A beautiful study in pride by a fully integrated survivor, Sally.
After the last paper on idolatry, my dear friend, Karen Sackett, inquired if I had ever done a study on pride. My arrogant response and internal reaction against doing such a study revealed that PRIDE was indeed still present. At her prompting, I pursued more prayer and study on the word PRIDE. I have always said that the more abused the person, the more arrogant and prideful that person is (including myself!) At the start of the process of discovering that I was DID/SRA, God showed me that my main sin was pride (along with the idolatry).
Looking through the scriptures, I saw that idolatry and pride go hand in hand. Where one is found, the other is also found. The higher (or actually lower!) the person is in the occult, the more like Satan he/she is to become. Hence, the more a person becomes like Satan, the more prideful that person is. God has created man in His image. As we focus upon the object of our worship or desire, we become like that object (Ps. 135:8; Ps 115:8). Those of us who have manifested Satan and become most like him, are most characterized by pride.
Pride is in such contrast to our Lord Jesus Christ who humbled Himself to the point of the cross so that we all may reign with Him in eternity. Apart from learning of the yoke of Jesus Christ’s humility, we will remain in our sin, arrogance and shame. God has such a mighty plan for each one of us, if we just bow and yield to the cross in our lives, and confess and forsake pride and all that would stand between our Lord Jesus Christ and His character being formed in our lives.
None of us can afford any spot or wrinkle to be between our Lord and us. Yield now to His mighty hand so that He will not have to bring us down in our pride. (James 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:5-6)
As you read this, pray before the Lord our God and ask the Holy Spirit to show you any area of pride, and any part of your mind that would remain captive in an attitude or mind-set of pride. I believe that pride and idolatry are the main characteristics of (or one of the first) splits off the aspect that first knew Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our Christian selves know that pride is a sin and that God sets Himself in battle array against those who walk in pride and idolatry. Hence, a core conflict occurs between our heart that desires the true Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the first core split which is characterized and polarized as proud and idolatrous. (refer to Dr. Tom Hawkins’s works on Conflict Resolutions).
Lev. 26:19. I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. Sometimes we cannot hear God, and we feel that the “heavens are as iron”.
Confess pride. We may be feeling our own alienation from God (of course, not all times when we feel far away from God, is there sin). Ask God to show you what prideful areas remain in your life. The Holy Spirit is faithful to reveal such requests. If you are clinging to areas of sin, God will break the pride of your power. The “power” that you have to protect yourself is both carnal and demonic (James 3:13-15) and is rooted in the sin of pride. It is “wisdom that does not come down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic” (James 3:15).
If we do not humble ourselves, God will humble us. I have known God’s humbling and breaking of the “pride of my power,” my independence, my rights, my choices, my dreams and my desires. As we humble ourselves before God, confess and forsake pride, He will exalt us at that right time.
Deut. 8:11-20 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.
These verses command us to not forget the Lord our God and to obey Him. If, after we are satisfied with God’s gifts, His deliverances, His salvation, and all that He has provided for us, we eat and are satisfied, then we forget the One that provided for us. Vs. 17 says that we may take the credit, or even Satan. God has kept us alive these years; given us food, shelter and clothing, and we have taken the credit.
In rituals, many death rituals occur and Satan takes the credit for life, or we have been exalted as gods because we had “divine life”. God wants us to acknowledge Him. The ones that were highly exalted came from ones that were greatly traumatized. The polar opposite of the one in exaltation must connect to the one that was most beat down, most traumatized (refer to Doug Riggs’s and Karen Sackett’s works on Origin, Source and Beginning for resolution). That is where God dwells with the low and contrite of heart. Parts of ourselves have forgotten the God of our youth and all that He did for us.
We must forsake pride and the exaltation and recognition of the cult and re-connect to the core aspect of ourselves that was punished for knowing God. At the time of the abuse, we did not recognize the Lamb of God. He is humble. The parts of our mind, which were exalted, wanted God to come as a King to rescue us in triumph and power, not in humiliation and weakness. That same humble, lamb-like character is the nature of Jesus Christ Who rode on the donkey to Jerusalem. He was rejected and nailed to the cross. Accusations were hurled at Him to save Himself and to come down from the cross.
The cult parts of ourselves despise that same nature of God who was weak and humble, and lives within our hearts. We were accused that our God could not save us. So, we saved ourselves. We opted for Satan’s way out, at that time. God does not condemn us (we were already condemned on the cross in our old nature, Romans 6-8). Now we have the choice to say, “No, I do not want Satan’s exaltation; I want to connect to the original authentic me that first knew God in His humiliation”. We can forsake pride and meet God in the areas of our heart that are broken and contrite.
I Sam. 2:3-5…They that were full have hired out themselves for bread. In a sense, the parts of ourselves that remain in exaltation, are saying to God, “ I am full, and have need of nothing”.
We then are vulnerable and are in a state to be accessed by the cult, hence have hired out themselves for bread.
Ps. 9:20. Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Pray that God will give us the fear of Himself (not to be afraid of God, but to revere, honor, and respect Him).
We have been worshiped as gods. Pray that God will show all aspects of ourselves that we are but mortal men.
Ps. 10:2-11. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor…he hath said in his heart God has forgotten; he hideth his face; he will never see it.
God HAS seen, and now WE must see and face ourselves as persecutors and perpetrators against our children, other children, other Christians, animals and anything that is represented as innocent. Failure to see and own the most debauched thing that we have ever perpetrated allows us to remain in our pride, project judgment on others and ourselves, and remain vulnerable for accessing. When we ask God for His grace and mercy to see all the evil deeds we committed and own the deeds, God’s forgiveness comes in like a flood and cleanses and washes us clean.
Ps. 12:3-4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?
Pray and break renounce every time we gave our tongues for evil and dedicated our lips and tongues to God.
Ps. 18:27 Thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt brings down high looks.
A core-split usually occurs between the core aspect of ourselves that was afflicted and the core aspect that has high looks. We as a person are held accountable for all aspects of ourselves that remain “in high looks”. Those aspects of ourselves that are exalted will find relief for the pain by connecting to those aspects that are afflicted. Those aspects that remain in affliction will find relief by accepting those aspects that were exalted in pride. (Refer to Doug Riggs and Karen Sackett’s paper for connecting to Origin, Source and Beginning) God has saved the whole person, not just a part.
Ps. 49:11. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations;
Confess generational arrogance and pride of the bloodline that you are involved with. As we confess and break the generational arrogance and pride, God’s love and peace is realized in the inward parts of ourselves that we are His children and that He is our Father.
Ps. 52:7. Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
Those aspects of ourselves that were exalted are the strength of the one that was crushed. We were strong in our pride and sin. The “Christian selves” were made weak. They were the ones that were “abused”. We trusted in the strength of demons, ourselves or the cult. Confess trusting in ourselves and confess strengthening ourselves in our pride and wickedness at the expense of parts that were abused. Ask God to reunite our heart to fear Him and to discover that He is our strength.
Ps. 73:6-9 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Pride and violence go hand in hand. Most of us performed violent acts upon others. We did it in pride and arrogance to obtain ‘power’. Confess this pride and arrogance that was expressed in violent acts against others and re-connect with your Christian heart that did not want to perform such acts.
Ps. 119:21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. God rebukes the proud; they are cursed.
Confess pride and break the generational curse of pride.
Vs. 69. We have spoken lies about the godly and God. Confess all lies that we have spoken.
Vs. 78. Shame is associated with pride.
Ps. 138:6 The proud He knoweth afar off.
If we feel far from God, ask God if pride is in the way.
Prov. 3:34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
We find God’s grace when we connect to those parts of us that are afflicted and forsake pride. If we remain in our pride and are disconnected from the “afflicted” parts, we will know God’s scoffing.
Prov. 8:13. Pride, and arrogance,… do I hate.
God hates pride. If we feel that God is against us and does not love us, ask Him if there is pride in our hearts, confess it and connect with the afflicted parts of ourselves.
Prov. 10:17. He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who forsakes reproof goes astray.
Humble yourself under the one that has been allotted as having charge over your soul. Do not forsake instruction and be careful to obey the Word. We find life when we heed instruction.
Prov. 11:2… with the lowly is wisdom. He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor.
Forsake all bitterness that others have expressed towards you. Do not despise those that have perpetrated against you. It is pride and devoid of wisdom.
Prov. 12:15. A fool is right in his own eyes.
We need each other to help correct us. If we forsake a rebuke or think that we are justified in our own thoughts and ways because of all the abuse etc, we are fools.
Prov. 13:10. Through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom.
Because of the tremendous injustice of the abuse, we think we are justified in our actions, thoughts, deeds, self-pity, hurts etc., but all of this is presumption. We become a fool because we think we are right or justified to hold on to our right to be angry and take revenge because of “all that has happened to me”. That is pride and must be confessed and forsaken.
Prov. 15:5…he who regards reproof is prudent. Vs.10. Stern discipline is for him who forsakes the way; he who hates reproof will die. Vs. 25. The Lord will tear down the house of the proud. Vs. 31.He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Vs. 32. He who neglects discipline despises himself. Vs.33. The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor, humility.
Arrogance rejects reproof and ends up in self-hatred. Confess all self-hatred and negligence of discipline as pride. Pursue life in discipline and listen to those who reprove. We cannot become free of the effects of SRA without the loving reproofs of those around us.
Prov. 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
God disciplines those who are His children. I have been proud of the fact that I was an abomination to the Lord. God has had to bring me low to repentance. Connect to the original core aspect of the self that is perceived to be (all parts that are) an abomination to the Lord. Do not despise them, but acknowledge them and connect them to the lowly ones. A core conflict exists between all parts that were perceived as abominations and all that were perceived as lowly.
Prov. 16:18. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Much of the discipline by the Lord I have experienced is a result of pride and idolatry. God disciplines us so that we can acknowledge our sin before Him and forsake it (Heb. 12:10) and become partakers of His nature, which is holiness.
Prov. 26:16. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. 28:11. The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor who has understanding searcheth him out. Vs. 25. He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife.
If we have been involved in creating or causing strife, confess pride. Some who have borderline personality tendencies cause strife and conflict. Ask the Lord to show you your heart if pride is at the root. Humble yourself before Him and others so that He will not need to humble you.
Prov. 29:23. A man’s pride shall bring him low…
God will bring us low if the exalted parts of ourselves do not connect to the ones that were made low.
Prov. 30:12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.
In this generation of SRA/DID, in the therapist’s office, etc., there exists a movement of playing the “victim”. Yes, bad things did happen to us against our choice. Yet we are accountable for our sinful reactions as adults. We are accountable for our perpetration. We are accountable for our pride and idolatry. Many therapists reinforce our victim mentality through not acknowledging that we were also perpetrators. Through assisting us to own and re-connect to those aspects of ourselves that are accountable before God for sins we have committed, we are set free from the guilt and shame associated with those sinful events. After we have faced our sin, confessed it, and re-connect with the aspects that committed the sin, we can experience the power of His forgiveness that cleanses us and washes us clean.
First, we must acknowledge that sin is sin. Period.
It is much easier to see and own the victim side of ourselves and not acknowledge what we believe is the evil-perpetrator aspect. It is easier to say that it is lies that we have believed and not own the sin that we are accountable for. In reality, God wants us to integrate and accept both sides of ourselves, the victim and the perpetrator. The victim does not cancel out the perpetrator nor does the perpetrator cancel out the victim.
We were first victims but all individuals that have been raised in the Luciferian culture, must become a good perpetrator. The person is praised for their acts of perpetration and rewarded. Our needs are met when we have satisfied the Luciferian agenda of immorality, blaspheme, perpetration and wicked deeds. Pride develops in a very early age, especially if we are set aside as special. We are praised and rewarded for becoming more like Lucifer (Satan).
Most of my true self had no idea that these acts were wrong. I had to have a heavy “reprogramming” of God’s word. I had to accept that God’s word is true, that I was an idolater and filled with pride. I was pure in my own eyes and did not know my own depraved condition. I could not understand why my pastor thought I was unrighteous. I was a product of a true Canaanite culture. I had to acknowledge that God was right about my sin.
The marvelous thing is that God has already judicially cleansed us of our sin through the death of Jesus Christ. Now, He is patiently waiting for us to acknowledge our sin before Him, (1 John 1:9) and for us to take responsibility for what sins we have committed in order that we may enter into the reality of His forgiveness experientially. The aspects that were most abused were split, then exalted and worshipped as gods. It was based upon a need for significance and a need to be recognized. God does not despise us for having those needs but we acted sinfully by walking in pride and exalting our thoughts above God’s. This is what He desires; for us to admit to the evil deeds we have committed through our own bodies, to confess and forsake our pride and arrogance, and to accept the limitations of being human. Then God can meet our needs to be significant, but only when we have admitted our pride and sinful ways and walk in humility.
Isa. 2:11-17; The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, for every trading ship and every stately vessel. The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
Isa. 3:16-26; The LORD says,"The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the LORD will make their scalps bald." In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground
see also Isa. 10:5-16.
All of these passages connect pride to idolatry. Pray and ask the Lord God to show you anything you need to know about yourself as you read these passages.
Isa. 13:11. I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isa. 14:12-16. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which dist weaken the nation! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Most of us who have SRA backgrounds have been exalted with Satan in some form or manner. We have taken on his nature internally and become like him in pride. We were created to take on God’s nature and character and become like Him in humility. As long as parts of ourselves remain separated or dissociated in pride, we cannot become like the Lamb that our hearts have desired. We must admit our pride before God, confess and allow God to cleanse us and re-connect us with our heart that is the most like the Lamb.
Isa. 26:5. He bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, He layeth it low; He layeth it low, even to the ground; He bringeth it even to the dust.
Ask God if He is disciplining us because of pride. Ask Him to reveal where pride is originating from within ourselves so that He would not have to bring us low. Ask God to reveal all aspects that dwell on high and remain dissociated in pride so that we may own all aspects of ourselves and God won’t have to bring us into dust. (or keep us in the dust)
Isa. 47:7-10 …. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness; thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Ask God to show you if this is true in your life. By connecting with all aspects of our heart where we have trusted in our own wickedness, God will forgive, heal and cleanse us. Confess pride.
Jer. 9:23-24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and know Me, that I am the Lord which exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these thins I delight, says the Lord.
Many parts of ourselves glory in our own wisdom, strength and the “riches” of the cult life. Connect with those aspects of ourselves that knew about the pain, torture and trauma, the cost for the exaltation of those aspects of self ‘exalted’ in pride.
Jer. 13:9 Thus says the Lord, 'Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
God gives us an opportunity to repent from pride and our sins before He brings us low.
Jer. 13:17 But if you will not listen to it, My soul will sob in secret for such pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
God weeps if we do not repent and we will experience the grieving of the Holy Spirit, a very miserable place to be in (I speak from experience!).
Jer. 48:7. Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive. We are held captive in our pride, self-will and strength.
God desires repentance of our own efforts that maintain dissociation, our own strength that we use to hide our sins and our own self-righteousness. God already knows and sees all that we have ever done, that is why He sent His son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sin. Come clean before God, confess and forsake all our own strength of maintaining and hiding our sin.
Jer. 49:4 How boastful you are about the valleys! Your valley is flowing away, O backsliding daughter Who trusts in her treasures, saying, 'Who will come against me?'
God will expose us and bring us low if we do not acknowledge our pride, idolatry and other sins before Him. He already knows and sees and waits patiently for us to acknowledge our sinful deeds before Him.
Jer. 50:31-32 I am against thee, o thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
If we have ever felt that God was against us, ask Him if there is pride. God desires first that we would acknowledge our pride and repent, if we do not, then the “fire” gets hotter and hotter to bring us to that realization of this sin in our heart. God is a loving God and treats us like children. He desires intimate fellowship with us, but He cannot have it if pride is in our hearts.
Ezek. 28:2-17
“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Because your heart is lifted[a] up, And you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,’ Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”
‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor. They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.
“Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of aliens; For I have spoken,” says the Lord God.’ ”
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
“By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
As you read these scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to expose those aspects of the self that are the most like Satan in these characteristics. Re-connect with these aspects, confess pride and idolatry, and reconnect with the youngest or first aspect that is characterized by humility, trauma, pain, and a contrite heart; the core aspect that is most like Jesus Christ of Nazareth in character. (refer to Doug Riggs for counseling strategies).
Ezekiel 31:10-14 'Therefore, thus says the Lord God, "Because it is high in stature, and it has set its top among the clouds, and its heart is haughty in its loftiness, therefore, I will give it into the hand of a despot of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. According to its wickedness I have driven it away. "And alien tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and left it. "On its ruin all the birds of the heavens will dwell. And all the beasts of the field will be on its fallen branches in order that all the trees by the waters may not be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the clouds, nor their well-watered mighty ones stand erect in their height. For they have all been given over to death, to the earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit."
God will deliver us over to the hand of a despot of the nations (or severe discipline Heb. 12:4-11) if we do not connect, admit, and forsake idolatry and pride. I believe that to the degree that I remain in my pride and idolatry, I am still a target for Satanic assaults towards continual involvement in ritual activity. God cannot protect us if we remain in our sin of idolatry and pride.
In fact, it is as if He delivers us over for chastening so that in our misery, we will forsake our own strength of dissociation and come to God for protection. Self-righteousness or pride says that I can protect myself through dissociation against the wiles of satanic assaults. God is the only one that can protect. Renounce all self-righteousness and pride that says in my strength, I have kept myself from ritual activity or protected myself from my adversaries because God “wasn’t around”.
Dan. 4:37. "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."
God was able to bring king Nebuchadnezzar low and to repentance. God is so very faithful, that He warned the king of his pride and what would happen to him, but he refused and God humbled him. Do not refuse this day God’s verbal warning to all who walk in pride or we may find ourselves in a place like king Nebuchadnezzar.
Hos. 5:5; 7:10-11; Obad. 3.-4; Nah. 3:19; Hab. 2:4-9; Zeph. 2:10, 15; 3:11; Mal. 4:1.
The prophets all proclaimed to God’s people that all the proud and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble. A day of judgment is coming to God’s people. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1 Pet. 4:17. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises o him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Do not be afraid to come to God just as you are so that you might find mercy for we are to become holy as He is holy. The way to holiness is to own our sins, to confess them, and to forsake them. Allow God to cleanse us and work His holiness in us. We have tried to be holy through dissociation by hiding our unholy parts of ourselves. Allow God to do the work. Confess self-righteousness by “Christianizing” ourselves. When we forsake our own methods to obtain righteousness through dissociation, we know our Heavenly Father’s mercy, grace, and love towards us. He welcomes us with open arms.
More New Testament Scriptures
Mat. 23:6-12. … for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
The Pharisees wanted to be exalted and refused to be humbled. We are like the Pharisees if we say that pride is not in us and we hide the pride behind dissociation.
Mark 7:21-22. … for from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,.. arrogance and folly.
Pride comes out from the heart. It is a core characteristic that must be seen.
Luke 1: 51-52. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
We remain “scattered” as long as we remain in our pride. Connect with the core aspect of ourselves who was humbled, broken-hearted and brought low. God brings low those who were rulers in the satanic kingdom. Therefore we need to re-connect to the original core aspect of ourselves that was the most humiliated and made low.
Rom. 1:22, 29, 30. Professing to be wise, they became fools…
I have had parts named Wisdom. By connecting to the opposite, the ones that were fools inside, the core conflict resolves (see Dr. Tom Hawkins works on Conflict Resolution).
Rom. 11:17-25 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
Pride has blinded Israel. Pride is blinding and we cannot see ourselves the way we really are. Ask others what they see if you cannot see pride.
Rom. 12:3. I say, though the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as a God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. Be not wise in your own mind.
God gives grace to the humble. We think that to self-abase ourselves is humility. But we are Saints. Self-abasement is a form of pride and rejection of grace. It is our attempt to be humble in our own strength rather than in God’s strength.
1 Cor. 1:29; 3:18; 4:6-10; 5:2-8; 8:1-2; 10:12; 13:4 14:38. 1 Corinthians has more references to pride and idolatry than any other New Testament book. In his book, To Whom Is The Arm of the Lord Revealed? T. A. Sparks writes:
In the First Letter to the Corinthians, the church was not broken. It was hard; it was trying to hold itself intact; it was proud; it was judging; it was cruel; it was unkind; it was anything but broken. But now, as we read the Second Letter, we find there is about the church a softness. It is soft-it is melted-it is broken! You can talk about “ministry” now; you can talk about ‘testimony’ now; you could not do so before. No: until the vessel is broken, nothing can flow out; if anything is to flow out, it will only do so when the vessel is broken… Our weakness, our brokenness, is of the greatest importance and value, for it is only then that the real treasure can be manifested.
(pgs. 89-90)
Our pride has kept us from the cross in our lives. We have despised brokenness because the enemy has imposed upon us, through the years of torture and abuse, his own morbid interpretation of the cross and brokenness. Only through the cross being applied to our lives can resurrection life spring forth. Do not be afraid to expose pride and idolatry and any area that is not according to Christ. Allow God His way with you so that He will not have to result to drastic measures.
2 Cor. 10:5-18; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
We are commanded to bring our prideful thoughts and all that which is against Christ into subjection to Him. We do so, not by dissociating, but by confessing it, connecting to those aspects of ourselves that are held captive in that state of pride with the parts that are low or humiliated.
2 Cor. 12:7. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
God sent a messenger of Satan to buffet Paul, so he should not be exalted above measure. Thank God for all His dealings with us so that we would not remain in pride.
Jas. 4:6 .. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
If you sense God’s mighty arm of discipline more than His grace and mercy in your life, ask Him to show you where you are proud. Humble yourself before Him and He will lift you up. Pray and meditate on the following scriptures asking the Holy Spirit to lead you and show you any truth that applies to your life.
Gal. 6:3; Eph. 4:17; Phil. 2:3; 1 Tim. 2:9; 3:6; 6:3-4; 2 Tim. 3:2-4; Jas. 3:1; 4:6:; 1 Pet. 5:3-5; 1 John 2:16; Rev. 3:17-18. Rev. 18:7-8.
We may be afraid to approach God with our sin, pride and shame. But this is the way of growth towards maturity in the Christian life. God has allowed SRA/DID in our lives for a very marvelous reason, to become more like Him! God does not exempt us from His word because we are SRA! (from what His word says, but even more!) We have a wonderful opportunity to allow God to change or transform us into His image if we let Him. (1 Cor. 3:18).
To end this study, C. H. Mackintosh (1976) in The Mackintosh Treasury summarizes the Christian life as a process of allowing the cross to work in our lives for fullness. It is only through brokenness.
Here was the bright side. But to whom were these wondrous words of grace addressed? To broken hearts and penitent spirits, and convicted consciences. To men who had learnt to say, “We are verily guilty.” It is only such that can at all enter into the line of truth which is now before us. Those who have taken their true place, who have accepted the judgment of God against themselves, who truly own that the cross is the measure of their guilt-they can appreciate the cross as the expression of God’s heart of love toward them; they can enter into the glorious truth that the selfsame cross which demonstrates man’s hatred of God sets forth also God’s love to man. The two things ever go together. It is when we see and own our guilt, as proved in the cross, that we learn the purifying and peace-speaking power of that precious blood which cleanseth us from all sin.
Yes; it is only a broken heart and a contrite spirit that can truly enter into the marvelous love of God as set forth in the cross of Christ. How could Joseph ever have said, “Be not grieved with yourselves,” if he had not seen his brethren broken down in his presence? Impossible. And how can an unbroken heart, and unreached conscience, an impenitent soul enter not the value of the atoning blood of Christ, or taste the sweetness of the love of God? Utterly impossible. Joseph spake rudely to his brethren at the first, but the very moment those accents emanated from their broken hearts, “ we were verily guilty,” they were in a condition to understand and value the words, “Be not grieved with yourselves.” It is when we are completely broken down in the presence of the cross, seeing it as the perfect measure of our own deep personal guilt, that we are prepared to see it as the glorious display of God’s love towards us.
And then and there we escape from a guilty world. Then and there we are rescued completely from that dark and rapid current of which we have spoken, and brought within the hallowed and peaceful circle of God’s salvation, where we can walk up and down in the very sunlight of a Father’s countenance and breathe the pure air of the new creation. “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift!”
pp. 568-569.
Let us not fall short of His mighty arm that saves us! Come to Him in humility of heart and let Him lift you up and lavish His love upon you! You will not be disappointed.
References
Hawkins, T. Restoration in Christ Ministries, director. E-mail: RCMTomHawkins@att.net.
Mackintosh, C. H. (1976). The Mackintosh Treasury. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.
Riggs, D. Morning Star Testimony Church, pastor. E-mail: d_riggs@verizon.net.
Sackett, K. Shield of Faith, director. E-mail: KsacShield@aol.com.
Sparks, T. A. (2000). To Whom Is The Arm of the Lord Revealed?
Emmanuel Church; 12000 E. 14th; Tulsa, OK 74128-5016.
Acknowledgements
Doug Riggs for his pastoral oversight and spiritual input
Kim and Karen Campbell for their editorial comments and proofing