Conceited Culture
Hey y’all!!
Lately, we have been receiving a lot of word about taking God’s glory, pride and its results, allowing others to crown you King or Queen. It has been ...deflating. A time to re-examine some things and get my house in order lest God comes to reorder it for me.
I don’t think people understand the severity of the situation. I think it’s because we are living in an era and a culture where pride, boasting, self-exaltation and conceit are normalized, praised…encouraged.
We as believers are counter-cultural. Separated. Held to a standard of holiness.
So this blog is to show you biblically that boasting is unacceptable, that God hates pride, why conceit is at war with God, and why we as believers have to be diligent in ensuring that we are not mistaking gifts bestowed unto us by God as reasons to be arrogant, puffed up, or think highly of ourselves.
Let’s get into it.
Let’s start out with self-exaltation - defined as exaltation of oneself; or vainglory which is excessive or ostentatious pride especially in one's achievements.
Where does it come from?
Isaiah 14:12-14 KJV
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High
I count five “I” statements. Self-exaltation comes from the devil!
Obadiah 1:3-4 - The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord
Matthew 23:12 - And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Let’s move on to boasting.
Boasting is to praise oneself extravagantly in speech: speak of oneself with excessive pride.
Psalm 10:3 - For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
Psalm 49:6-7 - They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
James 4:16 - But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
God called boasting evil. He said you are boasting in your money… and can’t afford the debt owed for sin to save a soul.
1 Corinthians 4:6-7
6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
How can you boast? you have nothing to boast of! All good things are given of God (James 1:17).
Next is conceited.
Conceited is defined as having or showing an excessively high opinion of oneself. To be excessively proud of oneself; vain.
I don’t know if you noticed but all of these definitions are looking the same. ONESELF, I, PR(I)DE - deriving from the DEVIL! who exalted himself above GOD! tried to steal the glory of God for himself!
the next time you think I…take several steps back, several seats. Re-think: Lords will, to God be the Glory, because of Christ…remember lest ye fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 - Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Proverbs 26:12 - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Isaiah 5:21 - Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Romans 12:16 - Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Lastly is pride.
Pride is the quality or state of being proud: such as reasonable self-esteem : confidence and satisfaction in oneself ; exaggerated self-esteem
How can you say reasonable self esteem… what even is that. You have reasonable and then in the next line excessive. The confusion.
Lord help us.
1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Proverbs 11:2 - When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverb 8:12-13 - I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
The bible says in Proverbs 6:16-19 that God hates a proud look.
Lastly,
Daniel 4:37 - Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
This was to showcase the seriousness of conceit. The way that the world trains you to think is the exact opposite of the word of God. You have to be so careful and examine yourself daily to ensure that you are not following the ways of darkness. And it is so easy!! It slips in!! This is not something you can be relaxed about.
You find yourself thinking you are wise, smart, strong, cute, like you have arrived…Ladies…uh uh.
God does not play about his Glory.
Isaiah 42:8 - I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
When you read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, you recognize that it’s ALL about Gods glory! and you can’t glorify God with “I.”
Thinking you something of somebody. God can’t use you, lest you turn and STEAL and let people puff you up, and give you praises for something you know God did for you.
I was reading scripture and this study was not my intent, but God is getting his people in order. Check yourself y’all. Because when he comes to check, you DO NOT want to be weighed in the balance and found wanting.
With love,
SOS