Spiritual Warfare #3

Chapter Two by Charles Stanley
The Landmine of Pride
Of all the struggles discussed in this book, pride is the one that has the most devastating results.

God is very specific. He hates pride. In fact, it is at the top of His list of sins that He despises: "Pride and arrogance and the evil way / And the perverted mouth, I hate" (Prov. 8:13).

It is one of Satan's chief modes of operation and favorite weapons of warfare because it tempts us to take our eyes off God and place them on ourselves.

There's nothing wrong with having a sense of pride in doing things well. However, many people fail to honor the Lord with their attitudes. They believe Satan's lies, which tell them they can accomplish whatever they want apart from God. This line of thinking always leads us away from God. And Satan wins the battle.

The next section is pretty long so I'll save that for tomorrow. After reading this chapter, I asked Greg if I was prideful. I always want to keep a check on different attitudes to make sure I've got the right heart. He said, no, but I had an area that would crop up from time to time. We had a conversation the day before about people improving their lives by getting a college education. I'm pro-college because I got a Bachelor's degree and feel it was one of the best decisions I ever made. He, on the other hand, didn't finish his AA degree and isn't such a big advocate of college degrees for everyone. When we discuss the issue, he feels like I feel the way I do because of what I've done. I actually feel that it is beneficial for everyone before I went to college. You make and average of $10,000 more than someone with a high school diploma, right out of school. (That's a 20 year old figure, I'm sure it's more by now) I feel a person is more well rounded and it opens their eyes to more possibilities for career options. It also models a good example to their kids for the value of a higher education. Greg feels not everyone is cut out for college. Anyway, I guess I'll have to watch myself when expressing my opinion about college.