Monthly Messages, April 2023
The most important spiritual warning? What a value judgment. But there are reasons why it might be so. The spiritual warning is as follows:
“They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.” (2 Nephi 28: 14–15.) “Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of Nephi, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.” (Moroni 8:27) The great spiritual enemy of righteousness is pride.
Pride is valuing oneself and what one is thinking and doing above and beyond reality. It is a prime example of listening to Satan and sadly misjudging ourselves. Our Savior would have us come down in the depths of humility and be as a little child. Satan prompts us to lift ourselves up in our own eyes and think that we are more than we really are, especially when we put someone else down in the process. Satan wants us to think we are justified in whatever we want, especially when it involves taking advantage over someone else.
Pride has four great faults:
- It does not acknowledge that the advantages one has (health, strength, intelligence, wealth) are all gifts from God. To acknowledge those gifts would be humility, the opposite of pride.
- It keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, in great need of being saved from ourselves.
- It justifies us in trespassing against our neighbor, advancing ourselves at our neighbor’s expense.
- It blocks us from receiving the Holy Spirit, that companionship which is essential to salvation.
1. Pride does not acknowledge that the advantages one has (health, strength, intelligence, wealth) are all gifts from God. To acknowledge those as gifts would be humility, the opposite of pride.
The “natural man,” a human being who has not been rescued from spiritual death through faith
in Jesus Christ, usually thinks of himself or herself as a product of nature. Blind chance has brought him or her into this world, has given all that the person has, and therefore there is no gratitude due to anyone for any advantages one may have
2. Pride keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, in great need of being saved from ourselves.
Our only real enemy is the character weaknesses that allow us to break the commandments of God. One part or Christ’s mission is to direct the Holy Spirit to labor with each of us to give up our weaknesses and gain the strength to become like Jesus Christ. Then we also will only do the will of the Father. Then the world will be at peace, and we will have a heaven on earth. If we would each give up our pride in our sinning and become like little children, meek, submissive, obedient to the Savior, then the millennium would come without the need to cleanse the earth of all pride and arrogance.
3. Pride justifies us in trespassing against our neighbor, advancing ourselves at our neighbor’s expense.
The proud person thinks to himself “I deserve what I want” and proceeds to take what he wants by any means. This proud person knows not God, but does listen to the voice of Satan. Satan assures him what he does indeed deserve what he wants. And Satan always confirms him in his selfish desires, a most desirable companion to those who see themselves as the most important person on the scene.
4. Pride blocks us from receiving the Holy Spirit, that companionship which is essential to salvation.
The proud person cannot receive the ministrations of the Holy Spirit because he does not want to do so. He wants to see himself as more, not less, and the Holy Spirit always enjoins one to be humble, as a little child, and to sacrifice to bless others. But the proud person always wants to be more, not less, and to help someone else only if the deed will redound to his own glory.
Remember: The ultimate pride is to reject Jesus Christ and to pretend that we don’t need Him.