Genesis 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

In the early days, The Tower of Babel was built by ungodly people practicing selfishness. How were they ungodly and selfish? Because they wanted to make themselves great, doing their own will, without the intervention of God.

We see this mentality somewhere else in scripture. Lucifer did the same thing prior to being kicked out of heaven. Lucifer wanted to make his name great and place his will above the will of God.

Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

When we act selfishly by placing our will above the will of God and we attempt to make ourselves successful without the assistance of God, our thought processes are being influenced by Satan. It doesn’t matter if it’s something major like committing adultery, or minor like turning right when we know the Holy Spirit told us to turn left. God wants to be a part of our lives and He wants to be the only One responsible for our success. When we submit ourselves to God and partner our will with the will of the Father, we can have the promise of Abraham:

Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Let’s remove selfishness and be submitted to God.