“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)
Pride leads a person to ignore wise counsel, overlook their own flaws, and make horrible decisions, resulting in failure, ruin, or sudden downfall. That’s why it’s so important that we check ourselves and allow God to search us, know our hearts, and help us to release things or attitudes that do not please Him. He is more than willing to help us overcome any flaws we may have, including pride.
Cleansing of our hearts puts us in a position to hear from God, to know His heart, and His thoughts towards us. This would enable us to pray effectively and be an excellent witness for the Gospel of Christ.
The account in Numbers 16 should be a cautionary message or lesson for us, in which Korah and others revolted against Moses and Aaron, whom God had appointed as leaders over the children of Israel. Numbers 16:3 (NKJV) says: ‘They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
Our God is not a God of confusion. He loves order. While we are all His children and are anointed or very skilled, we must be mindful of who God appoints as our leaders and respect them. We must humble ourselves before God and not pretend that we know more than Him. It’s more important to obey God than to contend for a position that God has not sanctioned for us. Allow Him to exalt us.
The end of Korah and others, including their families, was not a good one – they were swallowed alive by the earth and consumed by fire. Let us be on the right side of eternity and continuously check our heart posture to ensure it is aligned correctly with God and His Word.
Remember, God has plans for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11), and those plans will look different for all of us. So let us run the race that God has prepared for us and not attempt to run someone else’s race.
Read: Numbers 16:31-35; Hebrews 12:14
Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 25:21-28; Proverbs 26:1-2; 2 Timothy 2; Jeremiah 49:7-39; Jeremiah 50:1-10