Ridding Ourself of our Pride

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Preparing for Tribulation
Ridding Ourself of our Pride

God will use the rod on the nations to break them so he can establish His order and His government. Their pride will be broken with His rod, and the meek will inherit the earth, at the second coming of Christ. Part of our preparation for that coming is be rid of the deadliest of sins: Pride. Let's take a look at Pride in all of its glory, be rid of it, and thus prepare for the times ahead.


Defining Pride

(Psa 10:4 KJV) The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
PRIDE - 1363. gobahh, grandeur, arrogance:-- haughty, loftiness, . . .

PRIDE ROOT - 1361. gabahh, gaw-bah'; a prim. root; to soar, i.e. be lofty:--exalt, be haughty, lift up, mount up, raise up great height.

The sense here is like that of an eagle who leaves the ground and soars straight up into the air towards the sun. The shuttle, the Challenger, climbing upward into the sky through the clouds is also a good image of what is described in this definition.


COUNTENANCE - 639. 'aph, prop. the nose or nostril; hence the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion):--anger, wrath.
COUNTENANCE ROOT - 599. 'anaph, aw-naf'; a prim. root; to breathe hard, i.e. be enraged.

The picture here of the proud man is one of a very angry, enraged face that mounts up to high and lofty places and exalts himself above everything. Does that sound famliar to us? Listen to these two scriptures:


(Rev 12:12 KJV. . . .Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath.
(Isa 14:11 KJV) Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, . . . 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, 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: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.


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Pride's Anointing: Anger

The proud man does not seek God, but rather exalts himself above Him. He is the judge and jury of all around him, and the executor of his own judgement on others. His judgements are unfair, oppressive, tyrannical, and the execution of them is driven on by the anger of his pride. Even the littlest thing can set him off in his anger. Out of pride's anger also come oppression and tyranny, lies and deceits, thefts and destructions and murders.


(John 10:10 KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: . . .
Anger - I call it Pride's anointing, the force behind pride that governs all things.

Pride has no scruples when it gets angry. It can be targeted at either God or man. How many of us have been angry with God and still are? How many of us have an area of hardness where anger has set itself up because God doesn't do things our way?

Against another man, man's anger is basically the power of manipulation. It is designed to bring about fear in another for the purpose of taking away their choice in any given situation. It is Pride's Silencer, the Final Word, the horn of Pride's power, the Enforcer of Pride's strategies and agendas. Against man, it is employed to break the will of another and to bring them under submission, bringing death to their spirit and terror to their minds. It is deadly to both the one employing it and to the one who receives the brunt of it. It gives place to the devil because it kills and destroys. That's why Paul said,


(Eph 4:26 KJV) Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.
It's also why James said,


(James 1:19 KJV) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Here is the Bible commentary referenced with this verse:


James 1:19: Verses 19-21. Instead of blaming God under our trials, let us open our ears and hearts to learn what he teaches by them. And if men would govern their tongues, they must govern their passions. The worst thing we can bring to any dispute is anger. . . . We must yield ourselves to the word of God, with humble and teachable minds. Being willing to hear of our faults, taking it not only patiently, but thankfully.
Twenty-five years ago, I went to sleep unable to breathe because all of my ribs were swollen with arthritis, my legs were all bloody from scratching, 85% of my skin cells were multiplying seven times faster than normal, and in my self-righteous anger I went to sleep crying in my heart, "Why me? I don't care if you are God. I am going to sleep and I AM NOT waking up in the morning."

At times, the proud man is self-righteous almost beyond belief, thinking the power of life and death are in his hands, not God's. I thought so. So, too, will the false prophet to come. The false prophet of Revelation not only gives life to an image, but also death to anyone who won't take his mark. The proud man says, "I'm in charge. I'm always right. I'm good apart from God. Do what I say or die."


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The Fruit Of Pride: Self-Righteousness

When I cried out, "Why me?," I told God, "I've been a good guy all my life. Why are YOU doing this to ME?" But I would soon see my goodness as rotteneness and filthy rags. My heart said my bad circumstances were not my fault, they were God's fault. My heart said my bad circumstances were not of my own making, but of God's making. I was self-righteous to the point of justifying myself before God by blaming Him for my circumstances, and the fruit of that angrily blaming God for my situation. In the garden, God asked Adam why he ate the apple. He said, "It was the woman you gave me." Eve said, "It was the serpent's fault." The devil didn't say anything - there wasn't anyone left to blame. Fallen man in his pride has not changed. In Exodus, when Moses asked Aaron why he made the golden calf, he said,


(Exo 32:24 KJV) And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
Adam and Eve were guilty as sin, but excused it in their pride. Aaron was guilty as sin, but couldn't admit it. A man in his pride is never guilty of anything. We are the same today as our first parents, and the foundation of that fallen nature is pride and the preservation of self at all costs. A proud man needs someone to blame and that someone is always either God or those around him.

He forsakes the ways of God and stalks off in his own abilities to deal with matters that might prove embarassing for him. The proud man has to justify his actions by putting the blame on someone else, and he has to make his decisions appear to BE the right ones, even when they are not. He lies, deceives and oppresses to establish his own righteousness because he has forsaken the righteousness of God that comes from walking in God's ways. That's why the proud man can neither listen or keep his tongue from cutting off others when they say what he doesn't want to hear. Pride not only controls the proud man, but it also controls those in his arena of relationships. Pride's anger not only controls him, but others around him. It is called in some circles "The Deadly Sin" because the fruit of it is always death.


The Proud Do Not Follow God's Commands

(Psa 119:21 KJV) Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
ERR - 7686. shagah, a prim. root; to stray, espec. (mor.) to transgress; by extens. (through the idea of intoxication) to reel, (fig.) be enraptured:--(cause to) go astray, deceive, err, be ravished, sin through ignorance, (let, make to) wander.

The movement in the Church right now is intoxicated with pride. They err because of their pride in new revelations, that they have the latest word from God. Paul said, Knowledge puffs up. He spoke of how revelations can puff a man up to the point of destroying his faith. Where once God did all for them in their humility, now they will do all for Him in their pride. And Pride's anger is seeded in a rising militancy. They have strayed from God's word, and are now manifesting two signs of a very deep, deadly pride: self-sufficiency and self-determination. God says He will rebuke them for they are cursed. The only way out from under that curse is through the finished work of the humble Lamb on the cross.


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Pride Is Its Own Standard

(Psa 119:51 KJV) The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
DERISION - 3887. luwts, a prim. root; prop. to make mouths at, i.e. to scoff: hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to interpret:-- interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn.

How does the proud man scoff at us? By interpreting what we say according to pride's own standard, and those standards are the thoughts of their own imagination. The agenda of the proud is locked in their imagination, and they will do everything to defend it. This is true whether we are dealing with the things of God or things in our personal life. Paul said we war against the imaginations of the heart:


(2 Cor 10:4 KJV) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
If we do not tear down the imaginations of the proud man, in this case us as individuals, then we are taken captive by those thoughts and the resulting actions. If we do tear them down, then we maintain our freedom in Christ.

In the current "move of God" in the Church, the new revelations have given a new interpretation to God's word. The imaginations of the false prophets have not been pulled down and the Church is now in captivity to do the devil's will.

The spirit of pride exalts itself against the word of God and seeks to change that word according to his own imaginations that it exalts into action:


(Dan 7:25 KJV) And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws.
"He shall wear out the saints." The pride of a man will always wear you down because it is self-determined and can be satisfied with nothing less than having its own way. It will not quit until it conquers you.

The prideful spirit will always attempt to change what God has said and what you say until your words conform to its imaginations. The proud, antichristian spirit will always interpret God's word or the words of others because words govern all activity and the antichristian spirit wants his words to prevail because then he runs the show. Such situations are especially true where a Christian and a non-Christian have a conversation. He mocks God by interpreting God's word according to his own imagination. Even in your personal situations, when you talk to a proud spirit, it is interpreting what you are saying as you speak. It checks things out as you speak to see if what you are saying agrees with what it has decided, and when you are done speaking, it tells you what you really said or are saying. It hears, but it doesn't listen to what you really said. It changes it and describes to you all the faults and motives in what you were saying, and in the "new meaning" of what you said, brings accusations and then closes its ears to you. This is EXACTLY what we encountered in the year and half of debating the Toronto pastors and the laughing adherents. We spent months going through this kind of thing, and it was the most frustrating time I have ever had.


(Psa 10:2 KJV) The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
The proud interprets God's words according to their needs and desires that please the self and exalt the self and enthrone the self and furthers their agenda. The devices of the false prophets have trapped them into helping the devil bring in the antichrist. Pride does that - it kills and destroys.


(Psa 119:69 KJV) The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
FORGED - 2950. taphal, a prim. root; prop. to stick on as a patch; fig. to impute falsely:--forge (r), sew up.

The proud spirit says, "Let me sew up this conversation for you." This spirit has to have the last word, because pride stands alone in any of its agendas. And he takes his imaginations and sticks them onto your words and the whole meaning or point changes. He needs certain words said for a certain foundation or what he wants will not be implemented or successful. The antichrist spirit in Daniel does just that. This technique has been used throughout the revival and throughout the implementing of the New World Order to change minds and bring consensus. It is the work of the antichrist spirit who is working to set up his kingdom by bringing into reality the proud imaginations of his own heart.


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Pride Speaks Flatteries

(Psa 12:3 KJV) The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
FLATTERING - 2519. chalaqlaqqah, prop. something very smooth; i.e. a treacherous spot:--flattery, slippery.

FLATTERING ROOT - 2505. chalaq, a prim. root; to be smooth (fig.); by impl. to apportion or separate:--deal, distribute, divide, flatter, take away a portion.

Another weapon pride uses to gets its way is flattery. There is a tremendous confidence that the proud man has in his own ability to deceive with words. Flattery will be the one of the main weapons that raises the antichrist to power and that will carry us into the tribulation period. The antichrist will divide Israel through his flatteries, his smooth talk, and he will take away a portion by his slippery words. In our debates, we often commented on how slippery those we were debating were in getting around the scripture we would present to them. The antichrist will have a smooth tongue to convince some of the Jews of his "good" intentions and solutions. It is this same, strong spirit that we have encountered throughout the revival.


(Rev 13:5 KJV) And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
The proud, flattering spirit will draw the Jews into his agenda in order to destroy them in the end. But Daniel says a remnant will survive his flatteries. Daniel wrote:


(Dan 11:21 KJV) And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
(Dan 11:32 KJV) And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

Antichrist will use flatteries on the Jews, and many will fall for the words he speaks. If they do not fall to his flatteries, then the anger of his pride will become manifest and they will fall by the sword. Pride must always kill that which won't submit to its agenda. Why? Because if its opposition does not fall, it will. That's why it must eliminate anything that opposes its reign.

Our verse said, "the tongue that speaketh proud things." What are proud things? Paul called them "high things" that exalt themselves against the true knowledge of God:


Proud things are those things that war against God having what He wants.

Proud things are those things that destroy the glorious promises of God.

Proud things are those things that want to keep God from fulfilling His ultimate intention.

Proud things, I believe, have to do with the boasts of the antichrist spirit. He will flatter to get what he wants, he will make promises that he will break, he will boast of many things with deceitful intentions.
We are heading into the time when the antichrist will reign in Jerusalem. We are heading into the time that God's Spirit wants to rest in a mature people who can discern things around them that would try to keep them from enduring to the end. We will hear his flatteries and see his gains. We will hear his promises, especially the covenant, and we will see him break his promises. We will hear his boasts, but our boast must be in our God alone.

We are all born in pride, and we must rid ourselves of the fruit of the prideful spirit so we can endure. How can we deal with any hidden pride in us? By recognizing pride in ourselves in our daily life and rooting it out.

Ask yourselves:


Do we flatter others to get what we want?

Do we make promises that we break, or that we consider disposable?

Do we boast of things that bring us gain or boast of things we've never really done?

Do we try to break the will of those who don't agree with us on any issue?

Do we "slay" them with the rod of our mouth when we sense the battle for what we want is being lost?

We must rid ourselves of that type of spirit, that the Spirit of the Lamb would rest in us and we in Him.
The spirit of pride of the antichrist will seemingly have all the answers. It won't care what others think, or say, or even consider that what others say is important, but will deal with these things with flatteries in order for to have its own way. His words will be deceptive to bring about his own desires.


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The Destructive, Violent Power Of Pride

(Psa 73:5 KJV) They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
CHAIN - 6059. 'anaq, a prim. root; prop. to choke; to collar, i.e. adorn with a necklace:--compass about as a chain.

CHAIN ROOT - 6060. 'anaq, a necklace (as if strangling):--chain. The proud have success through their own effort and achievement, and this verse suggests that that success often comes by violence. They are openly violent to get what they want, and when they get it, they wear their pride like a necklace through boastings about their feats.

Pride always shows off, parading itself openly, crying, "Here I am! Look at me! I'm important! I'm the boss! I'm in command! I have all the answers! Forget what you think! Listen to me!" Anyone who doesn't listen will find violence at his door.

It is the violence of pride that creates martyrs, and we will most likely see that prideful violence that believes it has the right to kill if not obeyed.

For our own spiritual welfare and for that of those around us, we have to ask ourselves if we are entertaining this prideful spirit:


How often have we killed the will or the spirit of those around us or taken captive their wills because we want our way?

How often have we been violent on the inside in order to manipulate others into us having things our way?

How often have we used deceit and lying and anger as a control measure to get our way?

How often have we been violent toward others rather than violent at taking the kingdom by force through the sanctification of the spirit and walking in the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

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Pride Brings Contention

(Prov 13:10 KJV) Only by pride cometh contention:
CONTENTION - 4683. matstsah, a quarrel:--contention, debate, strife.

(Prov 28:25 KJV) He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife.

Strife doesn't just happen by coincidence when one encounters a proud man. A proud man is always ready to stir up strife or contention when he can't get his way through deceit or trickery. He also manifests these bad fruits to protect what he has already established. When you catch a proud man in his lies, you will most likely see his anger. When flatteries don't work, contention rises to the throne.


CONTENTION ROOT - 5327. natsah, a prim. root; causat. to lay waste; also (spec.), to quarrel:--be laid waste, ruinous.
Contention - the antichrist spirit is always contentious. There are some people no matter how you approach them, you can expect contention:


Do or say anything that doesn't fit their standard and they are almost immediately at war with you.

Suggest anything that alienates against their high-mindedness and they will leave you wasted and worn out.

The contentious person won't admit his error.

The contentious person will contradict what you say.

The contentious person always has an opinion that is "right."

The contentious person will not care what you say or think, but when you're done he has all kinds of solutions and advice based on how he sees things.

Listen to these verses, because we find in them contention at its worst:

(Rev 13:3 KJV) . . . . all the world wondered after the beast. . . . . 4 and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
The beast will be contentious so he can create situations to vent his anger in violence until he's enthroned above the stars of God.

We have to ask ourselves:


Are we contentious in our relationships?

Or, do we take the time to listen to others and recognize their opinion with consideration?

Do we ever think, "I could be wrong in this situation?"

Or, is our stand emphatic that we are right and they are wrong and that is the end of the matter.

(Isa 16:6 KJV) We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.
Contention escalates into anger when a person is pinned in a corner or when we draw too close to a point that will prove us right or, sometimes, simply because the person is tired of us because we will not accept his view of things in the conversation.

This wrath usually comes suddenly, but sometimes you can see it beginning to manifest. How often have we heard said in a sudden fit of anger, "That's it. I don't want to talk about it anymore." With the sudden, knee jerk proclamation comes an alienation, a crossing over in the emotions from talking things out to anger for what may seem like no apparent reason. What this outburst is is simply a control measure.

Contention and pride and wrath are used to enforce the power of the lie in order to give it root, or to protect a lie or decption that might be uncovered.


(Prov 6:17 KJV) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
The pride of Israel crucified Jesus in His time because He wouldn't submit to them. The pride of a united world church will do the same to us.


The Proud Are At Ease With Scorn And Contempt Towards The Humble

(Psa 123:4 KJV) Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
CONTEMPT- 937. buwz, disrespect:--contempt (-uously), despised, shamed.

When my wife was head of our family and God wanted me to take the reins, I remember telling her that she didn't respect me and I pounded on the ironing board demanding her respect. She kept ironing, looked up and said, "Respect is something you earn. You haven't earned it." I was speechless because I suddenly knew that was true. Te conviction of my pride and contentiousness was pretty strong at the time.

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The Pride Of Power

(Lev 26:19 KJV) And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
POWER - 5797. 'oz, strength in various applications

POWER ROOT - 5810. 'azaz, a prim. root; to be stout (lit. or fig.):--be strong.

When God exalted Israel and made them powerful among the nations, they became proud and foresook His covenant. He then had to raise up Babylon in its pride to humble them. God allowed Babylon in its pride to be destroyed, yet after humbling Israel, He restored His people. It was in Israel's power that they became proud and and had to be humbled. It was in their humility at the hands of their enemies that they found deliverance and restoration. Power can lead to pride, and if we belong to God, we can sure that God will bring humility to us by the use of the rod to break our rod of pride.


The Proud Of The Earth: An Abomination To God

(Prov 16:5 KJV) Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
ABOMINATION - 8441. tow'ebah, prop. something disgusting.

ABOMINATION ROOT - 8581. ta'ab, a prim. root; to loathe, i.e. (mor.) detest.

That's pretty self-explanatory. isn't it.


The Proud Want To Rule The World

(Hab 2:5 KJV) Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
GATHERETH - 622. 'acaph, a prim. root; to gather for any purpose, put all together.

Pride is never satisfied. It must gather to itself all that it can. That includes nations and peoples and all their goods. But God says that the proud shall fall to destruction:


(Prov 16:18 KJV) Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
(Isa 25:11 KJV) . . . . and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.


Pride Deceives The Heart That One Is Invincible

(Oba 1:3 KJV) The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
But God says that the day will come when pride will blossom to its absolute fullness and it is then He will deal with it once and for all.


(Ezek 7:10 KJV) Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.
(Isa 2:12 KJV) For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

(Isa 13:11 KJV) And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

(Jer 50:31 KJV) Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

(Mal 4:1 KJV) For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

(Rev 19:15 KJV) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

God will use the rod on the nations to bring what's left of them into His order and His government. Their pride will be broken with His rod, and the meek will inherit the earth. We must be humble as Lambs when the Lamb of God returns. We must deal with our pride now so we do not match the spirit of the tribulation period. It is in this dealing with pride that will be a substantial benefit in helping us to endure to the end. Paul said in Philippians 2:


5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Let us dwell on these words in prayer, remembering that John the Revelator described this same Jesus coming back for His own in these terms in Revelation 19:


11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

- message By Ed Tarkowski