Pride's Struggle Against God

Some people reject salvation because they refuse to side with a God who will not endorse their chosen Identity. How shortsighted and sad.

"I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" - Psalms 66:17-20 ESV

Pride cherishes it's independent ways. Our flesh will always love to sin. It isn't going to change. But, That is not the issue. Thank God, It is not the issue.

Iniquity is emotional rebellion. None of us have a perfect emotional life. The questions is, 'Do we nurture our negative emotions or do we discover a new identity that can feel righteously because it is born from above?'

"Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them." - Leviticus 21:17-23 ESV

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-12 KJV

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV

God wants perfection and He has provided it in His Son. The old lame, broken and imperfect identity with it's impulses and desires can not serve as a priest. Only the new nature can.

Pride chooses to nurture in a person's self life that which God has rejected.

We can cherish our iniquity because our old man remains unaccepted or we can worship a God who has given us a new nature born in the humility of His Son's sacrifice.

Once we believe what disqualified us before no longer does. All things become new. God won't see us after what we seem to lack. He will only see us as perfectly hidden in the life of His perfect Son. We become winners seated in the victory of our triumphant Messiah.

Fight if you feel you must. Fight until you are exhausted. God gave you the right to choose. He will be the same. His patience has no end. His holiness will remain uncompromised. He is willing to love you... You just need to let Him love you and He will. His love will change your citizenship and your eternal identity. That is why Jesus died... to save stubborn people just like you and just like me.

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