When covetousness is in your life, God will resist you.

“You said in your heart: I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; for all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

Covetousness is the extreme and immoderate desire to possess something. The one in whom covetousness dwells is willing to do anything to achieve his goals. Pride gives birth to covetousness. This is why the proud are said to have “big eyes” when it comes to their choices in life. The proud are always attracted to high things and are willing to do anything to have what shines, even though God has promised us what shines. They are never attracted to what is simple. Jesus Christ, when He came into this world, was born where animals eat. I imagine a proud person in Jesus’ place: surely, they would want to be born in a luxurious place. Modesty is not part of the world of the proud; they do not like small things.

1. Often, covetousness makes the proud fail in life. They spend fortunes on ephemeral things and get themselves into unnecessary expenses. For example, a proud person might seek to buy clothes worth 500,000 FCFA while having a salary of 100,000 FCFA. Covetousness leads a person to go beyond their means, beyond their strength. As a result, they may die without leaving an inheritance.
2. Covetousness makes the proud man attracted to women who will complicate his life. His money goes to luxury women. For him, a woman is a flag to be shown to the whole world. He does not choose his wife according to the Spirit of God but says to himself, “If I marry such a woman, everyone will say we are a perfect match.” The proud only want a woman who shines before the world. These are choices made out of pure vanity. He creates trouble by making these choices because of his “big eyes.”

If you want to choose your spouse, do so according to God’s heart; this will save you from a constantly broken heart.

4. The proud skip steps, which leads them into trouble. In the passage mentioned above, the devil says, “I want to be like the Most High.” He wants to take a position that was not given to him. It is difficult for the proud to leave an inheritance because they always want something that is beyond their strength. God is powerful, but He created the world in six days, not one. God is a God of stages. Many children of God are blessed, but their way of managing that blessing is a problem. You must learn to live according to your level of blessing before advancing. A proud woman wants a man who will offer her a honeymoon at Niagara Falls. This type of woman desires a type of man who is very difficult to find on earth. If you are young and want to marry the right woman, even if you have resources, always present yourself simply. Otherwise, proud girls will target you. They want a man who is ready-made; they don’t want to suffer for anyone. A true marriage is one where you learn to trust God to evolve together.
5. The proud miss out on good things. God always comes in a simple way first; He is the God of small beginnings. Many children of God do not understand when God is at work because He often comes in a simple way, in ways they do not expect. Our God is not in what shines according to this world. Philippians 2:8 reveals that Jesus appeared as a simple man. Pride makes one blind.
6. The proud think their value depends on the material things they possess. Pride makes one believe that a vehicle, a cell phone, expensive shoes, or clothing gives them value. If you think this way, you will be unhappy. For Christians, our value comes from Jesus. Without Jesus, we have no value. A house, a car… they are just necessities, not subjects of glory. If God wants to clothe you, you won’t need to make an effort for that. The proud person’s salary ends on the 15th of the month. Because of covetousness, he buys either useless things or things that are not within his level.
7. Covetousness makes the proud person against the one who has what he would like to have. The proud person is capable of remaining hungry just to buy a pair of shoes. You, who are not yet working, what do you plan to do with shoes worth 50,000 FCFA? You are not working, but you are the one chasing after brands. It is vanity; it is pride.
8. The proud lack revelation. When God speaks to them about something simple, they think it is not God who has spoken to them. The proud do not understand that God is the God of small beginnings.

They want everything to begin grand. It is a spirit of error. They end up in great debt. They do not know how to pray and receive visions according to their hearts because of covetousness…

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE 12 DESCENDANTS OF PRIDE” written by Joseph André HOUNZ.

We invite you to read the next article, “PRIDE: Jealousy“.