Pride Does Not Equal Freedom
It's interesting that one of the sins the Word says we should hate, pride, has become a national month of celebration in the United States. The Words says that God opposes the proud because when pride is operating it seeks to exalt ourselves as our own God. Thereby, eliminating our need to worship, serve, honor, and obey God our creator. Removing our need to humble ourselves to receive His righteousness instead of our own. It's rebellion and the very thing that caused Satan to fall from heaven.
The increasing agenda to celebrate our own choices as acceptable whether it goes against God's design; biblical and moral values; and even our own anatomy and common sense has increased exponentially in the last few years. Why? Simply put, this is mass deception of the enemy to destroy God-given identity. Additionally, the enemy is smart and knows this is much easier to do in children who are more impressionable. Hence, we see an increase in our youth embracing deception as truth. False identities such as gay, bi, transgender have become the normal in our society.
I am not demonizing the LGBTQ+ community because people are not demons. In fact, I see brokenness and people that we are called to love deeply and through love bring healing and freedom. I am, however, bringing light to the demonic spirits operating behind this movement. The devil is at work and his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. There are demons whose assignment is to bring gender confusion, homosexuality, sexual immorality, lust, pride, and so on. They want people to deny their God-given identity and take on a false identity not rooted in Christ.
The real hope here is that Jesus can bring true freedom. Those struggling with homosexuality or gender confusion don’t have to settle for choosing not to indulge their flesh. They can actually be delivered of the demonic spirits bringing this oppression and be completely set free. They can receive a revelation of their true identity as sons and daughters of God who are beloved and fully accepted by Him. This is the same inheritance for any of us struggling with a false identity - rejected, unloved, unworthy, etc.
However, in order to do that…the first thing that must go is PRIDE. Pride stands in the way of a repentant heart, humility, and the recognition that we all need a savior, Jesus. It is only by His blood and His righteousness that we can be truly set free. Submission to God requires humility. We must have a willingness to confess our sins and acknowledge we can never be righteous apart from Him. It’s the first step to deliverance.
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:6-7
And we, as the church, must be willing to speak truth in the face of opposition for the sake of those we are called to love. True love demands an expenditure. Love is the driving force that moves people to sacrificial labor on behalf of others. To my brothers and sisters who need freedom…I love you. I’m willing to walk alongside you to see you enter the true revelation of who you are in Christ. I want you to know that Jesus can do this without shame or condemnation. In Him there is real hope and true freedom.
