By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  07/11/20

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-10.

Sin comes in many shapes and sizes, but deep down, every sin sprouts from the same seed: pride. Beneath every moral failure is a desire for me, my, mine. No one is immune from this brokenness. Even people who have witnessed miraculous signs and experienced God’s intervention in their lives still succumb to the lure of pride. This is Paul’s warning to the Corinthians—and us. He points us back to the people of Israel, whom God rescued out of Egypt. Although they witnessed God’s power firsthand, they yielded to temptation over and over again. As a result, most of them died in the wilderness—never to step foot in the Promised Land.

The surest way to fall into temptation and sin is to place our confidence in ourselves. That’s what the Israelites did. They even believed they were somehow entitled to the good gifts God had given them. As believers, we must learn from their mistakes and deal with our own pride and entitlement by confessing them, repenting of them, and placing them at the feet of Jesus. Only when we give our pride to Christ can we fully trust God. Only when we set our eyes on Christ, can we have victory over temptation.

Pride makes us trust in ourselves so that we feel invincible. But the Truth is we are fallible, so we need to heed Paul’s warning when we are feeling puffed up: ‘[I]f you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for putting my hope in myself—for thinking of myself more highly than I ought. I know You are my gracious Savior. You are my sustainer and the author of my faith. I praise You, Lord. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).