Dear Friends and Family,

How many sermons on pride have you sat through? I would guess a lot because it was the original sin and continues to wreak havoc in our world today.

Now, let me ask a tougher question. Did any of those sermons help you overcome pride?

Before you blurt out – yes, I’m now a humble person! – let’s first take a peek at a few places our pride tends to hide.

The “I’m Greater Than Thou” Pride

The most common type of pride and the one we most associate with the word pride is the – I’m better than others pride.

“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.”  Luke 18:11 NIV

This is just one of many examples of Jesus pointing out the pride of the Pharisees.

And would you agree that this is just one of many examples of how mankind has not changed since the time the Bible was written?

The “Entitlement” Pride

Then there is the entitlement pride where we think we’re better than we actually are. 

Have you ever thought you deserved more than you have? We all have.

And so did the disciples. “A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.”  Luke 22:24 NIV

The “Indignant” Pride

The indignant pride is a combination of the greater than thou and entitlement types of pride – taken to the next level.

This type of pride emerges when we get angry over not getting our way and then justify our anger by saying we know better than others.

The Israelites grumbling grew to the point of rejecting the plans God had for them. See Numbers‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The “I Can Do This Myself” Pride

Most of our anxieties stem from our fear of death, suffering (physical, emotional, financial, etc.) and the future.

And those fears stem from depending on ourselves to fix our problems, rather than trusting God.

We’re much like Peter who reverted to trusting himself when faced with adversity.

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  Matthew 14:29-31 NIV

The “Look at Me” Pride

It’s not hard to spot the ones serving at church who want to be seen.

Sure they were there to serve others. But they also had an ulterior motive – to been seen and win the adoration of others.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”  Galatians 1:10 NIV

The “Rebellious” Pride

Not reading God’s word? Not obeying God? What does this tell us about ourselves?

That we have a rebellious spirit who says, God – I got this life thing down and don’t need You.

“Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”  2 John 1:9 ESV

The “I Am Humble” Pride

When someone declares they are humble, are they not proudly declaring their accomplishment?

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6 NIV

These are just a few of the many forms pride can take. Some forms are outwardly apparent, while others are more subtle, hidden from view.

But all forms of pride have one thing in common – we easily justify its existence in our lives. Pride is one of those sins we tend to gloss over because it’s so hard to overcome. 

I know it can hurt if we see ourselves in these examples.

But if we are to change and grow spiritually, we need to see a true picture of ourselves.

Pride is one of the biggest impediments to making Jesus our Lord. Why?

Pride is self love. Pride is naming ourselves the god of our lives, and denying God his sovereign role over our lives.

The false gods of the world that we chase, such as wealth or status, are not really our gods. They are the ways we worship our god. The underlying reason why we pursue ‘false gods’ is to make our god – ourselves – look good.

So, what can we do?

Many say the way to overcome pride is by trying to be humble, like thinking less of ourselves.

I don’t know if this suggestion has helped you but it hasn’t worked for me. Every time I tried to think less of myself, I ended up thinking about myself…

Consider this instead: Our God designed us with an empty place in our hearts that only He can fill.

People who study people as a profession say humans need a god to believe in. This, they say, is why the world is filled with created gods.

Anthropologists estimate that at least 18,000 different gods of all forms and genders have been worshipped by humans since mankind first appeared.

This all said, the way to overcome pride is to replace the false god that currently resides in our heart with God.

When we elevate Jesus to His rightful place in our hearts, we can’t help but look up all the time and become humble.

Becoming humble is the result of replacement surgery on our hearts.

So, where do we go from here?

The first step when facing heart surgery is deciding whether to have the surgery or not? I’ve tried to provide reasons for us to consider this week.

But the decision to replace who’s in your heart with God is your decision and yours alone to make.

I wish us all well.

In love always,