2 Chron26: 16 But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord ’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. NLT
Sometimes, people ask if power and money change people. In my opinion, the answer is "No". Power, wealth and fame do not change people, rather they reveal who we are. There are things we may not know about you until we put you in a position where you wield so much power and influence. When you get to that height, then we'll see the real you. King Uzziah had the seed of pride in him. It was dormant for some time but the moment he became powerful, his pride became dominant. Eventually, pride led to his downfall. That confirms the scripture which says: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18).
Pride starts from the heart before it manifests in attitude and character. A proud man may fellowship with the pride of his heart for years without a single trace on the outside. A soft spoken person may be so proud that his/her calm disposition may be wrongly assumed to be a display of humility. This is how humans judge but God looks at the heart. Before Lucifer staged his rebellion, pride was firmly rooted in his heart first. The rebellion was just an offshoot of the pride that was within him. About Lucifer, Ezekiel 28:17 says, “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.” His type of pride was a self-generated pride looking at his beauty and worth.
If you can guard your heart, you can control your life. Unlike Uzziah, you do not need to wait until power reveals the pride that is lurking in your heart. From now, you can start dealing with it by the help of the Spirit. The greatest opposition of a proud man is not the devil but God. The bible says, "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."(James4:16). Pride arrogates to self the glory of God. It makes the proud to have an unhealthy view of himself forgetting he is just a mere mortal. The reason some may not attain the height they have been fasting and praying for is because the seed of pride is in them. God knows that if they ever get up there, they'll self destruct. If you don't want to fall from the height of grace and glory, this is the time to deal with the pride in your heart. Pray like the Psalmist: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."(Psalms139:23-24NLT).
Father, uproot every seed of pride growing in me in Jesus name!