Pray to Be Healed of the Dis-ease of Pride (PrayerLife)

Lake Michigan

C.S. Lewis referred to pride as "the complete anti-God state of mind." Francis Frangipane called pride "the armor of darkness." In James 4:6 we are told that, in our pride, God is opposed to us. That's strong stuff, stronger than saying "God is upset," or "Your pride just put God in a bad mood."

In New Seeds of Contemplation Thomas Merton writes:

"And now I am thinking of the disease which is spiritual pride. I am thinking of the particular unreality that gets into the hearts of the saints and eats their sanctity away before it matures. There is something of this worm in the hearts of all religious men. This sickness is most dangerous when it succeeds in looking like humility. When a proud man thinks he is humble, his case is hopeless. Having become a martyr, he is ten times as stubborn as before. It is a terrible thing when such a one gets the idea he is a prophet or a messenger of God or a man with a mission to reform the world. He is capable of destroying religion and making the name of God odious to men."

Pride is a spiritual disease. Inner dis-ease; not being at ease in one's heart. Pray to be healed of the dis-ease of pride.