EGO=Edging God Out

Welcome to Grace Ministries USA. My name is Ryan. Today’s devotional focuses on pride and ego, emphasizing the potential consequences of allowing negative influences to enter our lives. Often, the individuals closest to us can be the most detrimental. Therefore, it is crucial to align ourselves with those who offer positive guidance and support.

The people who influence our lives, particularly those closest to us, should be speaking life into us. When this does not occur, it is essential to adjust our course and seek divine intervention. Ideally, we should have studied God’s word beforehand to prepare for potential challenges. when a crisis arises, I have compiled a scripture reading for you to go back to, to help remember who you are, who’s you are, and why your here.

Scripture:

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.16.18-21.ESV

When it speaks of lowly spirit, this is not letting people walk all over you and tell you what to do and what to think. This means to be walking in the spirit, and not the flesh. Meaning yes listening to those close, and confirming with Gods word, we can not live on fruit alone, we need the holy spirit as well. When God instructs us to do something, and we choose to disobey despite knowing our responsibilities, it demonstrates pride and arrogance. This behavior allows our ego to dictate the outcome rather than listening to the Holy Spirit. Its a subtle shift, one that can be detrimental to relationships.
-“And Samuel said to Saul, ‘The Lord has sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have observed what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.15.1-3.ESV

This passage appears to be extremely harsh. However, it is important to remember that if one is not worshipping God, they are essentially worshipping their own selfish desires.

When God instructs us to do something, and we know what we are supposed to do when we choose to do the opposite, it demonstrates a significant level of pride and arrogance. It allows our ego, which I refer to as edging God out, to dictate the outcome rather than listening to the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: We often believe that we know better than God. However, the reality is that God possesses greater knowledge. God it says in His word that we plan our ways, but He orchestrates our steps. This principle is particularly evident in my life. I am grateful for God’s guidance and pray that I remain steadfast on the path in Jesus’ name. Amen