“Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.” – Psalm 101:5
I know that the answer most of us will have to the following question is a resounding, “No!” But keep reading anyway. Here goes: “Do you want to live like the devil?” For some of us, that’s easy to do. In fact, most of us come by it quite naturally.
There are two character traits that make us most like Satan:
- Pride: C. S. Lewis said, “The utmost evil is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness are mere flea bites in comparison. It was through pride that the Devil became the Devil. It is the complete anti-God state of mind.” Pride is thinking more highly of ourselves than we should – feeling we are better than others. It is arrogant conceit. Pride is most of all, feeling no need for God, considering yourself self-reliant. The person filled with this kind of pride is most like the devil himself.
- Malicious Gossip/Slander: the Greek word for this is “diabolos,” also translated “the devil.” People who are judgmental, gossip and slander others are like the devil. Because, you see, in short, he’s just a big liar.
Pride and malicious gossiping, lying – character traits that make us most like the devil. Man made in the image of God looks pretty good, but when man resembles the devil he sure is ugly. Who do you look like?