Tag: Conceit

Tetelestai Recovery

A New Brag

lastwordrecovery

Paul had a messenger of Satan he referred to as a thorn in the flesh. He realized it was to keep him from becoming conceited, but still he asked God to remove it. He asked three times and each time, God told him His grace was sufficient. On that third ask, Paul finally realized there was a higher purpose for the thorn.

He was quite the achiever. He was a writer, and activist, a preacher, and the recipient of divine revelation. Those are some heady titles. Anyone in his position would struggle with arrogance.

Before his conversion, Paul had been a well-educated, well-connected, influential person. Perhaps he had an ego problem all his life. He was ambitious about his political career and eager to gain social standing by stopping the Christian movement. As a Roman citizen, educated in the Pharisaical law, he could advance his political pursuits in the eyes of the religious leaders while also remaining a loyalist to the Roman government. Snuffing out the Jesus movement would have brought him the promotion and respect he deserved.

But as he sat in a prison cell, frustrated with a messenger of Satan, he couldn’t think of anything he’d like more that to have God take it away.

We wonder if this messenger of Satan was one of the guards at the prison. Maybe they had worked together when Paul was a Christian bounty hunter, and the guard was now taunting him about being ‘one of them’. Perhaps the messenger of Satan was another prisoner. Perhaps the thorn was a conspiracy theory that Paul was a double agent, and the Damascus conversion was a clever lie to get the early Christians to trust him so he could infiltrate their secret communities and advance his political career.

No matter who or what his thorn in the flesh was, it caused Paul a great deal of distress. But God said, “My grace is sufficient. It is made perfect in your weakness.”

So, the guy who was prone to conceit found a new brag. He would brag about his own weakness so the grace of Christ could be the driving force behind all he would accomplish. It was hard on his ego, but good for his soul.

…Continue reading https://a.co/d/hH2bXok

Tetelestai Recovery

The Risk of Enlightenment

lastwordrecovery

In our leveled-up position, we consistently receive divine revelation and fresh insights from the Lord. As mysteries are revealed and scriptural mysteries jump off the page, we become quite passionate about our supernatural encounters. These events are the mountain tops of human experience in our never-ending quest for significance and purpose. It is a glorious experience to serve as a trusted confidant to one’s own Creator.

Once these secrets and mysteries are in our possession, we encounter opportunities to dispense them as the Spirit leads. We walk in spiritual authority and become bold in the pursuit of our call. Sometimes our newfound confidence can start to look like conceit.

The pendulum swings back and forth between passion and pride. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for what God has given, and we are enthusiastic about our call. Yet, we are also enthralled with our newfound knowledge and comprehension. In our human frailty, we sometimes get carried away with our heightened awareness and become a little too impressed with ourselves.

Conceit is a common problem for any receiver of divine revelation. Without realizing it, as a leveled-up believer, we might find ourselves at the center of attention. We may start gauging our success by the compliments we receive and the followers we collect on social media. We may become so certain of our own divine revelations that we begin to discount the teachings of others. We may find ourselves craving and thriving on comments like, “I’ve never looked at it that way before,” or, “You have such a gift for interpretation,” or, “You are so inspirational.”

It is encouraging to hear supportive comments and reassurance. We are told repeatedly throughout the scriptures to build each other up because God knows we need encouragement. However, our fragile egos may be so deeply damaged, the slightest compliment can make us feel like we are walking on air. Therefore, when we are given a position of great influence, the risk of conceit rearing its ugly head is always a threat.

As with the story of Paul, we too may find ourselves with a thorn in the flesh; a messenger of Satan to prevent us from becoming conceited. Those of us with a prickly past have plenty of thorns and thistles scattered along the path we once walked. We are quite vulnerable to a messenger of Satan taking a stab at us with the fragments of our old life.

…Continue Reading https://a.co/d/exK63jy