Faith without religion.
The Dangers of Pride and the Liberating Power of Authenticity
wisdom, pride, authenticity
In a recent discussion on First Corinthians, the conversation delved into the profound differences between worldly wisdom and divine wisdom. The speaker, Shawn, reflected on personal realizations about the futility of worldly pursuits, aligning with the teachings of Jesus in the Beatitudes. This spiritual evolution, as Shawn describes it, highlights the humbling nature of recognizing the limitations of human wisdom compared to God’s.
The discussion touched on the idea that everything belongs to God, and by extension, to those who belong to Christ. This perspective encourages a release from the need to boast about human achievements or affiliations, emphasizing instead a reliance on divine wisdom. Shawn shared personal anecdotes about the folly of pride, whether in talents or achievements, and the importance of acknowledging God’s role in all aspects of life.
The conversation also explored the societal emphasis on self-love and pride, contrasting it with the humility that comes from recognizing a Creator. Shawn expressed a belief that true freedom and authenticity come from giving credit to God, rather than boasting in personal accomplishments. This perspective challenges the cultural norm of self-promotion, advocating instead for a life that honors God above all.
In closing, the discussion underscored the importance of compassion and understanding in the face of human failings, recognizing that circumstances often drive actions. Shawn’s reflections serve as a reminder of the liberating power of living a life centered on divine wisdom and humility.
Podcast Transcript:
I only have a few verses Left of chapter
3 First Corinthians so let’s finish it
up
um last thing we said was the wisdom of
this world is foolishness to God and we
were talking about just a distinction
between the wisdom of the world and
wisdom of God but it’s not just that
they’re different it’s that it’s
literally foolish to him like you’re
that and I’m coming to these
realizations in my personal life that
I’ve expressed to him but like that’s
what I’m feeling I’m suddenly feeling
like such a fool for all the things that
I have cared about where be yeah I that
never has been the case before so you’re
experiencing the first things that Jesus
taught in the Beatitudes you’re becoming
poor in spirit wow you’re starting to
mourn yeah yeah see and that’s how it
starts to work yeah it’s been an
evolution it’s all an evolution I
believe in evolution specifically
this spiritual Evolution spiritual
evolution
my new
book as the scriptures say he traps the
wise in the snare of their own
cleverness and again the Lord knows the
thoughts of the wise and he knows they
are
worthless that’s so crazy isn’t it where
does it say that I don’t know Psalms job
and Psalms yeah you’re teaching through
job yeah we T verse oh yeah sorry Exodus
now
um they’re
worthless that’s very
humbling um so don’t boast about a
following don’t boast about following a
particular human leader for everything
belongs to you whether Paul or Apollo or
Peter or the world or life and death or
the present and the future everything
belongs to you and you belong to Christ
and Christ belongs to God that did not
make sense to me at all seems like the
last way you’d end that chapter yeah I
think what he’s trying to say is listen
just relax on all the things you’re
trying to bring to the table he has it
all and and Christ is his and and you
are Christ and just don’t rely on your
wisdom the wisdom of the world trust and
walk in what he has and it’s just like
the Old Testament they would go and they
would offer up a bunch of cows and blood
and say don’t you think I own all this
stop giving me what I own you know I
watch these when I can’t sleep I I I do
the scroll thing through whatever it is
and uh I just laugh at the wisdom of the
world yeah I can see God’s hand in
people who are inspired to bring forth
beautiful things in sport in art and I
can see that but they don’t give him
credit they think they’re doing it and
it’s just so laughable to me you know
they try to hold themselves up as if God
would be
impressed but they that kind of
contradicts what we were just saying
like they kind of did do it in some ways
it’s a worldly thing it that they do is
but they don’t do anything without him
having gifted them with the capacity and
they forget that they think it’s why
it’s just like anybody it’s just like
watching the NBA these guys who are s
feet yeah you were born s feet you know
God gave the hands to be able to Palm
that basketball stop gloating and like
keeps them from getting injured every
day yeah too I mean endless stuff and I
really am kind of chagrined by how much
pride we have outside of even giving him
even the acknowledgement even to the
food wheat I can’t eat like the Apple I
just ate I can’t eat an apple without
glorifying in what he’s given us but
it’s not me I used to not think anything
about apples or nature
but the more you grow in him the more
you see it’s him and he loves us and
this world does have meaning but it’s
always still going to be who do you look
to who will you honor in all this yeah
beautiful um I’m I note here that like
not just this chapter but in the future
chapters um he like attributes all of it
to like pride and
boasting like even like the sexual sin
that they commit later
mhm and then this boasting about
following a certain leader like it’s
always about our our pride is leading
those issues and he’s like why do you
think so much of yourself for this and
that yeah it didn’t really make sense to
me later with like the sexual stuff but
that’s yeah something else it’s like my
my dad your grandpa before he died he
was a self made man he never gave credit
to God creating him he always thought I
did it I did it and you know he worships
his creator himself just think it’s so
weird it really is weird to think that
to think you did anything because we
even our ability to like think and move
like how the hell yeah and and and and
then even moving closer to this earth
what about the parents who help raise
you yeah and and everyone is gloating
and what they have done and there’s no
humility it’s all boasting and it’s it’s
a fascinating facet of the human race
and now like humility is really put down
because maybe this has always been the
case but it really is now there’s so
much talk about selflove and like not
like people really get on me when I’m
self-deprecating they’re like no just
like take it be and it’s like it’s not
like sometimes sometimes I guess it’s
trying to be like that but sometimes
it’s like I don’t know people don’t
appreciate that they want you to like be
really proud of what you’ve done yeah
and I think that’s philosophically based
as more and more we become alienated
from there being a Creator a benevolent
Creator who gave you what you have and
if we’re even getting to the point we
say there is no Creator then we become
our own creators so therefore you should
boast in what you’ve done and it’s
really the opposite of what God wants
from his children and I can say that
without question having studied the
scripture and that’s my problem with
pride parades I don’t care that people
are homosexual if they’re born that way
if they live a homosexual life that’s
between them and their creator but I’ve
asked people before why the pride why
are you proud in what attracts you
sexually how how is there anything
especially if you were born that way why
are you proud of it their response is
well it’s because we’ve been put under
so long okay well I get being put under
but a person who knows God from the
heart would never be proud in their
sexuality or their prowess on the
basketball court or their ability to
cook they would be broken to their maker
we’re not anymore I really do not like
pride and the way I understand it God
doesn’t either yeah and I feel like
Pride like an actual sense of Pride
would be like Qui it like you do I’m
trying to think of like I think you
might like act in the face of being
different from the world in certain ways
like in fleshly ways you want to be
authentic in those and step into them
more and there’s something about like
Pride PR and stuff that’s trying to do
that where they like want to
be like what is it called like radically
authentic or whatever like but if they
were they would just be that way and not
talk about it all the time like there’s
some it’s like it’s not that because we
have to talk about it all the time just
be that just do it be it just be it and
always give honor to God yeah know that
was missing in my earlier life like when
I was in fashion and all that stuff I
was like the one and man that’s a that
egotistic place in man is not pretty not
pretty I’m also viewed as being very
proud by religious people yeah what is
that they think I’m so proud and
arrogant and I think it’s because I
speak my mind and I refuse to listen to
man yeah they hate that yeah I only
listen to what the spirit says and if
it’s love and if I’m not getting that
I’m not I don’t care what you say and
they say that’s Pride it’s not they it
literally it’s just because you’re
confident is it confidence I think
people that’s that’s I I think the thing
I just said indicates that there’s an
insecurity and like you if you really
dug into any of these people that are
parading anything they’re insecure like
very insecure and they’ve they’re trying
to like make insecurity normalized and
like okay which it it is it’s fine like
we all are insecure but
like like
you you face your insecurity and work on
it and you like just become it more I
don’t know like you trust God and you
just live and like it’s a really you’re
free you’re super free and not my
confidence is not in myself because what
I say is myself will screw you over so
my confidence is in him yeah and then I
don’t have to worry about anything else
yeah yeah they yeah like it’s so funny
they if you weren’t this way you you’re
fully just devoted to God and you’re not
going to let anyone tell you otherwise
that and that’s what it comes down to if
you were the other way where you didn’t
care about God you would be not this way
you would be this manipulative
self oh I’m no good yeah like those guys
are the ones you don’t want to trust
like you’re just being like
fully
like honest and that’s it takes so much
courage people do not do that well I
hope that that example will let people
know that God wants you to be authentic
and to produce and not apologize for it
be what you are but always giving him
the credit for allowing you in the
freedom and the all of that always to
him first nothing else yeah you really
are a demonstration of how freeing it
can be if you just rely on God so
liberating because you’re not like you
care about people and you want to love
them but it’s just because of him not
because of them like if you’re going to
try to please them you be have the
issues I do which are just you go crazy
because everyone’s different and you
can’t please but
like yeah you’re doing the best work for
him well I hope by doing that may I
continue you know how I can have lses my
flesh can rise up there are some lapses
there are LPS you hear that there are
some lapses but it doesn’t come with
like a
massive remorse oh yeah I hate my
lapses yeah I don’t like them yeah it’s
not like that’s expected but they’re
less and less it just depends on a lot
but you know that’s the whole goal and
literally everyone it’s like it’s your
chemicals like it’s you being if it it’s
always like a combination of chemical
things going on you haven’t had the
right food or you didn’t sleep or that
and that’s everybody everybody everybody
will be their worst version of thems
thank God for his grace yeah and that we
aren’t earning it he has loved us yeah
yeah so we don’t have to worry about the
failures except we boast in them yeah
and we become proud and arrogant in them
then you have a problem and I have to
turn them from that too at times that
yeah
yeah yeah I haven’t thought of that by
the way anyone put in certain conditions
will go absolutely
insane like anyone even the
most docile people will go crazy if
they’re put in a room with no windows
and no food or something like it just
every circumstance can take somebody and
remove them of their Valor and yeah I
when I was teaching Mormon Seminary
years ago there was a girl who all the
students in the class knew she had lost
her virginity to a football player on at
the game the night before and she came
in and she was quiet and sitting along
the wall and there was a
tangible oh my gosh and so we I had a
little lesson I said you know it’s
really easy to do this kind of thing to
somebody but you know take your hero or
heroine a Hollywood star what if they
started paying attention to you yeah
maybe you’d surrender your virginity
that quick too what if they yeah and so
this judgment of people in their sin we
need to have absolute love and
compassion for their sin because you
know it’s circumstance that they
couldn’t mitigate and manage we lose
that in religion yeah that we all
encounter it’s just that no one knows
about it you freaking hide it yeah we
hide it really well good at hiding it
yeah yeah so then you are really
forthright about right your sin and then
you get people who call you out for that
and say you should hide that a little
bit because it will spread your message
better and that’s so insane that’s
religion it’s so terrible to encourage
that in you put on fig leaves so they
don’t see your
nakedness please don’t do that to him if
you’re watching this be yourself a
Defender well you know I always will be
I know he will
be I love
that all right and I love you are we at
we aren’t but we’re out of questions
we’re at 14 minutes so we should move on
to the next
episode uh chapter 4 next thanks you
guys for watching
