FAITH CAPSULE: Pride did not announce its partnership to Naaman in its attempt to terminate Naaman’s healing.

2 Kings 5

Pride can be described as a personal way to self-destruction. Among the spirit that destroys man, there is none like pride. It is built on the word ‘I” with its foundation on self. It is stated in Proverbs 8:13, “Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”  As a believer of the Word of God, have you thought about how destructive pride can be? Proverbs could not relent from exposing the evil of pride when it also revealed, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) Having a haughty spirit, which means to be scornfully arrogant, is also a partner to pride. As a matter of fact, every word that describes wickedness is hardly separate-able from pride. Which of all the words that describe pride do you consider present in you? Often times it is difficult to be able to see the plank in our own eyes rather than others eyes. Pride actually does its best in bringing down people low just as it is written in Proverbs 29:23, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.” Naaman was described as the commander of the army of the king of Syria. He was also described as a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but also a leper. (2 Kings 5:1) He needed to be cleansed from his leprosy and was thus directed to Elisha. When he arrived at Elisha, he received message from Elisha’s servant to go and wash in Jordan seven times. Having received the message, “Naaman became furious, and went away and said, ‘Indeed, I said to myself, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy. Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2Kings 5:11-12) Inhabited in Naaman’s response were the agents of pride such as, furious, I, me, arrogance, self, and rage. Pride did not announce its partnership to Naaman in its attempt to terminate Naaman’s healing. Naaman would have been down as a leper all the days of his life if he had not went back with pride now laid outside of him. Could it be true that pride, a silent and deadly cancer, is quietly hibernating inside of you?
Prayer for today: Father I ask to let the spirit of pride not have a place in my life.