Proverbs: Self

#Self

Wisdom From Proverbs: Self-Destruction

I.          Introduction: Last week, we introduced this class as a course on building your life. It is a course about understanding how to live God's way and then, living it Our aim is to take the key areas of your life (self - family - money - work - people) and allow God through the book of Proverbs to make us better.

We will start with self.    What has been throughout history the most detrimental, destructive force the world has known?

Possible Answers:

A.         Nature:          Floods, wind and water erosion, tornadoes  earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.

B.         War:             Think of all the lives that have been destroyed. Families have been

broken.    Cities have been shattered.    Mental scars have been imparted.

C.         Abusive People:

What about self-destruction?   Perhaps more damage, more total loss, has been seen through the centuries because of self destruction than any other single item.

Satan's game is to cause you to destroy yourself.

Therefore, before we ever start building, we must first stop destroying ourselves. If you can get past this obstacle, everything else we say will be easy.

II.         Self-Destructing Fear:

A.       Common fears that tend to destroy.

1. Fear of Poverty
2. Fear of ill-health
3. Fear of old age
4. Fear of death
5. Fear of loss of love or loved-one
6. Fear of criticism
7. Fear of failure

B.       Fear destroys confidence, produces worry and makes us indecisive. All of these destroy.

Self-Trust:

A.         How much is enough?

B.         Self-trust always results in fear or egotism (pride).

C.         Pride becomes just as self-destructive as fear.

Proverbs 16:18-19 "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

Proverbs 18:12 "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor."

Proverbs 29:23 "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."

D.         God's Additional Notes on Pride.

1.          Pride makes you hard to live with.   Prov. 13:10   "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice."

(Read that carefully. Pride makes you think your opinion is better than all others.)

2.         Pride makes you a liar, or it makes you pretend to be something you are not.

Proverbs 12:9 "Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food."

Proverbs 13:7   "The man pretends to be rich yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth."

3.         God doesn't like pride. I wonder if it is because pride-filled people don't need God or think they don't need God.

Proverbs 15:25 "The Lord tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact"

Proverbs 16:5 "The Lord detests all the proud of heart Be sure of this -they will not go unpunished."

4. Pride filled people praise themselves.

Proverbs 25:27 "It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor."

Proverbs 27:2 "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips."

5.        Beware of Praise.

Proverbs 27:21 "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives."

IV.      Conclusion:

No one can win by a life of self-trust. Either he will turn to fear or he will turn to pride. Likely no man can walk the line between the two. Therefore, the verdict is: self-trust is equivalent to self-destruction.

Is there an alternative? Yes.

Proverbs 3:5-8 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Proverbs 16:20 "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord."

Proverbs 29:25 "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe."

My favorite:

Proverbs 28:26 "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe."

Summary:

1. Self-trust leads to fear. Fear is a primary ingredient to self-destruction.
2. Self-trust leads to pride. Pride is a certain destruction.
3. Self-trust leads to ignoring God.
4. Trust God - Commit your plans to Him. Commit your way to Him. Live as though He is in control. If He is in control, we will not fear (think of David). If He is in control, we know who we are.