When Pride Creeps In
My brain is really funny sometimes. Not funny haha, but funny interesting.
Someone’s thoughts is a biggest way the devil if going to attack a follower of Jesus. He will make you think things like “you’re not good enough” or “why would God forgive that?” Both of those are ways that he likes to twist God’s truth or even blatantly lie about it to make you think that you aren’t worthy of God’s love and grace. For me personally, the devil attacks with pride. Pride that I can do it myself, pride that I know what I am doing, and that I am always right and in the right.
Pride is my biggest struggle, and it likes to come out especially when I have to deal with a confrontation.
The other day, my husband Robert and I got into an argument. It wasn’t one that had a winner and a loser, it was one where we had a difference of opinions. In reality, there was no person that was “right” because in the end, how we each saw the world is based on our differing perspectives.
I like to verbally process a lot of things in my life. To-do lists, grocery lists, things I am learning about (biblical principles, mostly), but most of all conversations are all things I love to say out loud to better understand. In my pride, my brain tried to replay the conversation over and over the next day…with each replay, I became snarkier and meaner to the person I chose to build a life with. Most of which, I did not actually say in the real argument, nor would I have. The real argument was over, and done with. To which we both “moved on.” The devil had other ideas.
When I start to have ideas towards other people that elevate myself into thinking “I’m smarter than they are” or “I know better than they do," that’s pride.
Let me tell you…when I realized that, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Yeah, I might be correct on some things I say in a confrontation, but there’s no way I’m right or even in the right about every single thought I have.
Because I am a follower of Jesus, God calls me to be humble, and even if it’s not coming out of my mouth…those replays in my head are not very humble. So when I realize that my replays are being more and more prideful, I like to first ask God, “help me with my pride, this is not what I want to think or say” and then I read out a few verses to help.
If you’re struggling with pride, like I do, try reading these verses out loud:
