Category: Pride

Pride, US Blog

The Danger Of Pride – The Book Of Daniel

Jun 3, 2026 by Percy Parakh

Daniel 5:1-9 New King James Version

Belshazzar’s Feast

5 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his [a]father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7 The king cried [b]aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were [c]astonished.

Daniel 5:10-22 New King James Version

10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your [a]father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your [b]father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and [c]explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

The Writing on the Wall Explained

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel [d]who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my [e]father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that the [f]Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and [g]explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your [h]father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he [i]knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this.

Daniel 5:23-31 New King James Version

23 And you have [a]lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of [b]His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the [c]fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25 “And this is the inscription that was written:

[d]MENE, MENE, [e]TEKEL, [f]UPHARSIN.

26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”[g] 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall

30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

1 Peter 5:5-6 New King James Version

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Pride, US Blog

The Real Reason Our Society Is So Divided

Oct 21, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Paul wrote to the Galatian church to show them, among other things, that a lot of barriers between people exist because we try to justify ourselves—to declare ourselves righteous and good—through something about us.

Jews did this through the law. They had a whole system of rules that distinguished them from the world. The Old Testament alone contains 613 laws, and, in addition to those, Jews made a “hedge about the law,” rules to keep them from even approaching breaking the rules—and that list got up into the thousands.

Having a list of things to do for acceptance is not unique to Judaism, of course. All religions have lists like this. It’s instinctive to who we humans are. We are always trying to justify ourselves, to set ourselves apart from others. Life is like one big episode of “Survivor,” and we’re trying to convince everyone else we’re not the ones that should be thrown off the island. (I may be dating myself a bit with that reference, but I think you still get the idea.)

Our lives are eaten up with pride. And so, we’re in constant competition with others, because the essence of pride is competitiveness, and this fuels division. We have to protect and defend our distinctives because they give us value and worth above others.

Charles Spurgeon, the 19th century British pastor, said he saw three of these divisions in his society, and it’s amazing how evident these are still in our society today.

1. The pride of race

For many, their ethnic identity becomes a way of distinguishing themselves above others. They take pride in their white-ness, their black-ness, their Indian-ness, or their Asian-ness. A racial distinctive makes them who they are and forms their identity.

Our cultures are beautiful things, created by God like a many-sided diamond to reflect his glory. But when culture becomes our primary, distinguishing identity, it causes division.

People can and should honor their culture. But the moment they start vesting their culture with pride, they’ll begin to protect and defend that culture, because their culture gives them a sense of identity and sets them apart.

But do they not understand the gospel?

There’s only one race of people: the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. We have one core problem: sin. We have one hope: the blood of Jesus that cleanses us all alike. Paul says in Romans 10:12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him” (ESV).

Sometimes the root of racial division is that our ethnic identity has become too large. If we hope to overcome any division among us, a crucial step is that our identity in Christ become greater—much greater—than any other identity we possess.

2. The pride of face and place

We tend to see people in categories—the successful and the unsuccessful, the intelligent and the dull, the beautiful and the ugly, the fit and the fat, the rich and the poor. We look down on those who are less than we are in these areas and feel intimidated by those who are more so. We think some personal accomplishment or characteristic sets us apart and justifies us before others.

I know I recognize myself in that. Perhaps you do, too. But do we not understand the gospel?

First, do we realize how little of our talents we can actually take credit for? Our parents gave us our genes, and God gave us the health and opportunity to pursue them. Do we really think if we’d been born as orphans in a village in Somalia, we’d have succeeded like we have? All that we have is a gift.

Second, do we realize how worthless our talents are when it comes to the things that really matter? Our SAT scores and bank accounts and promotions cannot justify us before God. Before God, there is only one kind of sinner: hopeless.

This is good news for those of us on the bottom of the heap. It doesn’t matter if I am not that intelligent now, because I am promised I will inherit the mind of Christ. It doesn’t matter if I’m not beautiful now, because I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ. It doesn’t matter if I am not successful now, because I have all the promises of God in Christ Jesus. It doesn’t matter if someone doesn’t appreciate me, because in Christ I have the undying love of the eternal Father.

If we could have saved ourselves by our merit or good works or beauty, God would have let us do that. But we couldn’t do it! What we have now in Jesus is worth infinitely more than any of those things.

3. The pride of grace

Maybe worst of all, Spurgeon said, is the pride that comes from having lived a moral or religious life—or, at the very least, having avoided certain shameful sins or mistakes.

You feel a sense of pride because you have lived a good life; you’ve never been to prison or fired from your job. You didn’t get pregnant before you were married. You come from a good family, and your parents never got divorced.

And so now you feel a sense of distinction, even superiority, over others who have gone through those things.

But, friend, do you not understand the gospel?

In Christ, there are no “good people” or “bad people,” “winners” or “losers,” “people who have it together” or “dysfunctional people.” There are only bad, dead, sin-sick rebels, without God and without hope in this world, whom God saves by a sheer act of grace. The “pride of grace” is really a denial of grace.

By J. D. Greear

Pride, US Blog

Pride – the Bait of Satan

Jan 19, 2021 by Percy Parakh

By John Bevere – from The Bait of Satan

Pride keeps you from dealing with truth and it distorts your vision. It causes you to view yourself as a victim.

Your attitude becomes, “I was mistreated and misjudged; therefore, I am justified in my behavior.” Because you believe you are innocent and falsely accused, you hold back forgiveness.

Though your true heart condition is hidden from you, it’s not hidden from God. Keep this in mind: just because you were mistreated, you do not have permission to hold on to an offense. Two wrongs don’t make a right! #TheBaitOfSatan