There are consequences

I notice that is a struggle for me too - especially when things are going right. As time goes by, I am becoming more aware of it creeping in. Sometimes I need someone to hold me accountable. Did you notice that pride has a consequential price? Yikes!

It is a difficult task to keep pride in check. Pride sneaks in gradualy at times and you may not know it or reconize it at times. I was strong confident and sure in my steps as a soldier and a good leader. I was humbeld greatly when my health was taken down suddenly and no clear reasons why. Suddenly I had several things going wrong and 19 yrs of service threaten to go down the drain. Well I am 100% disabeld and discharged and I had a period of time where I fell into deep depression and questioning why. I said to God that if I was meant to go out I would of rather gone out in battle. I felt disgraced to go out for a degenerative nerve disease that they know I have but cannot seem to diagnoise which one. Then I realize that I needed to be humbeld and pride had gotton in my way. I was so pridefull that I believed that all the sucess that I had was just my doing and it had nothing to do with God and that I had made very little time for Him. Now I am happeir than I have been in a long time and have peace and it is all because of God. Everything I have accomplish is due to God. I still have health problems and am in alot of pain at times but strangely it doesent bother me any more mentaly. In fact I welcome it cause it reminds me how far I have come in relying on my Havenly farther. I am gratefull for this p4 site cause it also helps me to focuse in a more constructive way in my studies. Thank you. I know that I am not as sharp as I once was and I miss spell alot but that is okay to. God bless ya all

Pride is ugly! I have had my dealings with being prideful as well. And unfortunately, not very long ago, pride reared its ugly head. In my field of work, I normally don't make any mistakes. (I do payroll, so that isn't acceptable.) The Thursday before Christmas, yes Christmas, I processed payroll and missed adding bonuses for about ten people. It was brought to my attention by one person and I explained I could process her a check and have it by Monday. I came in of Friday to have one message regarding another bonus error and another employee met me in the hall as I was getting my morning tea. I explained that I would do the research and get their checks by Monday.

When I realized my error, I couldn't believe it. I was so confident that I didn't do my normal double-check or my final "cross check" for manual entries. I processed their checks and my Corporate office actually had them delivered on Saturday. I handed out checks and apologized for my error.

We have to keep ourselves in check at all times. While I pride myself on my work ethics and work diligently to meet deadlines, I also humble myself to do ALL of the steps I created to ensure that I have given my attention to every detail. We must stay humble and not allow pride to get the most of us. I know pride will rear up, but we must be able to identify when we are being prideful, check ourselves and get back on the path God has shown us.

I just want to say thank you to Wanda for sharing your experience and situation with us. For reasons that are too many to list, I can not only relate, but was really encouraged by what you shared. I am not yet thankful for my pain! (LOL) but I hope to arrive there yet.

Also - if it is God's will - my heart for you - may He renew the joy of your salvation. May you mount up with wings as eagles, may you run and not grow weary, may you walk and not faint. May He immensely and immeasurably heap His richest blessings on you, for your faithful testimony!

It just doesn't seem fair that 70,000 innocent people should die because of 1 man's sin .....

Observation: only 1 out of 3 choices of punishment given to David did NOT affect others (unless he took a small army with him).

‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? OR WILL YOU FLEE THREE MONTHS BEFORE YOUR FOES WHILE THEY PURSUE YOU? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; BUT LET ME NOT FALL INTO THE HAND OF MAN.”

OBSERVATION: God honoured David's choice to NOT choose this one (the choice that would affect the least amount of people)

Why? Hardly seems fair. Evem more amazing that David would rather "fall into the hand of God than man".

Wanda-my heart goes out to you, and I was struck by how very similar, it seems, that your situation is to my own. I had everything going absolutely wonderfully, and then everything changed when I became very ill--with a strange disease that causes pain all over my body 24/7. I was a paralegal making the big bucks, I had just graduated college, newly married and between us we had 5 wonderful children, and then BAM! I fell ill. And over a period of about 15 yrs now, I've really had to struggle emotionally, and I too, do not even want to consider where I would be if I didn't have the Lord to carry me through. Daily I find that I must renew my relationship with Him, and when I don't stay in the Word, I tend to wander and find myself struggling with many different things like pride, jealousy, fear, gossip...I just can't stress how incredibly important it is to stay in the Word, to pray, and of course, when you have a disability, it because VERY easy for us to isolate ourselves, until over time we realize that we just don't have anyone left around us. This is dangerous, because we really need good, loving Christians to lift us up, and we can share our gifts with them as well. I will keep you in my prayers:) God Bless!

[Please note, the above comment is from a P4 participant--not P4 facilitator Tami Weissert.]

We should stay in the word of God and not let pride get to us. Satan will use whatever he can to try to corrupt the people. Sometimes for me it is a struggle to just function through the day, and that is with the Lord's help. I can't imagine not have the Lord with me. Then I would be in a horrible place.

Pride is defitinely an issue,but more than that I got out of this reading the fact that even though we admit our sin and ask for forgiveness, we may still have to deal with the consequences.They might not be the way in which we like either but we have to deal with them.I know first hand about this because I use to live a destructive life. One in which I sold drugs,partied and ran wild all the time. However, My mom always told me to pray. I knew how I was living was wrong but I would just pray and tell God That I didnt want to live this way. Eventually I got caught and when my consequences really became a reality to me(prison)I began changing and asking God for forgiveness. although he forgave me I still had to deal with my consequence(2.5yrs)and it was horrible but it also changed my life for good and just like David he was merciful and didnt allow me to suffer as I could of. Thats what I got out of this reading. And the other half is that when we do things it not only effects us but the people around us that usually have nothing to do with it.As it did when I got into trouble the ones more hurt by my actions were my children and my family,but thank GOd they were merciful also and supported me inspite of my sin.Either choice he would have made would have been good and all of them would have hurt the people around him but he knew it better to deal with God even in his anger than deal with man.Thank you God for Mercy,Forgiveness, Love,and Grace!