Dharius Daniels - Your Pride Is Blocking Your Blessing

Because pride’s not a problem; pride is a symptom my insecurity produces. The symptom of pride arises from my insecurity in where God has placed me and what God has given me. So when I feel insecure enough, I will never feel like I am enough. God says He hates that because if it disrupted heaven, I know it’s going to disrupt your home. Thank you. Pride is destructive, and He hates it. Since we like to throw the word «abomination» around regularly and freely, we should recognize that the Bible calls pride an abomination because it reminds the Eternal God of the originator of evil—Satan—who was filled with pride. He was an angel, but enough wasn’t enough for him. I believe there’s more for me, so I believe that there is more within me, even though I am an archangel and even though I am real. Even though Isaiah talks about how beautiful I am, how gifted I am, how talented I am, how used I am, and how much influence and authority I have, pride is still a symptom my insecurity produces.

I am not secure in where God placed me and what God gave me, so when I feel insecure, I will never feel enough. Very good. God says He hates that because if it disrupted heaven, it will disrupt your home. If that disrupted heaven, it will disrupt your team. If it disrupted heaven, it will disrupt your friendships. If that disrupted heaven, I know it’s going to destroy your church. You all say, «I hate that!» I would like to throw around what God hates. The Bible says He doesn’t even like a proud look.

Oh God! The body language, the message that you send through your look, not realizing that it is influenced by an evil entity consistent with the one that influenced Jezebel. Jezebel is not about seduction; it is about manipulation and control, and people sometimes try to control you with their looks. The Bible says God hates a proud look because that look can send a message of disgust, disdain, and condescension. He hates it because it is self-destructive, and its nature is the ultimate enemy of godly greatness. Pride looks to impress rather than to serve; it serves when it serves to impress and not to serve. Here it is: because the obsession is with impression, the focus of a person gripped or imprisoned by pride is to seem to be rather than to actually be. But pride then actually prevents you from becoming what you seek to portray.

See, that’s why God hates it; pride makes me want to seem to be rather than to actually be. But pride won’t let me do the things that truly make me what I am pretending to be. Do you understand? The reason He deals so aggressively with pride is that He says you’re looking like something that pride is probably the only thing stopping you from becoming. I am Jehovah Mikadesh, the Lord that sanctifies you; when you don’t know how to get out, I know how to get you out. When you don’t know how to change, I can help you change, and when you don’t know how to stop, I specialize in stopping things. Ask the woman with the issue of blood when I stopped something that had been unstoppable for twelve years. Ask the man at the pool of Bethesda—won’t I stop something you’ve been wrestling with for thirty-eight years? I know how to sanctify you.

The Holy Spirit’s not the issue; your pride is blocking your blessing. Pride stops people from learning what they need to learn to actually become because pride won’t let you admit you don’t know. Pride stops you from listening to what you need to learn in order to become what God has called you to be. Pride stops you from asking for assistance from people whom God has primed to give you a yes. Did you hear what I just said? Just like Paul and Ananias: Paul, in the New Testament in the book of Acts, has an experience with God where he is knocked off his horse and becomes blind. God gives him instructions to go to a man named Ananias’s house, who is going to help him.

While Paul is on his way, God speaks to Ananias and tells him that Paul is on his way. Ananias thinks, «This is the one who has been persecuting Christians—the one who has been sending people like me to prison?» But God tells Ananias, «You have to say yes and help him.» Watch this: Paul wouldn’t get the yes if he didn’t obey God’s instructions. But Ananias had been primed to give him a yes. Some people are primed; God has prepared their hearts to give you a yes. But if you are prideful, you will try to fix your own blindness instead of saying, «I need your help.»

Are you all ready for this, family? You know why some counseling doesn’t work? It’s because of pride. It’s not that all counselors are wrong; you might be trying to find somebody to help you, or someone you agree with. You’re searching for someone to give you truth or someone who will affirm your point of view. That’s why some—I’m not saying all counseling is ineffective, but some of it doesn’t work because of pride. It’s as if you have to agree.