God Hates Pride
The world has deemed the month of June as “pride month.” To the world, it means to commemorate and celebrate the identities of the LGBTQ community, their culture, and their rights. When these words fall on the ears of those of the world, it sounds like something good to celebrate.
However, when these words fall on the ears of a believer and follower of Christ, it sounds perverse. Now, when I say perverse, I mean biblical perversion. I mean “turning away from what is right or good,” “turning away from the true and initial intent of a thing.”
Here is why.
The enemy perverts the good things of God. He takes every good thing God creates and makes it evil, Or, in this case, he took what was evil in God’s eyes and made it sound pleasing to the world. Satan has made pride something to celebrate and boast about. However, let’s look at what God says about pride.
“Pride is the first step toward destruction. Proud thoughts will lead you to defeat.” Proverbs 16:18 ERV
“When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 NKJV
“Your pride can bring you down. Humility will bring you honor.” Proverbs 29:23 ERV
“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5 NIV
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Proverbs 8:13 NIV
God hates pride.
Leave it up to Satan to weaponize the very thing that got him kicked out of heaven and use it to turn God’s people away from Him. Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride. He desired to be God instead of a servant of God (sounds like us, doesn’t it). He was a beautiful angel, an anointed cherub, the most beautiful of God’s creation. He, unfortunately, was not content with this role.
He became arrogant and thought of himself more than he ought to, and he poured out this same arrogance onto the earth. He has convinced many people to identify with their sins and take pride in them. He succeeded so well that we dedicate an entire month to prideful sin. He has persuaded God’s people to celebrate the very thing God hates, hence turning God’s people further away from him.
“In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” Psalms 10:4 NIV
Because the devil could not become like God, he dangled this same temptation before Eve when cast down onto the earth, leading to the fall.
“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 ESV
You will be like God, he told her. The very thing he wanted to be is what he tempted us with, and we fell for it. Wanting to be like God, exalting ourselves higher than we ought, is the very thing that caused the fall, which is why God hates pride so much. Pride is what separates his children from him. Now, imagine the same thing that separated us from him is now celebrated and honored more than Him. God is grieved, for sure.
As stated in part 1 of this series, sin separates us from God, so as long as the devil can continue to make us proud of our sinful nature, the gap between God and us grows bigger and bigger.
Proud of Sin
What are God’s people taking pride in? They are proud to be practicing sexual immorality and giving into the desires of their flesh. Satan is truly good at his job. His job is to deceive and confuse God’s people, and he has succeeded in this area.
Hate is the biggest distraction of the enemy. Pride month, taking place in June, was sparked by the 1969 Stonewall riots. On June 28, 1969, NYC police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in downtown Greenwich Village, NY. Violence erupted in the streets that night, and protests continued for six days.
Being openly gay in the 1960s was unfavorable; therefore, they found the only place they could freely express themselves was in gay bars. However, establishments would lose their liquor license and be forced to shut down for serving the gay community. Of course, this would be received as discriminatory, hateful, and unfair. Therefore, an entire gay rights movement ensued, and here we are today.
My point is this; the devil planned to sprinkle hate in the middle of an already sinful situation and to get God’s children to fight for their rights to sin and be prideful in it, creating even more confusion and separation from God.
Satan has succeeded at getting people to take pride in what their flesh desires when the Bible says those in Christ must crucify their flesh (Galatians 5:24). Like identifying with your sin, you cannot identify with the things God hates. You cannot take pride in your sexual desires or who you want to lie in bed with.
What do you get out of being proud of your sin? You get “permission” to operate outside of the will of God and feel ok about it. You get to be God over your life. You get what Satan wanted in heaven and what Adam and Eve wanted in the garden.
You also get the same outcome, separation from God. I pray this will awaken the dead spirit of those who see nothing wrong with this month’s celebration. I hope the scales are being removed from your eyes as we speak. I hope you see the enemy’s tactics and devices taking us farther from God. I hope you see the true meaning of pride and why it should not be celebrated.
If you get nothing else, remember this. This nation celebrates the very thing that allowed Satan to lose his very high position in heaven and got Adam and Eve kicked out of the garden.
If you celebrate this month as the world does, consider what you are losing in Christ. Think about your position in heaven, like being seated at the right hand of God. Then ask yourself if being free in the world is worth losing your place in heaven.
Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, forgive us for turning our backs on you. Forgive us for celebrating and loving the things you hate. Have mercy on your people Lord. May we all come to ourselves and acknowledge your power and sovereignty. May the veil be removed from our eyes. May we recognize the enemy’s devices and come out of agreement with them. I pray for humility to take the place of pride. May your people humble themselves before you and give you the honor you deserve. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Yours Truly Moe.
