Pride creates divisions within marriages, families, churches, people groups, and even nations. As followers of the Lord, we are called to exemplify a distinct humble and compassionate form of humanity.
The Bible uses different Hebrew and Greek words for “pride. “Here is a summary of some of those definitions.
Definition of Pride: Inordinate self-esteem; the character of one who, with a swollen estimate of his own powers or merits, looks down on others and even treats them with insolence and contempt; to raise a smoke; to wrap in a mist; to blind with pride or conceit; to render foolish or stupid, empty, braggart talk.
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:7
Pride was at the root of the devil’s fall (Isaiah 14:13-15). He chose to exercise His will apart from God’s will.
When we become proud, we come into agreement with the devil. God resists those who are proud and choose to agree with the enemy. On the contrary, Jesus declared himself gentle and humble, telling us that we need to learn gentleness and humility from Him (Matthew 11:28-29). That’s why the scripture tells us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The devil stands on one side with pride, arrogance, and self-will. Jesus is on the other side with gentleness, meekness & humility. Whose side would you choose!?
Pride is against God’s character, and a person who is proud is not a good representative of His character and His kingdom. On the other hand, when we respond with humility, God gives us grace. Jesus was humble, and we act humbly before God and others, the Lord enables us and gives us grace to do it.
Entry points for pride:
Fear:
When people are fearful, their flesh wants to go into self-preservation mode. They do whatever they can to fight the so-called enemy. People stop trusting God. They jump into the driver’s seat of their life to impact the situation in a specific direction. They start leaning on their understanding and depend on what is seen with the natural eyes rather than waiting for the Lord’s instruction or strategy.
Offense:
The sense of being wronged and unjustly treated leads people to defend themselves and their rights. The problem with defending yourself is that while you may have valid points, it puts a smokescreen over your issues and some of the things you need to address in your life and attitude. It also causes one to look down upon others and feel self-righteous toward them.
The scripture tells us that in the last days, people will be lovers of themselves. One way that people become lovers of themselves is through offense. When people are offended, they lose trust in others, and over time, they learn to close their hearts to people and depend on themselves. Over time, the heart becomes hardened, and people focus on themselves and their needs rather than caring about others whom they don’t trust.
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