Does anybody have the right to tell you no?
Is there anyone who you have to submit to or yield to?
Do you mainly call all the shots in your life?
It is the goal of most people to get to a point in life where we answer those first two questions with an affirmative NO!-- to get to the point where we don’t have to be answerable to anyone or do anything we don’t want to do. It happens for many reasons.
Sometimes it is because of hurts, abuse, etc., that we have received at the hands of people who had authority and control over us. It could be a parent, a boss, a coach, whoever, but we made a pact to ourselves that we would never allow ourselves to be in that situation again.
Sometimes it is just because of the sin nature we were born with. I don’t want to submit, yield, or be told what to do. Whenever someone makes a statement, it sets off negative reactions inside of us.
Scripture tells us that “Pride goes before the fall.”
Another way to put it is, "Being egocentric and narcissistic goes before the fall."
This past week, we learned about a former presidential candidate who has brought down his dream of ever becoming president, not to mention the devastated wake of people that have been left behind.
"Two years ago I made a very serious mistake," John Edwards said during an interview, "All of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want." "In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic."
For you and I to guard against this, we must consistently put ourselves in positions where we experience authentic accountability. We must place ourselves in a relationship where we are sometimes asked to do things we don’t want to do and to have to submit to someone. This is humbling because we flat out may not want to do it or have worked so we wouldn’t be in this position. If you find yourself always in the position of giving orders, instead of taking them, you are a prime candidate to become increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. This is very dangerous.
Just read and listen to the story of John Edwards' last two years.
The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. One of his best strategies is a well fed self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want.
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41
