FAITH CAPSULE: Is pride a hidden identity that is clouding your destiny?
2 Kings 5
God is near to all man at all times. However, sin is an agent of the devil denying a man from reaching unto God while pride is like the driver unto sin and sinning. Are you living life as a sinner which is rooted in pride before God? Leprosy was the most dreaded disease in the Bible days that kept one with leprosy away from others.
Leprosy is a type and picture of sin.
Interestingly, the Bible repeatedly does not speak about leprosy healing but talked about being cleansed of leprosy.
Luke 5:12-13 documented a case of leprosy cleansing not mentioning healing: “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus, and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.”
Are you conscious or unconscious if there is a need for your cleansing of sin (leprosy) to become able to get near to God? Pride is a sin. Completest submission is a condition of cure while pride is a hindrance.
Leprosy takes a position of cloudiness over the testimony of Naaman while pride represents crowd as the agent of a hindrance in his life. What is reducing you from answering fully to what God has called you to be?
The case of Naaman:
The pride was a hindrance that clouded Naaman’s cure and the evidence of many with pride, especially among believers. When Naaman approached Elisha for his healing the cloud in his life stood between him and the word of the prophet. The Bible recorded, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10) Naaman’s avenue for his cure in the word of God through Elisha stated: “wash and clean” The power of cleansing for Naaman was not in the Jordan but in the word of the prophet that was released into Naaman’s life. The clouding hindrance in Naaman denied his listening ability. The Bible recorded the pride of Naaman’s response for his cleansing: “But 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 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.” (2 Kings 5:11-12)
The word of God is like a mirror for all man. When you look into the mirror of the word of God do you see yourself or you only see others? Until you begin to see yourself in the mirror of the word of God for self re-address, the word of God will not become your frame.
Prayer for today: Ask God for your hearing and receiving His cleansing word over your life.