I Didn't Know I Was Arrogant...
Have you ever BEEN a certain way without knowing it?
You may say "I would never..."
Then you realize you were doing it.
That was me with arrogance.
The irony is this.
I REALLY did not like arrogant people.
They just made my skin crawl like no other.
However, I realized LATER, I was just like the arrogant people I didn't like.
"The devil in me didn't like the devil in them."
Ha!
Go figure.
I was arrogant in many ways in my life, but there is one type of arrogance that hurt me the most.
Living life by my own MIGHT... NOT God's.
Here's what that looks like.
Example #1: I want to double my business.
My Arrogance: I never asked God once. I decided all on my own that's what I should do. I never asked about the timing, strategy or if that was the right move at all. I used all the business planning training that I had and ran with it.
Pitfall: What if God's plan was to hold me steady for another year while I fix my foundations? What if God's plan was to quadruple my business instead of double? I would not know. I never asked.
Example #2: Negotiating a touchy situation.
My Arrogance: I plan, strategize and negotiate using all my experience for the past 20 years. I never ask God once. He has billions of years of experience and I didn't even bother to check. How arrogant am I?
Pitfall: I negotiated terms to my liking and protected my bottom line but created 4 bigger problems I don't even know about. God could have doubled my bottom line and avoided 12 conflicts down the line. But I would never know cuz I never asked. How arrogant am I?
Example #3: I have an argument with my spouse.
My Arrogance: I respond calmly and end up getting my way. I never asked God about His thoughts so I ended up making the other person feel unheard and ignored. God would have showed me the truth of my selfish solution but I never bothered to ask. How arrogant am I?
Pitfall: I think my smooth talking and negotiation skills can get my by but I end up hurting people I never wanted to hurt. If I asked God, he would have softened my heart to consider the other side and created a winning situation for all sides. My arrogance caused me to focus on just me instead.
We are instructed to "Pray without ceasing."
We are supposed to ask God about EVERYTHING.
And there's a benefit.
"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds"
Not only do you get BETTER answers,
You will also FEEL BETTER too!
That's a no brainer!
As we walk through our day with decisions and responses to make...
I encourage you to ask yourself one thing.
"Did I ask God at least ONCE?"
If the answer is no, you know what to do.
ASK GOD at least once.
Listen.
Obey.
Without knowing it, we are showing our pride and arrogance when we don't even ask God once.
By our ACTIONS, we are saying we know better than God.
By our ACTIONS, we are saying we don't need His input.
By our ACTIONS, we are cutting hurting ourselves and others unintentionally.
Today, see if you can ask God about 5 things you normally wouldn't.
See what happens.
Feel free to share it with me.
I bet it will be good!
Cheers to a beautiful day!
