Tag: Pride

Are We in the End Times? Day 5

On November 24, 2021

(2Ti 3:2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Good morning! Who else is excited about diving into God’s word today? I know I am 🥰 It excites me to know that anyone of us can open our Bible and be taught by God Himself! We don’t need anyone to interpret what the words mean. The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible and He is the One who will teach us! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Today’s word is a small and simple word; but is it really? It doesn’t seem like it would be indicative of the end times but if you hone in on its meaning and how it is used, you will come to realize that it most certainly does apply to these end times. It’s like peeling back the various layers of an onion, isn’t it?

Let’s look at the modern definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Definition of proud:

1: feeling or showing pride: such as a: having or displaying excessive self-esteem b: much pleased c: having proper self-respect

But now, let’s look at the definition according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

Having inordinate self-esteem; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one’s own excellence, either of body or mind. A man may be proud of his person, of his talents, of his accomplishments or of his achievements. He may be proud of any thing to which he bears some relation. He conceives that any thing excellent or valuable, in which he has a share, or to which he stands related, contributes to his own importance, and this conception exalts his opinion of himself. Proud is followed by of, before the object, supra.

Arrogant; haughty; supercilious.
A foe so proud will not the weaker seek.

Daring; presumptuous.
By his understanding he smiteth through the proud. Job 26.

Ostentatious; grand; as proud titles.

WOW! 😮 Can you see why I turn to this dictionary instead of today’s modern English dictionaries? It allows me to understand what the real intent of the word was and when it was put into the English language. So now let’s look at the Greek word used for “proud” in Strong’s Concordance:

ὑπερήφανος
huperēphanos
hoop-er-ay’-fan-os
From G5228 and G5316; appearing above others (conspicuous), that is, (figuratively) haughty: – proud.
Total KJV occurrences: 5

The scriptures that contain this Greek word are found in:

(Luk 1:51) He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
(Rom 1:30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
(2Ti 3:2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
(Jas 4:6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
(1Pe 5:5) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Can you see that none of these have a positive connotation? In fact, the last two verses referenced above say that God resists them. It’s truly not a good thing to be considered proud. But let’s forget about us for a moment and let’s see how the Lord feels about it:

He scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart;

He marked them with the rest of those who will suffer the wrath of God in Rom 1:18-30;

He said they would be prevalent in the end times;

He resists them and gives grace to the humble.

No where do we see that God views pride as a good thing, friend. You can do a word search for yourself in the bible and you’ll discover the same thing. So how does this tie in with the end times, you may ask?

How many people do you personally know that are truly humble? I can name a few in my church, my Pastor and a few close friends. But with those I come in contact with that are not believers, I see how much more pride has filled their hearts. The unbelieving world doesn’t see their own sinfulness. They don’t want to be told they are sinners. They don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ, the Lord in their actions! Their pride leads them to believe that they are on the right path, which as a result is the path to destruction.

If you are one of the prideful, ask God to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Psalm 51:10). Be humble and admit your sin of pride. After all, the first sin of pride came from Lucifer himself!

(Eze 28:17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

The phrase “lifted up” here is defined as swelled with pride. Here lies the very first sin committed and it was from Lucifer! He is the father of lies.

(Joh 8:44) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

If you happen to be reading this and are not saved, it is no coincidence. God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Jump to Day 6.

Are We in the End Times – Day 4

By Kate Plourde

On November 23, 2021

In Devotionals, End Times

(2 Ti 3:2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

As I continue with this devotional series, I literally shudder at the relevance of these scriptures for a time such as this! My heart aches and wants to explode with desire to reach those who are lost and Christians who are misguided! Lord, I pray that You would draw those who need these scriptures so they can be alerted to just how late it is in Your prophetic clock! In Christ’s precious name I pray!

Today’s alert is the word “boasters.” I love Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary because it defines exactly what the English word meant at the time the King James Bible was printed! His definition is below. Because the definition needs expanding, I’ve also included the definitions for “vaunt” and “ostentatious”:

BOASTER, n. One who boasts, glories or vaunts ostentatiously.

V’AUNT, v.i. [L. vanus. This ought to be written vant.]
To boast; to make a vain display of one’s own worth, attainments or decorations; to talk with vain ostentation; to brag.
Pride – prompts a man to vaunt and overvalue what he is.

OSTENTA’TIOUS, a. Making a display from vanity; boastful; fond of presenting one’s endowments or works to others in an advantageous light.
Your modesty is so far from being ostentatious of the good you do –
Showy; gaudy; intended for vain display; as ostentatious ornaments.

Now that you’ve read through these, does it open the meaning of boaster to you? With the invention of the internet and social media, we see people boasting so much more than before. In the past, we were limited to newspapers and boasters were really not something to write about, unless they were politicians. But today, we are truly in the “I” generation. Everything is about me, me, me! Narcissistic people are everywhere. They are obsessed with their own image, their own progress, and they have an exaggerated idea of their own importance. What once was prevalent in politicians and the pharasitical attitudes of church leaders, is now running rampant in the human heart. Is it any wonder that Christ said:

(Luk 18:8) I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

The believer is held to a higher standard than the world. We should not be caught up in the “I” generation’s belief system. We should not be boasters. In fact, Scripture says:

(Pro 27:2) Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

Social media is filled with apps that record one’s actions and words. You don’t have to watch them for long until you see people boasting about themselves. It’s really not something I would have thought of when I first was saved in 1980. Of course, social media was just starting and it wasn’t used for this purpose. Perhaps that is why I see today’s word so clearly.

If you are a believer who is guilty of this, I pray that this post will speak to your heart. As Prov. 27:2 says above, it’s not up to us to praise ourselves. Let it come from someone else and then be humble about it.

Jump to Day 5.

Nuggets from Proverbs

By Kate Plourde

On October 26, 2021

In Nuggets From Proverbs

This is a 30-day devotional on the Book of Proverbs originally written in 2006. It is filled with exhortation and encouragement to live Godly lives while waiting for the Lord’s return! I pray that you will be blessed by it.