Have you ever been around someone who just always seemed to talk about what they have done or accomplished?  I have been around some people throughout the years in various places that always seemed to want to tell you about how they stood their ground.  Or maybe this person has contributed some major help to something and they want you to know all that they have done.  Or maybe they completed some great task that they were working on.  They want to tell you everything about what they did and how great the task is.  While this stuff may be monumental, you just think at what time does the information being shared move from being informative to bragging or even prideful? 

While I think it is good to be able to feel a sense of accomplishment, I think that sometimes we move from that sense of accomplishment to a feeling of ownership or entitlement.  What does the Word have to say about this subject?

Proverbs 16:8; “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 16:5; “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

Mark 7:21 – 23; “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

1 John 2:16; “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, they lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”

James 4:6; “But He gives more grace.  Therefore He says:  God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:10;  “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

1 Peter 5:5 – 6; “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.  Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

The Scriptures seem to tell us that pride is not a good thing.  Rather, having humility is what God is looking for.  You may be wondering how does humility look?  Let me give you an example.

I was attending a SOAR conference at Teen Mania several years ago for Youth Leaders and as we got in the meeting room that morning to start, a man just walked up to the microphone and said, “Hi, my name is Paul and I am going to worship with you this morning.”  He began to start playing the guitar and leading worship and I kept thinking I know this man from somewhere.  It wasn’t until almost the end of the worship set that he actually sang a song that he had written that had become a major worship song all across America.  It was then that I realized that Paul Baloche was leading worship that morning.  (In case you are not familiar with him, he wrote, “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord,” “Above All,” and many other worship songs.  He has even co – written songs with Matt Redman, Lincoln Brewster, Chris Tomlin, and many more.

My point is that he could have started off by saying, “Hi, my name is Paul Baloche.  I am a songwriter by trade and I am hear to lead you in worship this morning.”  No one would have probably thought anything about it.  You see we have become so accustom to hearing people give their credentials before speaking or singing that we most of the time come to expect it.  However, by just getting up there and saying, “Hello, my name is Paul and I am going to worship with you this morning,” he showed a great deal of humility.  He wasn’t trying to impress us to get us to sing with him, or even to try and get us to understand why he was chosen to lead worship that morning. 

I don’t think I will ever forget the lesson that I learned from him that morning.  It was a great lesson.  I believe it ties in with the heart of God when He talks about humbling ourselves before God so that He can exalt us at the right time.  God knows where our hearts are, and what they are full of.

So I would ask the question, do we have a healthy self – esteem, or are we full of pride?

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”  Luke 22:31-32

I cannot totally imagine what must have been going through Peter’s mind as Jesus was telling him this.  Here Peter was one of the twelve disciples; and was one of the inner three if you will.  Peter thought at the time that he was ready to go with Jesus wherever He went, whether that was prison or even up to and including death.  He might have even been offended that Jesus would have uttered those words to him.  Surely Jesus had realized all of the time that he had spent with Him and even his leaving everything he knew to follow Him.  And now Jesus has the audacity to say this to him. 

However, Jesus knew where Peter’s faith was anchored.  In fact Jesus knows right now where our faith is anchored as well.

So I would ask a question, where is your faith anchored?  Really, where is it anchored?  Do you truly know the answer to that question?

You see Jesus knew that Peter’s faith was not anchored in the place that it needed to be anchored.  He was trying to tell Peter, hey get your faith anchored in Me!  Because Peter’s faith was not anchored in Jesus, he was able to deny knowing Jesus three times. 

I wonder how often satan is asking for us by name?  I find comfort in the fact that if Jesus had prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail; then I believe He also prays for my faith and that it would not fail.  (I guess I like to personalize the Scriptures; but Hebrew 13:8 tells us that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  So if He prayed for Peter, why wouldn’t He pray for me?)

Boats and ships to keep them from moving use anchors.  An anchor catches on something, (usually a rock on the floor of the body of water,) that is able to keep the largest of vessels that it is attached to from moving during even the most violent of storms. 

In the same way, if our faith is anchored in Jesus Christ, even when the toughest storms come pounding away at our faith, our anchor will hold us close to Jesus throughout the storm.  Jesus told us that our lives would not be trouble free when we come to a relationship with Him.  “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33.

You see peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.  Jesus gives us His peace to be able to cope with the strongest of storms that wage against us.  If we are anchored in Him, we can remain secure in our position with Christ if we don’t allow our anchor to move.

Is your anchor placed in the real ROCK – Jesus Christ?  If not, you will not be able to stand when the winds and storms rise against you.  Talk with Him today, and place your faith anchor in Him.

Are you a new creation?  Seems like a strange question to ask, but Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”

So I would ask again, are you a new creation?  You see Paul was saying that when we become Christians, the OLD spirit man dies, and the Holy Spirit creates a NEW spirit man.  The desires we had prior to coming to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior should change.  There should be an outward difference in my life after coming to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I should not always be trying to please or fulfill my desires anymore.

The world would tell us to do whatever feels good.  You only live once so do whatever you want.  You should experience all that life has to offer while you are single and young; because once you are married and have kids you won’t be able to do those things that you desired as a young adult and you’ll regret it the rest of your life.

The world is obsessed with fulfilling our natural desires NOW; however, Jesus wants to fulfill our Spiritual desires.  He knows what is best for us because He created us.  He gave us our personalities and knows us better than we know ourselves.  Therefore, if we will let Him, He will give us better things than we could or would give ourselves.  However, it is in His timing – not ours!  We have to be willing to wait on Him.

Jesus said in Luke 9:23; “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”  These were some pretty harsh words that Jesus spoke to the crowds.  No one wants to deny their self and take up their cross.  It’s not popular to deny our self or to take up our cross. 

Jesus was telling us that if we want to follow Him, we should no longer be looking to please or gratify ourselves; but that it is about dying to our self and looking to see how we can bless Him and help others.  I should be dying to my old nature, (those things that I did or desired before I came to know Christ,) and I should be rising with a new nature.  Those things I used to desire before knowing Christ should die, and I should be devoted to Christ and bringing glory to Him.  It is no longer about me, but rather it’s all about Him and how I can serve others.

So I would ask you if have you died to your self and become the new creation that Paul writes about?  If not, be willing to do it today.