In 1986, a catastrophe took place in the Black Sea. Two Soviet ships, the Admiral Nakhimov, an ocean liner with 1,234 people aboard, and a freighter carrying a cargo of oats, were supposed to pass in the night as they sailed off the coast of southern Russia. The pilot of the liner said the crew had spotted the freighter and radioed a warning, to which the freighter responded: “Don’t worry, we will pass clear of each other.”
But they didn’t. An investigation revealed that both vessels’ captains knew for 45 minutes that they were on a collision course but ignored warnings, and that the captain of the liner abandoned the bridge 15 minutes before the crash.
Neither captain wanted to give way to the other. The passenger liner went down so quickly that there was no time to lower life boats or inflate life rafts. A total of 398 people perished. Those plucked from the sea were found clinging to wreckage.
This accident was totally avoidable if only the captains had heeded the warnings and one had yielded to the other. Instead, their pride led to disaster.
Pride usually leads to disaster. In November, 2012, a teenage girl pulled off a brazen robbery at the Cornerstone Bank in Waco, Neb. She pointed what appeared to be a gun and handed tellers a note that read, “I have a loaded gun. You have 2 minutes.” They gave her $6,000.
She went home, recorded a video, and posted it on You Tube with the title “Chick bank robber.” She fanned the cash in front of the camera.
Nineteen-year-old Hannah Sabata held up a sign that read, “I just stole a car and robbed a bank. Now I’m rich, I can pay off my college financial aid, and tomorrow I’m going for a shopping spree.”
She was arrested and all but $30 of the stolen funds was recovered. Pride no doubt goes before a fall.
Our pride leads us to believe we don’t need God and that we can live without God. Pride is the enemy of a God-centered life. Either we are depending on God or we are attempting to live in self-sufficiency. Which describes your life?
Spiritually speaking, self-sufficiency is the flawed thinking that we do not need anybody’s aid or support, that we can live life totally on our own apart from God.
What does self-sufficiency look like?
Self-sufficiency says that I don’t have to go to church, I can worship by myself. This mindset isn’t biblical. The Psalmist wrote, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” (Psalm 122:1).
God wired us to connect with Him and with others as we gather for corporate worship each week. John Wesley put it this way: “There is nothing more unchristian than a solitary Christian.”
Self-sufficiency says that I can go to church on Sunday, but give God no thought Monday-Saturday.
Self-sufficiency does not trust God with all of our heart nor acknowledge Him in all of our ways (Prov. 3:5, 6).
Self-sufficiency is marked by prayerlessness. Our neglecting prayer says that we really don’t need God.
Self-sufficiency leaves God out of my life — until the crisis comes.
We like the idea of having our eternity covered), but we don’t want God to meddle in our daily life.
Self-sufficiency causes us to refuse to surrender to God’s will and God’s way
Self-sufficiency is characterized by stubbornness and pride. Pride says, “My will be done.” Humility says, “Thy will be done.”
What does the God-centered life look like? According to Blackaby and King in their book, Experiencing God (p. 100), God-centered living is characterized by:
• Confidence in God
• Dependence on God and His ability and provision
• Life focused on God and His activity
• Humbleness before God
• Denying self
• Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
• Seeking God’s perspective in every circumstance
• Holy and Godly living
Are these traits present in your life?
Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor, McDonough Road Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Georgia. The church family meets at 352 McDonough Road, near McCurry Park, and invites you to join them this Sunday for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m. Visit them on the web at www.mcdonoughroad.org and like them on Facebook.
