Pride’s Fall

Ezekiel 1:1-2 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ” ‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. (NIV)

I was asked even before I went to India, why I thought they were so open to the gospel of Jesus Christ? My presumption was because of the poverty, because of their economic need, they thought Jesus was the answer. There I saw the poverty, yet I saw something different also. I saw them clinging to countless tangible idols; god’s they could see and touch; symbols of desires for anything they wished. Yet wrapped up in all their requests to countless gods, were countless failures. Their needs were never met, their idols always failed, their hearts were always seeking something that could not be attained. If pride had ever creeped into their society, it was only at the top, the temple workers who maybe felt some pride, but truly should feel defeated, for they failed their parishioners repeatedly. I did not see pride in their society like I see as the spine of America. Pride is ingrained into our minds at an early age, pursue the American Dream, you can have and do anything you wish. Pride is fed from our pulpits, feeding our beast that lies within us.

Look how God warned against the prideful king of Tyre. The prophet continues to tell of the coming fall in great detail; the death of the king due to his pride. The book of Proverbs says 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. It is very easy for me to speak of pride, because it is the spine of my testimony, a prideful man greatly humbled by the hand of God. It is painful, lasting, punishment thankfully before results could have been the same as the king of Tyre. Pride is the root of all evil, and pride has found it’s way into many grand pulpits today. Many a pastor is so rooted in their education, they become Pharisaical. Many a pastor is so prideful in their money, they spend millions on themselves in false pretense. Many a pastor have simply become entertainers, seeking the praise of the crowd. Many a pastor are feeding their sheep with a soft gospel, speaking only of the blessings of heaven, never preaching on the punishment of hell. All of these false teachers will be held to a higher accountability before our Lord on Judgement Day. Many will suffer eternally for leading astray so many souls. Remember what Jesus said about leading his children astray? Matthew 18:6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Satan has opened the door, Satan has the right to open that door of pride into our churches, how pride has become our idol even in our church! We are blinded and led astray by false teachers in many grand pulpits who feed their beast. We are told the American Dream is what we are to pursue, rooted in pride and fed from the pulpits where political correctness is greater than the Truth. The truth is not spoken any longer; only of blessings and not of punishment. The church has become weak and is falling away from God in astounding numbers under the poor leadership of these pastors. The miracles of God; the power of the Holy Spirit that is taught so little here in America is alive in India. I have seen the hand of God at work before my eyes; demons cast out, lame walk, blind see, cancer healed, thousand repent and recommit their lives to the One True God. They see their idols have failed them, but their hearts are more receptive because their idol is not themselves. They are not root in pride, they are not witness to pride in pulpits, their society is not taught pride. The American Church needs ( and is about to receive) a great humbling by God. The American Church needs revival, and that revival begins at the breaking down of the idol of self.