You know the word. We all deal with it. It is so natural and a way of life, we don’t even realize it. We experience it everyday, from one another, from government, families, friends, coworkers. I could go on and on. It is a dangerous word because everything negative stems from it. The word is PRIDE. Pride is the commencement of every sin.

The biblical definition of pride is “a reasonable or justifiable self-respect; or improper and excessive self-esteem known as conceit or arrogance; being high minded or exalted in attitude, the opposite of the virtue of humility, which is so often praised and rewarded by God. One other Greek word refers to a person’s being puffed up or inflated with pride or egotism”.

Pride is basically a sin of attitude and of the heart and spirit. It infects the very core of your being. It destroys relationships. It is a lack of trust in God. It should not be a characteristic of a Christian. We serve a God who “humbled Himself even unto the death of the cross”, for us. So why can’t you forgive, why do you look down on the lost, why do you want to payback revenge, why do you think you know it all, or better than others, why do you hold on to pain and bitterness? Pride will have a fall. Why does God hate it so much? One reason is because it was the very sin which overthrew the devil. This was the origin of sin. Satan’s envy, malice, and arrogance caused him to fall. He was kicked out of heaven and now torments the world. (If you let him).

It delights the LORD to humble the proud. (Proverbs 16:18-19). “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” This proverb may also apply in relationships to others. When a sincere confession of the truth is made and forgiveness is called for, mercy should be shown and the offense removed from the relationship. You have not truly forgiven if the relationship is not restored. Humility sees the stumbling block, but pride holds its head so high as never to observe it. Pride makes God a man’s enemy and the devil his master. Jesus said, “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant”. Jesus called us to be humble and self denying, and to abound in love. The proud are an abomination to the LORD, (Proverbs 16:5); arrogance is like idolatry, from the heart comes pride, (Mark7:22). Pride is at the heart of bullying and entitlement. The very nature of human conflict is rooted in elements of pride. 

Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector; verse 14 (“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”). He is speaking of the character of the Pharisee. Jesus identified the contrast between the Pharisee and the tax collector as one between pride and humility. God will bring down the proud and exalt the humble. The Pharisee’s attitude, was, God should be grateful to him because he was committed to tithing. However, his prayer revealed his heart as being better than the tax collector. Jesus will always challenge religious pride and self righteousness. The tax collector knew that only God’s mercy and grace, and not his works could deliver him. His heart was sincere.

In 1 John 2:15-16, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world”. The world is Satan’s system. Society is opposed to God. These three things lust of flesh, lust of eyes, and pride of life dulls your love for spiritual things and makes it easy to sin. Being in Christ, we must put these things away.

Jeremiah 48:29 tells us several things: pride is the denial of guilt; self-will that refuses to humble itself before God will be brought down; and pride blinds you to your own danger. This “P” word is a powerful tool of destruction. We need to guard our hearts continually, be watchful so that God does not have to bring us down.

On the positive side, we have a prideful boast in the Lord. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14. It is a legitimate, godly pride which has nothing to do with ourselves. We can boast of God’s provision, protection and unfailing love. This is a healthy boast of pride. We can share the love of Christ to the world, boasting of all the great things he has blessed us with and have done.

In concluding, let us take this time that is upon us and use it for good, to glorify God. Seek Him, examine yourself, let Him search your heart and remove the junk. God is speaking to the world right now in a most powerful way. For Christians we no longer can just profess it and our hearts be far removed from God. He is calling us to live like the church He has called us to be; to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We need to CHANGE. Won’t you let HIM do it. Don’t wait until He brings you to your knees. Just do it! The choice is up to you. Say “yes”.