When it comes to sin, pride is one of the sneakiest sins of all. It disguises itself in all different ways and makes it very hard for us to recognize in ourselves. Even more, the world sometimes celebrates various forms of pride, encouraging us to look out for ourselves before anyone else. Unfortunately, pride always takes us where we do not want to go. It leads us on a path toward destruction.
Jesus’ half-brother James warned against a prideful attitude in James 4. He wrote, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them” (verses 1-2). James described a prideful attitude here. Pride is an over-inflated view of self that focuses on what we want and need over anything else. Pride often leads us to do whatever it takes to get what we want, even at the expense of damaging relationships and hurting someone else. Prideful people think about themselves over everything else, and this attitude seeps through everything we do. It is not the way Christ-followers are called to live.
Pride damages both our relationships and us. Proverbs 16:18 says this: “Pride goes before destruction,” he writes, “and haughtiness before a fall.” None of us want to go toward the path of destruction, so we have to fight against the pride in our lives.
If we want to let go of pride, we must first recognize and acknowledge it in ourselves. When we acknowledge it, we can take steps toward apologizing and turning away from it. It may not always be pleasant to confront our pride, but confrontation is the only way to let go of it.
Pride is incredibly easy to spot in someone else, but it is difficult for us to spot in ourselves. Take a few minutes to talk to God about the pride in your life. Ask God to search you and point out any pride in your life. Then, be prepared for His answer. As He reveals pride to you, confess it to Him. Ask Him to help you let go of pride and embrace humility instead.
"We can make our own plans,
but the Lord gives the right answer.
2 People may be pure in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their motives.
3 Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,
even the wicked for a day of disaster.
5 The Lord detests the proud;
they will surely be punished.
6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.
By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.
7 When people's lives please the Lord,
even their enemies are at peace with them.
8 Better to have little, with godliness,
than to be rich and dishonest.
9 We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.
10 The king speaks with divine wisdom;
he must never judge unfairly.
11 The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;
he sets the standards for fairness.
12 A king detests wrongdoing,
for his rule is built on justice.
13 The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;
he loves those who speak honestly.
14 The anger of the king is a deadly threat;
the wise will try to appease it.
15 When the king smiles, there is life;
his favor refreshes like a spring rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
and good judgment than silver!
17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;
whoever follows that path is safe.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.
19 Better to live humbly with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud.
20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper;
those who trust the Lord will be joyful."
