Pride: A Den of Lions

This episode explores the hidden danger of pride and how it sabotages our lives and relationships with God. By examining biblical examples and personal stories, we uncover the significance of humility as the antidote to pride and encourage active reflection and prayer for growth.

•  Discussion on the essence and manifestations of pride 
•  Connection of pride to personal struggles and relationships 
•  Insights on humility through the story of King David 
•  Lessons from the parable of the rich fool 
•  Practical strategies for identifying and combating pride 
•  Importance of community support and dependence on God 
•  Weekly Challenge: Under God's Microscope

Chapters

• 0:00 Confronting Pride for Humility and Peace
• 1:19 Episode Intro
• 2:28 Proverbs 16:18
• 3:50 King David
• 5:54 The Rich Fool
• 9:48 Pride: Know Your Enemy
• 10:04 Overcoming Pride Through Humility
• 13:41 Flashback: Alone in a Crowded Room
• 18:07 Pride: Analyze This
• 18:53 Pause for The Cause: Weekly Challenge
• 19:55 Outro and Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Low Life Show, a space where we have conversations about the struggles of life, where we declare war on pride and walk humbly into renewed living with a surrendered heart. Where we take our past failures and turn them into a roadmap for you to live in peace and living the low life.

Speaker 1: 0:20

Whether you're working through personal struggles or simply seeking a fresh perspective, this podcast will inspire and equip you to live low and let God lift you up. I'm your host, dl the Low Life, a reformed professional dirtbag who's here to tell you that I now live a life of peace, transformed through humility. Join me, let's get low.

Speaker 3: 1:20

Welcome back to the Low Life Show. I'm DL the Low Life and today we're getting into the whole reason. We're here To talk about the enemy of everything we're building Pride. Here's the deal. Pride is sneaky. It doesn't always show up as arrogance or bragging. Sometimes it's in your thoughts, your choices. It might even be in your prayers. Pride is the silent killer of your relationship with God and if you don't recognize it, don't fight it. It's going to wreck your life. Trust me, I know You'd swear. If you looked up pride in the dictionary, you would see a picture of my face. Here's the funny thing we also hear and see pride attached to the rainbow. Make that make sense. For me, the rainbow represents God's promise not to wipe us out again, and pride is something he detests. Strange combo. Anyhow, we're gonna expose it, we're gonna deal with it and we're gonna learn how to live free from it.

Speaker 3: 2:12

In today's episode we're going to start in a book that is widely known as a book of wisdom things you can live by, proverbs. This verse, proverbs 16, 18,. It says Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. This verse is a warning, this is the red light, this is caution hazard, whatever you want to look at it as. However you see it, however you hear it, this is a warning. It's a recipe, a very simple one. Are you looking to fall? Are you looking to fail? Get proud, very simple Done. But here's the twist Pride doesn't always look like what we think.

Speaker 3: 3:04

Sometimes it's loud and obvious, like boasting or rallies in the streets about how awesome we are. Other times it's trying to force something unconventional down the world's throats and crying victim the whole time. Other times it's quiet and deadly, like refusing to ask for help, like unforgiveness, like self-righteousness. Either way it's a trap, and that last step is a doozy. Our first example everybody should know. Our first example everybody should know the only person ever known for sure to be considered a man after God's own heart, by God himself King David.

Speaker 3: 3:52

We know a few things about him. He was a shepherd chosen by God to be a king. He was anointed. He was a mighty warrior who defeated a giant with, essentially a slingshot. He was also an adulterer, a murderer. He slept with a married woman and sent her husband to the front lines where he died. He was imperfect, as can be. One thing he never did brag and boast. David was not known for being proud, and whenever he did anything that was dishonorable or displeasing or sinful to God, anything prideful in nature guess what he did? He didn't feel ashamed. He didn't try to justify it or cover it up with something else or run and hide. He went, running back to God, repentant, humbly. He humbled himself, he returned to God and he was willing to accept the consequence, humble enough to admit his wrongdoing, humble enough to seek forgiveness and to show forgiveness. We see an example of this forgiveness in 1 Samuel 24.

Speaker 3: 4:50

After being pursued by Saul for years, saul wanted to kill him. David finally has the chance to kill Saul and end it all. No more running, no more looking over his shoulder, no more paranoia, whatever he must have been feeling at the time, knowing that people were out to kill him. Instead, he cut off a piece of Saul's robe and then let Saul know that he did it, that he was close enough to kill him, but he spared him. I don't know about you, but there was a time in my life where, if I'm David and Saul's hunting me and I have a chance, I'm not going to just kill him right there. I'm going to make him feel every bit of hurt and stress that I felt, and then he would eventually die at my hands. Humility, vengeance belongs to God. He even says it in his word. Vengeance is mine. Only the proud the foolish would dare to try to take it from him.

Speaker 3: 5:52

The next thing we look at is the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. Now someone in the crowd said to him Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. But he said to him you there, who appointed me a judge or arbiter over the two of me. But he said to him you there, who appointed me a judge or arbiter over the two of you. But he said to them Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions. And he told them a parable saying the land of a rich man was very productive. And he began thinking to himself, saying what shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops? And he said this is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones and I will store all my grain and my goods there. And I will say to myself you have many goods stored up for many years to come, relax, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.

Speaker 3: 6:38

But God said to him you fool this very night. Your soul is demanded of you and as, and he said to his disciples more than food and the bodies more than clothing. Consider the Ravens that they neither so nor reap. They have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds? And which of you, by worrying, can add a day to his lifespan? Therefore, if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? Consider the lilies how they grow. They neither labor nor spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon and all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

Speaker 3: 7:27

Now, if God so clothes, the grass in the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace. How much more will he clothe you, you of little faith, and do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink and do not keep worrying, for all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom and these things will be provided to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity. Make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor does a moth destroy, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Let's break it down In this parable a rich man builds bigger barns to store his abundance, thinking he's set for life.

Speaker 3: 8:32

Put it in the bank shoebox under the mattress. But God calls him a fool because that very night his life is taken and he has nothing stored for eternity. He's one of those. Lord, lord, I did all of these things and God told him I did not know you. You may have done those things, but you did it for you, not for me.

Speaker 3: 8:52

The warning here is clear Pride in possessions, pride in self, relying on self because of pride that's dangerous. When we put our trust in money, status and the earthly things that look like security to what the world says, we forget how dependent we are and should be on God. Take a moment to reflect. Where are you trusting in yourself instead of trusting God? The key to humility is surrendering those areas to Him, storing up treasures in heaven and living with an eternal perspective, seeking eternity, chasing after God, chasing after Him. Nothing else matters. Chasing the bag is not going to get you there. So how can we recognize pride in our lives? How can we spot it before it destroys us? There's a couple of questions you can ask yourself. Do you struggle to admit when you're wrong? Maybe Do you pause because you're worried you're going to be embarrassed or ashamed for being imperfect.

Speaker 3: 10:04

Do you have a hard time forgiving others? I mean, I know there are certain cases that are pretty hard to do. I myself, just recently, was asked by a cousin if I forgave the person who was driving the truck that killed my mom. At first I wanted to say no and then, as I thought about it, I realized I wasn't affected. When I thought about his name. You see, when it first happened I swore that I was going to be the person to kill him. Now I'm almost certain that if I saw him today, I would feel no urge to do anything of the sort.

Speaker 3: 10:38

Anyhow, do you have a hard time forgiving others? I understand if there are situations like that where you're struggling. That's when leaning on God counts the most. He does the heaviest lifting, he does it all. Really, we lean on Him properly. He does everything and he makes even the hard things look easy to us. Do you avoid asking for help because you think you can do it all by yourself? That would definitely be an indication that there's pride.

Speaker 3: 11:03

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you use control as a weapon, there's a good chance you're walking in pride. In a situation where you use control as a weapon, there's a good chance you're walking in pride. If you have to force other people to accept you, to like you, if you bully your way into anything anywhere, there goes that pride again. Some of you may say that it comes from hurt, but there's a level of pride that is the root. It wouldn't hurt if your ego wasn't damaged in the process. That's pride, and pride is dangerous. Pride puts you on the throne of your life instead God. It makes God look like you because you think you're God. That's a dangerous place to be. Only God can be God. We're a bunch of imperfect, flawed human beings. We would only screw things up.

Speaker 3: 11:41

There's also the little fact about God we see in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 4, 24 says For the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, a jealous God. I'd hate to be the focus of his fury. Here's where humility comes in. Humility is the one thing that will break pride. Humility before God. It's the antidote to pride. It's the recognizing that you need God and you even need community. If community wasn't necessary, god would have made Adam by himself, and he would just have been the only person to have ever existed, and we wouldn't even be here. The acknowledgement in itself becomes like an invitation that God can't wait to accept. It allows room for community and for others to rally around you. Humility is the golden ticket. It makes you relatable, likable, it feels good to be needed, and we're just us. The pleasure it gives God, though, is out of this world.

Speaker 3: 12:33

Now let me take you back to where pride used to be in my life and where I work tirelessly to keep it at bay. Pride is definitely something that I fight every single day. I remember a time when I thought I had it all together Figured out, but that's because I didn't want to admit my struggles, not even to God. You know what? That pride nearly got me killed. It wasn't until God humbled me that I began to acknowledge my flaws, started to admit and embrace my weaknesses and ask for God's help in all things. That's when my life started to change.

Speaker 3: 13:41

So picture this have you ever felt alone when weren't alone? Like alone in a crowded room, surrounded by people and somehow still by yourself? As my downward spiral began, this was me Finding ways to avoid grieving, searching for substance in substance. If it was a known way to numb the pain, I took two. There is no preparation for grief, for loss. You never know how you're going to react to death, how or who you'll be in the face of grief. Who's to say? You can say you'll be fine, but that's rarely the case, especially if you find yourself where I was After really only ever losing a pet, at least in terms of close relationships.

Speaker 3: 14:22

I spent the beginning of my grief doing as many reckless things as I could. At first, it was to occupy my time and to trade one extreme emotion for another. It was grief versus exhilaration, adrenaline. After a while, though, the grief would not be denied, so I doubled my doses of everything, and still, every quiet moment there it was reminding me that I hurt, convincing me to be sad because my world was no longer complete. Eventually, I started to agree, started to feel the overwhelming weight of death in my mind, in my heart, all around and through me. It didn't make me stop going crazy at all. I continued to be reckless. It was almost like I was fueled by it, or fueled by the want and the need to get away from it, trying to overcome grief with adrenaline. So I still hit licks. I was still in and out the trap. There was one major difference now, though I was hitting licks, robbing, burglarizing not for the money or the goods. I was doing it with the hope that someone would catch me in the act and kill me. I was committing crimes as a means to commit suicide.

Speaker 3: 15:32

It might not seem like it, but this, too, was a symptom of pride. See, I had people around trying to give me good advice and help steer me back. The problem was their advice was saturated in pride, just like my ignorance was. While I was unwilling to accept advice, they were unable to deliver. Without condemning me and criticizing my inability to process emotion, their advice was born out of a I know I would never do anything like that because I know better attitude. Like what's wrong with you? Who does that? Like it's that simple. But again, they couldn't be in my mind or in my heart, and I was unwilling to let them in. So I took offense to their advice and I ignored them. They had no idea that I was suicidal. It wasn't a cry for help. It was the real deal. So I wasn't going to go around telling people that I was doing this. I was just doing it. I wanted to die. Pride told me it was my choice. Pride told me real men didn't share that type of stuff. Pride told me I didn't mean it. If I told somebody, thankfully I was unsuccessful.

Speaker 3: 16:33

For anyone out there feeling unable to talk to someone, know that I get it. I may not know or even need all the details. You can talk to me if need be. I've got one quick piece of advice for the listener. If you truly care about someone, you find a way to be understanding, no matter which side of the situation you're on as the one grieving. It's challenging. Nothing seems to make sense. That's the thing to tell yourself. If a loved one is giving you advice that doesn't make sense or is difficult to receive, don't shut them out. Remind yourself that things don't make sense. Remember this is someone who, under any other circumstance, you would trust enough to hear out, and the advisor this is for you. Understand that this is someone who is in need of compassion, not judgment. You may not understand the situation from their eyes, but you know that this is someone in pain. Your advice in this moment should be comforting, not condemning.

Speaker 3: 17:23

Depression and suicidal thoughts were normal for me. In my pride, I refused to be weak, refused to seek help. Today I'm helpless on purpose and dependent on God for all things. I inquire of Him, even when I pick movies to watch or what to post on social media. He is the center, the surrounding walls, the roof, the foundation, the carpet, the drapes. He's everything and I know he knows better than me. So I get low and I rely on him. I would suggest you do the same.

Speaker 3: 18:07

So, in order to apply this analysis, in order to lean on God to figure it out or if you've already got it figured out, then you lean on God, you pray. You would take a moment, though in reflection, you would look at your life and consider every area that maybe is even successful. Pride could be hiding in the success just as much as pride could be causing the failure. Is it in your relationships, maybe, where there might be a strain, where you might be left feeling empty or something? Is it in your decisions? Do you find people not wanting to be around you when you do certain things. Ask God to reveal it to you and then ask him to help you deal with it. And then let's pause for the cause one more time, for our weekly challenge. This week's challenge is tough, but it's necessary.

Speaker 3: 18:59

Along with that reflection, this challenge is pray every day and ask God to reveal where pride is hiding in your heart, every single day. And when he shows you, don't ignore it, don't deny it, don't make excuses, don't try to justify it and don't try to act as if you don't think it's him. Just acknowledge it, confess it before him and ask him to help you replace it with humility. See, pride's going to be the thing that's going to tell you you don't hear from God. It's going to be the thing that's going to tell you you're wrong. It's going to be the thing that's going to tell you that you don't need to change it. It'll show you every single time that you were successful, every single way that you felt like you were thriving. All the good feelings are going to come to you. That's pride.

Speaker 3: 19:44

Pride is a mother scruncher. Pride is the enemy of living low, but God gives us the grace to overcome it. Only by his grace can we be saved. Next episode we're going to talk about restoration what happens when you humble yourself and let God rebuild what pride tried to tear down. Let's pray, father.

Speaker 3: 20:04

We thank you. We thank you that you give us a clear line in this war. We thank you that you are an enemy of pride, just as much as a pride is the enemy of our lives. We thank you that you would help us find it, you would help us acknowledge it, you would help us uproot it. You would give us the strength to fight it off. We thank you for your grace that we don't deserve. That allows us to overcome things, especially when it comes to pride. We humble ourselves, lord, and we ask that you would just continue to do this within us. Continue to be the merciful God that you are, and we thank you. Bless the listener, help them to grow one more step closer to you this week and one step freer from pride. May you be glorified and honored and praised always In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for tuning in. Until next time, stay low, stay blessed and stay ready for the next episode of the Low Life Show. Peace, thank you.