Pride
A Christ-Centered Mentality Puts Others First
Replacing Pride with Humility
Pride is a big deal. Scripture describes it as self-centeredness. It’s when we look at ourselves and believe our own perceived importance is so much bigger because we care about ourselves more than others. C.S. Lewis describes it as ‘the great sin’ and the utmost of evil because every other bad habit is birthed out of pride. It’s the complete anti-God state of mind. When you look at your own interests above others it leaves you with all kinds of bad habits.
But there is hope. Christ says you can be a new creation not on the outside, but really on the inside you can become a new person where that pride can be healed. You can become new and different at a heart level.
How do I know if I am living with PRIDE?
The first step to rooting our pride is to OWN IT--realizing you are proud. Below are some questions to wrestle with honestly as you think more about pride in your life.
- Do I often become defensive?
- Am I sometimes not very coachable?
- Do I tend to blame everyone else for my problems?
- Do I have a hard time cooperating with others at work or being a team player?
- Are my conversations often about myself?
How to Replace Your Pride with Humility
Let Jesus do some deep healing on the inside while you start taking these steps on the outside.
1. Confess It | Especially to the person we have hurt.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16 NIV
2. Be More Like Jesus | Being humble doesn’t mean you think less of yourself. It means thinking of yourself less.
3. Listen to Others | Listening is the opposite of pride. Listening to someone’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions says “you matter.”
4. Ask Others for Help | The more you feel the need to be in control of everything, the harder it is to connect with others.
5. Practice Gratitude | Training our hearts to recognize blessings and feel genuinely thankful and then to express gratitude is the key to contentment and joy and peace.
6. Celebrate Others | The more you practice celebrating others, the better YOU will feel, because your heart won’t be dominated by habits of pride, but replaced with a new habit of humility.
Positive Affirmation
As you go about your week, hold tight to these words. Repeat them as needed to eliminate negative or unhelpful thoughts that may be holding you back.
Today I will walk humbly before the Lord. Putting others before myself, confessing
sins of pride and allowing God to humble me.
A Prayer for Humility
Consider praying this prayer this week as you work to heal the pride inside you and change from the inside out.
Heavenly Father,
Help me to be more like Jesus. Heal the insecurity inside of me, the arrogance, selfishness and the desire to be in control. Help me to change by your divine power from the inside out, heal me and make me humble so I will change not just what I do but what I want to do and who I really am. When pride surfaces help me recognize it, to be honest with myself and confess it. Help me to value one another in your humble spirit so that I may live a Godly life to the fullest. Amen.
Supporting Scripture
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Romans 12:3 | NLT
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4 | NIV
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:5-7 | NIV
YouVersion App Bible Reading Plans
Consider going deeper on the habit of pride this week by committing to one of the Bible Reading Plans below.
Humility: It’s Not What You Think (7-Day Plan)
Walk Humbly (5-Day Plan)
The Perils of Pride (14-Day Plan)
Overcoming Pride & Insecurity (7-Day Plan)
Additional Resources
Book | Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges that No One Expects and Everyone Experiences, By Carey Nieuwhof
Book | Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Old Ones, By James Clear