Pride Brings You Down

A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. (Proverbs 29:23)

Pride is the great enemy of the Christian. Pride is an overly high opinion of yourself. It motivates you to do things that you know are not Christlike, and it hinders you from doing what brings glory to God. Pride influenced Adam and Eve to try to become like God (Gen. 3:5). Pride motivated Cain to murder his brother (Gen. 4:5). Pride provoked Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery (Gen. 37:8). Pride caused King Saul to resent David so deeply that he tried to murder him (1 Sam. 18:8). Pride led King Hezekiah to foolishly reveal his nation’s wealth to his enemies (Isa. 39:2). Pride was at the root of the Pharisees’ anger toward Jesus. Pride was the reason the disciples argued over rank in the kingdom (Luke 9:46).

Pride is your relentless enemy. If you succumb to its influence, there will be consequences. You may know that you have offended someone, but pride holds you back from asking forgiveness. You may realize you need to reconcile a broken relationship, but pride will lead you to deny that need. The Spirit may convict you that you are living a sinful lifestyle, but pride will discourage your admitting it. Pride will convince you that you deserve better treatment. Pride will impede your serving others. Instead, pride will have you striving for places of prominence. Pride will have you listen to flatterers and ignore honest counselors. Pride will lead you to isolate yourself so that you are not accountable to others.

Humility, on the other hand, is pleasing to God and places your life in a position where God will honor you. If pride has crept into some areas of your life, ask God to give you victory over it before it robs you of God’s will for you.

Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Henry and Marilynn Blackaby served in churches in California before serving 18 years in Canada where they saw many new churches begun. They raised their five children in Canada. It was also at that time that God taught the Blackabys the truths concerning walking with God that would eventually become the basis for the best selling book, Experiencing God. Raised in that environment, all five children sensed a unique call of God into ministry. Their oldest son, Dr. Richard Blackaby currently serves as President of Blackaby Ministries International and resides in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Thomas Blackaby is the former senior pastor of the North Sea Baptist Church in Stavanger, Norway and now is Director of International Ministries for Blackaby Ministries International. He and his family reside in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Dr. Melvin Blackaby is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Jonesboro, Georgia. Dr. Norman Blackaby is a professor at Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas. Carrie Blackaby-Webb is a career missionary serving in Germany.