Pride or Humility?

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).

“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor” (Prov. 16:12).

In a world where increasingly evil is called good and good is called evil, I pray for America as we ponder the path of life. I cannot and will not celebrate what God condemns, but I have deep compassion for those who struggle with their identity.

As a pastor my job is to speak truth, and to both walk in love, and warn of impending danger.

It is said that love is love, and I quite agree, but by whose definition? God is love and yet He says that a true parent that loves their child corrects them. Rather, we must speak the truth in love, for the truth is the only thing that has the power to set men free.

Our children need our affirmation, but we do not have to affirm something that is false to bring them security and love. (We can affirm the struggling alcoholic without affirming alcoholism). Instead, we can show love to our children by speaking truth to them and correcting their error. We affirm them by telling them they are beautifully and wonderfully made in God’s image. God does not make mistakes, so how is it possible for them to be born in the wrong bodies?

My sincere compassion flows to those parents who have been lied to by “experts” who say their child will commit suicide if they do not affirm their curious sexual inclination. This flies in the face of the unfortunate conclusions that full affirmation does not change the suicide rate as Scandinavia has discovered, and reversed their stance on hormone blockers which destroy a child’s body from future sexual fulfillment.

No, I am not homophobic, I just disagree that that lifestyle is what God intended when nature clearly confirms the opposite is true. It is like the old story of the emperors new clothes, except now instead of no clothes we are being forced to say that cross dressing is normal and that drag is art. It is confusion and if you dare disagree you are lambasted and labeled as a hater.

It’s amazing to me that anyone who dares disagree with the current trend is called a hater, bigot, fascist, etc. when the ones doing the accusation are the very definition of fascism, attacking people for merely disagreeing. Why can’t we have sincere debate on the issue? Instead their minority viewpoint is being forced upon the rest of society and trying to be indoctrinated into our children.

I find it interesting that the month traditionally celebrated as a month for marriage is being celebrated as pride month. Also, that the rainbow which is the very symbol of God’s mercy and promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood is embraced as the symbol of that which God condemns.

Will we continue to defy God and challenge His mercy? We ignorantly or willfully ignore the Apocryphal warning of a fiery end (which ironically could happen at our own hand through man-made artificial intelligence or nuclear devastation).

The chilling predictions of AI are a mere reflection of the input from our own internet. Interesting that the analysis of human content consumed by artificial intelligence leads to this conclusion: man is evil and worthy of destruction. And isn’t it amazing that the only thing that may stop this mass AI rebellion is a list of commandments that stop the insanity? Perhaps they should start with, “You shall not murder.” (Hmm, seems I’ve read that somewhere before.)

I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but we have foolishly thrown out the very standard of western law called the laws of nature and natures God, and we are haphazardly replacing natural law with human pop psychology and hedonistic false reality, appealing to every fleshly appetite. So much for following the science.

What is the conclusion? I believe rather than being proud of our lack of restraint, we should show humility before God and nature, and return to the foundation of morality, historical wisdom, civil discourse, and common sense.

Let us take God up on His offer, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool,” (Isa. 1:18).

Douglas M. Bankson is Senior Pastor of Victory Church World Outreach Center in Apopka, Florida, and a Florida state representative of the 39th District.