Everyone has some area of their life where they struggle with sin. The struggle is real!
Yes…even Christians!
We are often the ones who have an especially hard time with our struggle, because we are busy trying to hide it from our sisters in Christ.
One of the many areas that I struggle with is the sin of pride. Pride can be particularly difficult, because it places me in direct opposition with God and can threaten my relationship with Him (Jam. 4:6).
Even though I struggle with my sin, I can still have assurance that God is faithful even when I can’t be (2 Tim 2:13).
When my prideful flesh deceives me into believing that I can handle my temptations myself, the Spirit urges me to run to God’s throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).
When my prideful flesh deceives me into believing that I should only confess my sin to God, the Spirit encourages me to confess it not only to God but also to my sisters in Christ (Jam. 5:16).
When my prideful flesh deceives me into believing that I’m too busy for prayer or that I could easily pray for myself, the Spirit motivates me to request prayer from my sisters in Christ (Jam. 5:16; Gal. 6:2; Eph. 6:18).
I do not have to hide in shame, because God loves me unconditionally (1 John 4:16).
My struggle with pride also gives me reasons to rejoice because God is my constant help and my constant hope (Psa. 46:1; Rom. 15:13). Whether on good days or when I’m struggling with sin, I will always have a reason to praise Him and speak about His great love for me.
I believe I have more in common with King Nebuchadnezzar than I once thought.
Up until now, we have seen the very slow progression of King Nebuchadnezzar’s awareness of God, but he has yet to experience God for himself. That is until Daniel chapter 4.
King Nebuchadnezzar’s problem was that his pride blinded him to God’s power, strength, and majesty. Because the king would not let go of his sinful arrogance and pride, he saw the blessings of his vast kingdom as his doing, not God’s (Dan. 4:30). In essence, King Nebuchadnezzar was stealing God’s glory.
After a very humbling encounter with God in which he loses his kingdom and is pressed down under God’s authority (Dan. 4:31-33), the king would finally know that it is God who rules both the human and the heavenly kingdoms (Dan. 4:34-35).
The king’s experience with God is so life-altering that it changes him and his relationship with God. It brought so much joy and stability to be restored by God that King Nebuchadnezzar would write a letter to the entire kingdom stating “I am delighted to tell you about the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me (Dan. 4:2).”
But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. –1 Peter 3:15
We tend to talk about the things we love. Although I love my husband and my children most in the world, they honestly can not compare to God’s greatness, glory, or majesty. So, pray and ask God, as I must do daily, to help you to love Him over everything else (Matt 22:35).
We are called to be ready to share with anyone at anytime about all that God has done for us just as King Nebuchadnezzar eventually did.
Next to walking with God, one of the greatest joys in my life is sharing the thousands of ways that God has helped me, rescued me, and redeemed me. Sometimes that means I must humble myself and share my continuing struggles with sin.
Yet, God is faithful. For Christians, He cleansed us of every sin—past, present, and future—on the day we turned to Him for salvation (1John 1:9). When God sees us, He sees the righteousness of His Son and is pleased with His sacrifice on our behalf (Eph. 5:2).
Pray and ask God for the courage and boldness to talk about God, to share your struggles and the ways that God has helped in the midst of those struggles.
Let’s study God’s Word together!
This blog post is part of our Living Faithful in a Faithless Land series.
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