Pride’s Prison

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , ,

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”  1 John 2:15-17

The enticement of the world is strong. We are all encamped in its arms. We may believe we are independent. We stand on our own two feet. No one influences us. We make our own beds. We think.

Yet, over time, slowly, within each day, the cultural influence sneaks in. When we are young, we have little awareness of the power of our desires. If it feels good, we do it. If we want something, we go after it. If it makes us exalt ourselves, we get it.

But as the years go by, hopefully one learns before the floor crashes. Not everything we desire is good for us. Our feelings may be misplaced. All the toys, status, fame, and fortune available to us does not buy us real love, joy, and peace. What we thought would give us the freedom to experience life to the fullest, didn’t. Instead it has led us into a prison of emptiness.

The pride of placing oneself the center of the universe has caused many downfalls. We initially see this outcome in Genesis 3 with Eve grasping for the forbidden fruit. Compare this event with Jesus in Luke 4. Under a similar temptation, HE placed God in the center of HIS world and didn’t allow the enemy to win.

The pride of self-importance only leads to a prison of spiritless outcomes. When pride elevates us ahead of God, watch out. We have lost our way. When we take all the credit for our accomplishments, look out. We are walking into solitary confinement. A place where we get a nasty taste of ourselves. Pride is the downfall of many.

Over the years, I have either seen or experienced how pride locks up their victims. For example:

Pride prevents one from having a deep relationship with others.

Pride fails to forgive others and turns the event into a life-long road of bitterness.

Pride fails to forgive oneself causes one to live like a victim without hope.

Pride pushes help away until one lives an isolated life without friends or family.

Pride causes one to sacrifice their health for the attainment of a fleeting moment.

Pride isolates one to their hurt.

Pride makes one miss out on the virtue of humility and its fruit.

Pride’s short-term win leads to long-term failure.

Pride destroys friendships.

Pride leads to poor decisions which may destroy one’s life work.

Pride blinds oneself from the need of a Savior.


The list is endless. Each of us lives with pride. The problem is when it raises its ugly head to blind us from reality. How do we deal with it?

When one begins to live under God’s domain, one learns how to live with a servant’s heart. Humility becomes the robe to cover our pride. Yes, we appreciate pride when the moment is right. But we also know pride without God’s Spirit leading causes damage. As we surrendered our kingdom to Lord Jesus, we are being trained to live like HIM. This means placing Father-Son-Spirit the center of our life. When one does, one learns to share in the Triune God’s life. Pride then doesn’t lead to a prison sentence, but a pathway of humility with freedom for self and others.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book and Audio Formats Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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How Do You Know God Loves You?

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , , ,

“For the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” John 16:27

The Bible tells me so. But can you believe the Bible?

First, if God created the universe, how would HE communicate his purpose for us humans? Would not a historical journal of his interactions with people prove beneficial? The question one needs to determine is of all the books claiming to be from him, which one is really his. There are more ancient manuscripts on the Bible than any other known book. Over 3,000 writings that reveal 98% of the words are in total agreement. The other 2% are items that do not change the teachings of faith nor salvation.

When you read the Bible and all other religious documents, you will note the difference. The Bible is a collection set of over 60 books. Books written over a 1,500-year period, by 40 different authors, in three languages. All with a similar theme and story line.

It is not a book written by one person hidden in a cave. It is the most scrutinized book in the world.

But why all the different disagreements between denominations?

People from different denominations have different interpretations. This leads to personal preferences. But most are in agreement with the main essentials.

What are the essentials?

Mainline Christianity believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah, Son of God and Son of Man. He died, was buried, but resurrected, and ascended into heaven. He will come again to fully restore his Kingdom on earth.

God is Triune: Father-Son-Spirit. Three persons in One Being. His plan from the beginning of creation is to have an adopted family of humans to share life with the Triune God. From now and into eternity.

The Bible reveals God’s story and humanity’s involvement since the creation. Plus God’s plan to restore creation back to His original intent. The last book of the Bible shows God restoring his throne with a new heaven and earth merged together. Life will be restored to its peaceful habitat the way the Garden of Eden started before mankind divorced God. These are probably the top three fundamental common points. The details are where the preferences come into play.

Then what saves you?

Salvation is the work of Father God through Jesus Christ in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Humanity is the recipient of being adopted into the shared life of the Trinity because of the work of Jesus Christ. One does not earn salvation but God’s grace is bestowed upon us. One needs to accept that reality and reconcile themselves to Jesus. By placing our trust, loyalty, and allegiance to Him, the Spirit begins the work of sanctifying you. As the relationship grows, the bond matures into a deeper intimacy. You begin to experience the fruitful, graceful with-God life. Yes, even thru the tribulations caused by a sinful environment. You are his child being prepared for eternity with Jesus.

In other words, salvation is not a commodity nor a free ticket one acquires; but a covenantal relationship with God. A good metaphor is the adoption of a child. God has adopted us, and we now either engage in the process and share in his family culture or we rebel and do our own thing.

Why all the religious overtones?

Religion is mankind’s attempt to pursue and appease God. Christianity is God pursuing humanity with his love. The good news of Jesus is a declaration; not more advice how to solely live better. The message often gets distorted between the two.

What does God want from me now?

Repent is the Biblical word to get you started. It basically means to change your thinking. To turn away from being the center of your universe. Refocus your mind and priorities to worship God before anything else. It includes surrendering oneself under the Lordship of King Jesus.

Then learn and live out the Gospel. Another Biblical word that means good news. You become an apprentice of Jesus. Learn everything you can about him. Begin to hang out with him in prayer. Study his ways. Support him as your Lord and King. Practice his ways-His Kingdom ways. His Kingdom is the government for eternity. It will bring order and value into your world. Ask God to commune with you through His Spirit. May the Spirit fill you with His worldview. Allow your desires to experience and see what he does. Ask him to remove the sinful thoughts and cravings from your life. How? By enriching your soul with His presence.

Why does God want us to love him before anything else?

Because you were created in his image. You were wired to represent him before others. When you focus your heart and mind in worshiping Him, you are giving him the glory he deserves. As a byproduct, you will begin to reflect him. Like the moon reflects the sun at night, so will you. You will reflect him in your thoughts and actions during your daily routine. As you focus on his love and truth, you place his relationship the center of your life. You begin to reflect him before and with others. You will learn to emulate the Creator of the universe in your small corner of the world.

Conclusion:

God is love. He is the source and distributor of love. Everything was created by love, for love, to love. Love is the highest value to be experienced by humanity. The author of Love is the Triune God. Father-Son-Spirit are in love with each other and exude love with every one and every place they go. If you want to experience their love, draw near to them. They will draw nearer to you. God has been pursuing you all along waiting for you to catch Him. Now is always a good time to reach-up and reconcile yourself to HIM.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book and Audio Formats Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Do We Really Love God?

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , ,

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

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But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:3

How do you behave toward those you love?

If you are in a committed relationship, how do you act with your other half?

Are you truly in love with them or are you only using them until something better comes along?

Relationships are messy. We spend most of the time living them out in our minds. How well our thoughts match reality though may be a problem.

We may whisper I love you to the other person. But deep inside it only means I want something from you. Instead of thinking of ways to support the other person in their life adventures, we placate them. We are nice to them in exchange for what we want. We see this within the immature. I love you only means until I lose the feeling. Or I love you until you stop giving me what I want. The basis of I love you is ME.

In my early walk with God, I behaved the same way. I wanted a relationship with HIM because I needed HIS help to live my dreams. The basis of my love was centered around me. I may have stated in my head “I love you Lord,” but my heart was directed around ME. Like the mature parent, Papa God knew. HE continued to walk with me through life’s challenges. HE patiently showed me the difference between HIS love and my self-centered forgery.

I often state that my love for my wife didn’t really begin until some twenty-years into our marriage. That is when I quit seeking what she could do for me. Instead of living life thinking our relationship was a 50/50 split, I repented. That is when I started giving 100% of myself for her without expecting anything in return. Now over forty-years into our relationship, it has somewhat become a game between each of us. Who can out give the other without expecting anything in return?

What does all this have to do with loving God?

How do you know whether you love God for being God and not what is in it for you? Tough question. We are all human and fall short of measuring up in the mirror of Jesus. But our actions do show how well we are maturing. As we allow the Holy Spirit to transform our heart after our heavenly Papa’s desires, our actions follow.

Is it possible to hate your brother and love God? Not what the Bible states in 1 John 4:20. Is it possible to repeatedly desire breaking God’s commandments and love HIM? Not according to 1 John 5:3.

Can you deny Jesus’ claims after reviewing the evidence, and say you are in love of God? John 5:42 indicates otherwise.

When you love someone, you are willing to sacrifice your life for the other. You are open to serve and surrender your will for their sake. You do so without expecting anything in return. You do so because Papa God’s love resides in you. And you have learned over time that this love cannot stay silent in you any longer. It always needs to be expressed in the life of others. That includes Father-Son-Spirit. The love of our life.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book and Audio Formats Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message! | Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved