Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.      James 4:1-3 NKJV

Pride can be a very dangerous thing. I want to make a distinction here. Some people speak of pride as taking care of what God has given us. We are supposed to take great care of what God gives us. We are supposed to be good stewards with the blessings we receive.

But there is another kind of pride that can be deadly. It can cause strife leading to fights and wars as our Scripture passage points out. The Bible has a lot to say about pride. Proverbs 16:5 says everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 16:18 says pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

This kind of pride is the kind of pride that refuses to forgive and forget. This kind of pride is what causes us to be willing to forfeit an eternity with Christ rather than let go of our anger and resentment. This kind of pride causes us to plot what we can do to get revenge when we should be praying to God and allowing Him to handle it.

This kind of pride causes us to gloat when our enemy falls. We are told in Proverbs 24:17 not to rejoice when our enemy falls and not to let our heart be glad when he stumbles.

Pride promotes strife. If you find yourself in strife often or with a lot of people around you, it is probably due to pride. Read that again. Our pride causes us to be at odds with others. Our pride causes us to want things our way. It causes us to look down on others who do things differently. It causes us to want to look out for number one with little regard for others. This goes against what the Bible teaches us. We are taught in Philippians 2:4 which says, “Let each of you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interest of others.”

If Jesus had only been concerned about Himself, He could have skipped the crucifixion and left us no means of salvation. Think about that. Instead, even though He prayed for God to let that cup pass over Him in Matthew 26:39, He cared more for dirty rotten sinners like you and me than He did for Himself. He gave shed His blood that we might be washed clean. As sinners we are His enemy, so He did this for those who were His enemies. He did this even for those who opposed Him that they might come to Him and be saved.

I’m simply asking you today to check your pride. Is it getting in the way of you serving the Lord? Does it keep you away from church because you have had your feelings hurt? Has it ended relationships and is it causing strife in your life.

The Bible also has a lot to say about strife and it’s not good. Proverbs 16:28 says, “A dishonest man spreads strife and a whisperer separates close friends.” Proverbs 20:3 says, “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.” Proverbs 29:22 says, “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”

If you are going to follow Christ, you need to stay away from strife. We are told in 2 Timothy 23-24, “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ”

If you often find yourself in strife, check your pride. Give it over to God. He will be glad to help you with that. No good comes from pride. It will only cause strife, so get rid of it.

Have a great day!