I was watching the children play. All around me were other parents. Mother’s dressed to impress even in the outdoor setting. They had their skinny jeans tucked into their knee high riding boots, their plaid shirt a perfect complement to the little vest. Yes, more than one Mother was dressed that way. I guess it's the style this fall. I was feeling rather confident myself. I had also dressed in my most chic fall outfit (no skinny jeans on these thighs!).
I decided to join my smallest child at the other end of the playground. As I began to cross the view of the other mom’s, I could already feel their eyes on me. I held my head high, tossed my hair and started to stride with confidence. Suddenly my knees hit the ground. The grass intimately kissed my pants and my palms made imprints in the dirt. A hole had opened up to swallow my foot. Humbly I pulled myself together and scurried off as quickly as possible.
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
Pride always brings you down, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally. As new Believers we have freedom from our old nature. We do not have to be dominated by our flesh, but we allow it. Have you ever said you would never do something? Did you end up doing it? Let me tell you that I do my best to not say “I WILL NEVER”. I have been humbled more times than you can imagine by those words.
Most of the times phrases like “I would never do that!” are rooted in pride. Remember Peter in Matthew 26:31-35? Jesus told the disciples that they would all stumble because of Him. Peter pipes up and declares, “The others might stumble but I will NEVER stumble!” (Jana’s paraphrase). I can see Jesus look at Peter, sadness in His gaze. Pride was crawling all over Peter. His head held high, nostrils flaring in defiance. Jesus pointed a finger at Peter and said,
“Tonight before the rooster crows, YOU will deny me THREE times.”
Peter jumps to his feet at that. His shoulders squared, ready to defend his faith. “Even if I have to DIE with you, I WILL NOT DENY YOU!”
Of course we all know the end of the story—Peter denied that he even knew Jesus. Not once, not twice, but three times as prophesied by Jesus. Before you shake your head at Peter, stop and allow the Holy Spirit to bring to your memory times when you have done the same thing. We have all followed Peter’s example and allowed our pride to dominate our flesh.
Today is a half day is you are following the SCF plan with me. You will eat half portions of your regular meals. By now you might be feeling really good about these next 57 days. Maybe the scale has moved toward that smaller number. A new week is starting and we still have quite a race ahead of us. Tomorrow is a liquid day. Our old self demands to be protected, served and promoted. This self-serving nature can cripple us in our goals to run in freedom.
“It is a great grace of God to practice self-examination; but too much is as bad as too little.”
--Teresa Avila
How do we put off our old self?
First, we recognize when it is dominating us. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. He will give you that flush of guilt when pride rears its ugly head. Listen for phrases like, “I would never!”
Second, we choose to lay it aside by humbling ourselves before God in surrender. We are not self-sufficient. Our sufficiency is found in Christ Jesus alone. Only He can give us the power to move through these next 57 days.
Third, we choose to run with our new nature—in freedom!
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