“Therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6

Check Your Pride at the Door

Walk His Way Revisited

A few years back I was having my morning devotions and I felt a wanted a deeper walk with Jesus. I asked Him if there was anything standing in the way that was preventing this and as I waited quietly to see how He would respond, the answer came simply, “pride.”

What? I didn’t really consider myself a prideful person, but if Jesus said my pride was standing in the way of a deeper walk, then I would need to flesh out those areas of pride that had to go. I asked the Lord to show me where I was being prideful. He didn’t show me everything all at once—that would have been too overwhelming—but over the last few years my eyes have been opened up to attitudes and behaviors that I never dreamed were considered to be “pride.” God has been showing me that certain thoughts that pop into my head are actually my “flesh” trying to plant little seeds of rebellion—this is “pride” in action!

A good way to get rid of this “pride” problem is to replace it with humility. That’s a little hard to swallow for a lot of us, but I challenge you to read Andrew Murray’s book titled, Humility. It’s just a small, thin volume, but it’s so deep, you need to take your time reading it and let it sink in. I’ve read it twice, and I think it’s probably time to read it again.

I’m typically a confident person with a strong sense of self. I believe this is a result of many years of walking with the Lord—He is the reason for my confidence! But even that has its drawbacks. One can become a little “overconfident” if not careful. That’s probably where I was headed, and God needed to nip it in the bud. Maybe you do have a lot of confidence, or maybe you have just the opposite problem—a lack of confidence, and believe it or not, that can be a pride issue as well! You can become so entrenched in your “lack of confidence” mode that you don’t want to give it up. That’s your pride at work!

In my process of learning to let go of my “pride” issues, God gave me a Scripture that so struck at my heart, I printed it on a card and I keep it in my Bible as a frequent reminder:

“Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me. Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms, so my heart is quiet within me. I will trust in the Lord now and forever!” (Psalm 131:1-3 TEV)

Dear Lord, today I want give up my pride and any concern over matters too great for me, and enjoy the freedom that comes from that childlike pleasure of simply resting in Your arms!