Pride and Worship
The saying goes “Pride comes before the fall.” But the question that rings in my mind is, “What if you never realize that you’ve already fallen and you’re still lying on the ground?” Pride can come in so many shapes and forms, and if we don’t stay close to Jesus, we will find ourselves wearing masks without even know it.
Through my experiences, I have dealt with all sorts of pride. In fact, I’ve had people who were just downright arrogant. No matter how blunt I was with them, they couldn’t seem to hear me. Usually, it wasn’t until a major failing on their part came about that they realized how proud and wrong they were, and they could now see the truth. Between going into the ministry myself, and growing up under parents who served in ministry, I have seen how people have allowed pride to disguise itself in their lives.
Imagine a man serving in ministry who is incredibly talented and gifted, but his pride is disguised in false humility. C. S. Lewis once said, “A man is never so proud as when striking an attitude of humility.” God sees the heart and knows the attitude in which you worship. The cost to this kind of “humility” is that you will lose the presence of God in your ministry and in your life. I am terribly aware of my own pride, and personally, I know I can’t live without God’s presence. I don’t want to live without it.
Pride might be described, or mistaken, as holiness. In the Christian community, we tend to call these people “Super Christians.” In this kind of pride, the cost is that you lose out on the presence of God. You may have everyone fooled that you walk so closely to the Lord, but inside you will feel empty and will be alone. That’s not what God has for you.
“It was through pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
- C. S. Lewis
Whatever the form of pride in your heart, you have to realize that it is not something you can just push out to the side to deal with later. You must deal with it immediately! “Anti-God state of mind” is the last thing we should want to be said of us and seen within us as believers in Christ Jesus.
The Three Steps to Dealing with Pride
1. PRAYER
With any issue of sin, the first step is ALWAYS prayer. Run to the Lord with a genuine heart and ask him to reveal the junk within. The Lord will know the level of sincerity within you; so don’t try to hide anything. Just be honest.
2. HUMILITY
Humbling ourselves is a huge portion of genuine worship to God. But the act of humility is a choice. You have to choose to humble yourself, and it is an action that we are totally capable of. God’s Word is clear; if you exalt yourself you will BE humbled, and if YOU humble yourself you will be exalted. At the end of the day, we can either be the ones to humble our own selves, or if we fail to do this, we will be humbled by God.
3. EXAMINE
Give yourself time to sit and examine your heart. Where does pride reside in your life? Be completely honest with yourself.
Ask yourself the following question that C. S. Lewis wrote, “How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronize me, or show off?”
Challenge: Don’t allow pride to invade and take over your life. Allow God to take control; don’t be afraid of surrendering every bit of pride over to God. This week, we want to challenge you to apply the “Three Steps to Dealing with Pride” to your personal walk of faith. Go before God through prayer, humbling yourself before him, while examining where pride dwells within your life.
God bless you and keep you.
Recommended Track of the Week: “Let It Be Jesus” - Live by Christy Nockels