Pride - The Silent Killer

As humans we all struggle with pride at some point in our lives. We become so proud of ‘our’ skills and accomplishments that we get ahead of ourselves. We get ahead of God’s plan for us and forget about who broughtabout these testimonies in our lives but before we really get into it, let’s look at a definition of the word pride.

Pride is defined as ‘a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of one's close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

With that definition in mind it doesn’t take long for us to see why pride is such an issue. The Word is full of verses about disciplining those who are proud. Going deep into the Word and looking at real truth of what God actually says about it is a good way to humble yourself quickly before Him, as well as humbling yourself in situations or with others. It is so easy to slip into this state but have a look at some of these verses which show how much God doesn’t like this:

‘To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech’ Proverbs 8:13

‘Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will life you up’ James 4:10

‘When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom’ Proverbs 11:2

‘In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God’ Psalm 10:4

These scriptures show you how important it is to seek Him in everything you do, not looking inwardly at yourself but constantly reflecting on what it is He wants from you and what He wants you to do. If you ever feel as though you are showing this negative trait going back to the word and putting these verses at the forefront of your prayers is a great way to hear more of God in those times.

All of your wisdom, skills, accomplishments, ideas, positive actions and answered prayers come from God. God is more than happy to do this for us, to take us to the next level in life,but remember that He can take it away just as quickly as He gives it to us.

Now having some sort of pride may not necessarily be a bad thing as a father can be proud and show pride towards his son, or a mentor can be proud of his mentee’s accomplishments. As we look at our relationship with God we should see him as both a Father and a Mentor who loves us regardless and will shower us with blessings according to His will. It’s your attitude and behaviour towards those blessings after you receive them that we as Christians need to check. It is so easy to become unappreciative and dismissive after the joy of that initial blessing(s) has passed and that can often turn into pride. You start to forget about the One who made it all possible and slowly slip into this deep self satisfaction. As humans we tend to focus on ourselves a lot. We focus on our dreams and goals so much that we forget who put them there in the first place.

Even though Jesus performed miracles, spoke with such great wisdom, awe and knowledge and stood against the enemy numerous times, He was forever putting God the Father first. The Father was at the forefront of everything He ever did. He always humbled Himself before God and made sure that those who listened to Him knew that too.

Ask yourself, what are you feeding more of? Your spirit or your ego? What are you paying more attention to? When you achieve a goal or accomplishment remember where your blessings come from. God is the only one who should be praised, your attention should be on Him only.

Indulge in the Lord entirely, not on self, because it all comes from Him and all glory, praise and adoration should go back to Him. The enemy is set to kill, steal and destroy your destiny and having pride is one of his most destructive tools against you. Don’t let the successes of life that God has given you cause you to fall before Him because it is all temporary. Be aware of pride as this could grow and potentially ruin your relation with God as you will be more for self and less for Him.

Empty yourself and pray for more of His wisdom. Humble yourself before God so He can help you to learn, grow and transform your life.

Let’s do this guys.

With love,

Sarah Akanbi