to make the first step. Pride leads to false assumptions. We falsely think that we will not be caught in our sin. Pride results in presumption. We presume God should bless our plans and intentions, and we get upset with God when He does not. Pride and a big ego evolve into many different and terrible sins.
There is the eviction of pride.
Paul said that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We need to let go of our ego! We need to bring our pride and ego to the cross every day and have them crucified there. We need to leave these sins on the cross. God gives grace unto the humble. We can only find favor with God when our ego and pride are put to death. We evict pride by being in a constant state of thankfulness for everything that God does for us. We can evict pride by having a contrite spirit. We can evict pride by giving honor to another person and not seeking vainglory. We must let go of our ego! We must stop seeking to glorify ourselves. We should not seek great things for ourselves. We should realize that everything we have is the gift of God’s grace in our life.
Take your ego to the cross and crucify it daily. If we are praised, let us deflect it back to God. Is your ego out of control? Is your ego getting the best of you? Then, let us not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.
Have a humble God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 2 Kings 15-17
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