When pride is revealed in our lives, we have three options: We can minimize it, saying that it is not that big of a problem, maximize it, dwelling on our pride in such a way that we refuse to move forward, or we can repent from it and move forward. Only one of these ways leads toward growth and healing. As we end our discussion of pride this week, it's time to ask ourselves, "How will we respond?
There is really only one appropriate way to respond when we become aware of our pride. Minimizing pride is not the right way for us to respond. Minimizing pride fails to recognize the devastating effect that pride can have. It keeps us from taking responsibility for the impact our pride has. Maximizing pride is not the way for us to respond, either. Maximizing our pride fails to acknowledge God's grace and forgiveness. It causes us to become so overwhelmed by our sinful pride that we forget how to move forward. Instead of minimizing and maximizing our pride, repenting and moving forward is the appropriate way to respond. This means acknowledging our pride and sin before God and moving forward, embracing His forgiveness, and committing to move forward. James said it this way in James 4: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor" (verse 10). Humbling ourselves before God means acknowledging our pride to God, asking Him to forgive us and to help us as we take steps to move forward from us. When we humble ourselves, He will lift us up. He will encourage us and support us, which is far greater than holding on to pride.
My friends, we have to recognize pride in our lives. We must recognize it for what it is and confess it to God. Only then can we find freedom and embrace true humility. It is time for us to face our pride and turn to God. As we do this, He will forgive us and help us move forward. Remember the words of 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Humble yourself before God today. Tell Him that you are sorry for the pride in your life. Admit that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. Ask Him to help you in the areas where you are weak. Carry this humility with you throughout your day today, and let this be a familiar posture in your life moving forward so that you live a life of humility every day.
"We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."
