Proverbs 16:18
A haughty spirit comes before a fall; but pride precedes destruction!
This is one of those “attitude determines altitude” type issues, and every time that I look at this, I never cease to marvel at how clearly it appears to me that spiritual dynamics play such a huge role in determining the specific outcomes of our lives, whether physical or spiritual. However, this particular admonition stands as a powerful warning to us as to what can transpire as a result of either our innocent ignorance of the issue, or our blatant disregard to it. There is no doubt that we are all susceptible to the uncontrollable tall-spins that can occur when any of our lives get bumped off course, or our eyes stray from our guiding instruments, or we let go of the stick altogether and begin a perilous downward spiral, whose end result can be fatal if gone unchecked.
There are two particular interconnected dynamics that come into play in this proverb. First, there is the haughty attitude that precedes a fall. This is the first stage of this harmful process that merely begins to get the vessel falling. It is a posture of “I don’t need guidance or instruction, and I don’t need to keep a steady and disciplined hand at the controls. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want.” If this attitude is not addressed and corrected, it can very quickly change its face into a much more destructive force called pride. Pride is when the ship cannot be turned without having some sort of collision. Pride is when actions have gone too far to mend. Pride comes before divorce, business failures, drug overdose, car accidents, and yes, even death.
However, we can right our ship. We can pull ourselves out of this seemingly uncontrollable dilemma if we can correct our attitudes, take our eyes off of our problems, once again grab a hold of the stick of discipline, and finally set our focus and trust back onto the fail-proof instruments that can guide our lives back to stability. The most important instrument in our vessel is our personal relationship with God himself. Never underestimate the power of prayerful conversations with the Almighty. Secondly, God has passed down throughout all of history written truths found in the Bible. Read it, study it, and weigh you life against it on a daily basis, and your life will never get off course. Thirdly, get yourself and your family under a spiritual leader that knows God; one whose life bears the proof of it through the life they live, and even more evident in the family that they have raised. Remember this. The apple never falls too far from the tree, so don’t only examine the condition of the tree, but also the fruit that it has produced.
Pastor LaVaughn
