The Enemy Pt 3 Pride

Sorry I haven't posted the series in a while. Well being of that I should quickly add that my last part about guilt I had actually used this website for some things. The reason why is because at first I was kinda unsure of how to space out my thoughts and the person who wrote the website entry had some fantastic points. Anyway, I thought I'd have you know since today's subject is pride, so lets get this thing kicked off, shall we?

Well pride being the subject that it I'm thinking some of my personal stories reflect my experience with pride. I'm not going to do an extensive list of stories, but roughly "experiences" if you will.
So my first story kinda ties it all together. It was a night after Youth Group and my friend Jen and I were talking about things (I don't remember everything we talked about), but it was like the last few minutes riding home, and well me being of the age of 13 or 14 I had mentioned that either I don't have pride or that it's not a problem. We've talked about it, now a few thoughts later, a come around to reality, growing up, and other things that would have me come to attention. Yeah, pride is most defiantly an issue. I'm pretty sure God was laughing. After all He knows me better then me.
Now the fun part is seeing it the way I see it now... Heh well for some period of time I had loved getting into debate. But the debates I got in were about "gay marriage", "religious things", and I think some other things along the way. It kinda makes me feel stupid (so do other things I've done), but I don't really like looking back to what I've once done and I hate to remember what I've done because
even though I was a child and thought like a child (1 Corinthians 13:10-13) and so fourth.

I've noticed a few things with pride:

One: Talk about feeding a monster of sin. To think every time we sin either it be pride, lying (and the many forms of lying like a white lie or a lie to get attention of some sort), or what ever it may be. I found it to be every time we sin constantly (or be elaborate in sin) we feed a monster that takes over us. Two: A way to boost self esteem. So many people today struggle with who they are and I'll even admit for a little while there I did too where I thought I had to lie to be cool. Well no, it's about time I have confidence of who I am in Christ. It could have been to prove self worth I dunno.Three: It draws us apart from God. We know God is a humble God so how is it pride gets to us? Well we need to be as 1 Peter 1:16 says, "for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy." Now I know it's hard to that being fallen, but because God looks at us as His perfect son we should try our hardest not to be prideful and I'll be honest this is a HUGE one for me at times.


I think of the times where I've been desperate for attention and it builds me up inside to make me feel better about myself, but in the long run pride was my adrenaline to keep me feeling good about myself, still it was like a deadly drug that would've been the death of me. (Now when I say "death of me, know that many things could have very well been the death of me.) I was such a child, but I know that is no excuse for my acts. Still I've learned a lot about growing up and my wrongs. Oh the joy of being made like Christ! Also it involves me learning to love and accept of who I am in Christ as said above and not who I want to be since I should strive to be Christ. A little something I've found about people, always wanting some sort of attention in one way or another, therefore wanting attention we attract negative attention because it brings more focus to what we did. Well it just goes to prove we get the attention we are desperate for we get but not the way we expected to. Thus feeling it's not the attention we wanted so we continue with our acts.
Now I posted this on Facebook because I once said something to someone about me being able to flip someone over and stop in the middle and somewhat catch them... well no I am not capable of that by any means, but see what I mean by pride? So this is what I said, "Well, I'm having a moment (very rare moment) where I wish I was awesome like flipping people over and stopping in mid air. Obviously I wish I was Chuck Norris... I feel stupid officially. Yeah apparently I'm a big dreamer who want to kick butt in self defence. *Sigh* I wish I was that awesome. I'm mental and so desperate for attention.... why? Why? Because I'm pathetic. I don't understand I'm not deprived from attention.
Sorry for the longish post I felt it was something to say 'cause I have said things in the past that just bug. So sorry...."
Yes I do feel bad about this. But I was messaging my friend Rachel and she said this,                  
 
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
all we can do is ask for forgiveness, know that our Heavenly Father will forgive us and love us no matter what, and continue to do our best to focus on Him and live for Him....the bad things we have done, we have done. and there's nothing we can do about them now...but just continue to live for Him:)"

I am so glad to have the body of Christ knowing I am not alone like Satan wants me to feel.
So pride may have faded, but the guilt came... now I do understand that I shouldn't feel guilty because yes what my friend had said, but also because of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." I just love that verse because it reminds me who I am in Christ and how the old has died and that the new has come!
But pride still has it's rounds but I shouldn't let in define me. But I found This I think this is something we should all hear.
For me I've been trying to get better about humbling myself either that be by me giving God the first of my day or stepping up and saying I need prayer. It was a Bible study that we were going though prayer requests, now there are times where I am very clear about things with life, but this time I had said spiritual warfare and mom said I could explain, but no I didn't really want to, so she asked if she could so she did. Well I'll confess I was going to talk to an individual at that group but since now our  G-Force group knows I'm doing better. I will confess though, this blog happens to be that one place where I'm actually pretty calm. Now this might sound a little bit weird, but I have so many thoughts in my head and I don't want to say I'm confused... eh I kinda am but not like entirely.
Anyway, I wanted to see what scripture said about pride, so I looked in the back of my Bible to find Proverbs 16:18-19 "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirt before a fall. It is better to be a lowly spirt with the poor then divide the spoil with the proud."  I was just awestruck at "Pride goes before destruction"  and that it does because whenever I am prideful destruction was to follow and had me falling in the pit of despair.
1 Samuel 2:3
 “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed."
I have much to learn about pride and I hope to stay away! Well I think this is good a bit of confessions, but the Bible says in James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."