Conceited, But Not Offended

Conceited, but Offended!!

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV)

“Too high an opinion of oneself; vanity.” This is conceit. I have been giving a sermon series a listen when this word “conceit” entered my ears. “A Sobering Look at the Character and Strategy of Satan” by Senior Pastor Steve Cornell, of the Millersville Bible Church, is the title of the series and by the time I have finished listening to the second disk he has me wondering about the fall of man and his conceit from the everyday perspective.

Let’s say I look at the third chapter of Genesis and I replace the serpent, “who was more cunning than any beast of the field”, with the world. I mean if we really look at it, the world has become more cunning these days. We get flooded with things that tell us how much better we would be if we had this or that. The world goes as far to tell us how much more spiritual we will be if we read this self-help book or listen to this motivational speaker. There is stuff on how to be better parents, better spouses and employees. Too many different flavors if you ask me.

In his sermon series, Pastor Cornell used a salesmen situation as a backdrop for how the world can begin to sow “the seeds of discontentment that takes us out of God’s will.” It sounded so much like where I work. I hear lines like, “Well you have your Christian value system.” Or they snicker when making remarks about me being “religious” and have them tell me that they believed the Bible because they “were” Catholic at one time so they can understand where I am coming from. But do they really understand what they are saying let alone “where I am coming from”.

You see the irony of it all is the fallen man doesn’t even know how bad his “condition” is until after he becomes saved. I know for me there was a time that I thought I was “living it up”, enjoying life to its fullest. But in reality I was deceived and lost. I might have even thought myself free and under no one’s rule, kind of like the Jews of Jesus’ day. I mean they were just as blind in this kind of thought pattern that they refused to acknowledge their subjection to the power of Rome.

This is when conceit comes into play. The “prince of the power of the air” doesn’t have to approach you himself. We have enough folks around us who have become successful in way or another who seem to offer up a “seed of discontentment” to plant in us. I believe that while they are trying to sow this discontentment we get offended. We react in such a way that we want to or feel that we deserve a higher sense of self. Once we get that justified in our hearts and minds we can become like the Pharisees. Bogging ourselves down in the mire of what we think is right and just and making sure we thrust this ideology upon others thus continuing the sowing of the seed of discontentment with the will of God in our lives.

I believe being offended and being conceited go hand in hand. And I also believe our Adversary understands this as well. Today let’s not give him a foothold. -- Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 23; Song of Solomon 1-3; Galatians 2

Great Quote: “Jesus said our ability to see correctly is another key to being freed from deception. Often when we are offended we see ourselves as victims and blame those who have hurt us. We justify out bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, envy, and resentment as they surface. Sometimes we even resent those who remind us of others who have hurt us. For this reason Jesus counseled, “Anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (Rev.3:18). See what? Your true condition! That’s the only way we can “be zealous and repent” as Jesus commanded next. You’ll only repent when you stop blaming other people." The Bait of Satan John Bevere

It is not to late to enjoy a day of golfing fun and fellowship at Hanover Golf Club on September 29, 2009 to benefit the Colony of Mercy Addiction Recovery Ministry of America’s Keswick. We will have a 7:30 AM and a 12:30 PM shotgun start. There are still some openings for either start time. Call Stan Marsh @ 1-800-453 7942 x 32 for info or to make your reservation.