02/14/2026
Do we let our pride get in the way of our faith? Do we take pleasure in the praise of others when the glory for all we do is truly God’s? Or perhaps we value the praise of men over that of the Lord Himself. The simplest lack of humility is a sure sign of a prideful nature, and it is the primary ingredient in every major lack of faithfulness. Our pride is a tool of Satan and with it he seeks to place who we are and what we do before God. Is this who we are? Are we proud men and women, or humble before the Lord our God?
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
John 5:44 ESV
So often people seek the fleeting glory offered in this earthly life over the eternity that God offers them, they face eternal loss for a brief splash of praise or glory. We like to look at the famous or infamous, and say “yes, but that isn’t me” ... yet it just might be, or perhaps we are teetering on the brink of such a fall.
If you are a sailor you understand how little diesel fuel it takes to contaminate the drinking water for a huge ship. World War II sailors were told that all it took was a single teaspoon. Water companies around the world warn of the same thing today by telling us that equally tiny amounts of a contaminant can spoil our ground water. This is also the power that the smallest exercise of pride can have over our humility.
We have all read a book, or watched a movie, in which a weak and unlikely character suddenly steps forward and shocks everyone with a single act of bravery or heroism that wins the day, or saves the true hero. It is impactful because it takes this tiniest act and redefines a life of weakness or inability. Pride can affect our faith in the opposite way; it can take a life of faithful humility and serving God and then shoot a firework of failure over it. The loss of our humility takes much prayer and contrition to overcome because our pride has instantly driven a stake deep into the heart of who we once were. It is like our thumb being held out before us to overshadow the sun; pride can eclipse our faith in the eye of God and all those who know us.
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Galatians 5:9 ESV
For some people humility comes easy, but for others is a lifelong struggle. Pride lurks at every turn to undo us. It is like a curse word that is right there on the tip of your tongue in a moment of pain, or a fleeting thought of jealousy when you see someone achieve great success... pride is a relentless pursuer of our faith. It is the “go to” device of Satan in his effort to dethrone God within us. This is no secret, not from man, and not from God, it is a weakness that a simple scratch on our surface reveals beneath... so can you control it? Can you avoid making pride the fruit of your deeds?
“"I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds." Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.”
Jeremiah 17:10-11 ESV
In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus teaches us that pride is alive in those of faith, and in the church today. It has undone Pastors, Priests, and Popes alike... and it runs rampant in the pews every Sunday. We profess humility and yet take pride in our piety. Pride, it is a snare set for all mankind, saints and sinners alike. It destroys the humility that allows us to subjugate ourselves and to offer ourselves to God and others... it is the nemesis of our faith.
“The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'”
Luke 18:11-13 ESV
So, the battle rages within us. The traps and snares are scattered about, and we must take great care in how we move amongst them. Are we able to make our humility the armor of our faith? Can our prayers offered in a humble posture before God stretch into our everyday life? When God searches our hearts who will He find... the Pharisee or the Tax Collector?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the humble nature of your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord for the example He is in all matters of faith, but especially in humility. He teaches us that pride undoes us and destroys our ability to place you first in our lives. Holy Father, no throne is built to seat two Kings, and there is no room in our lives of faith for both the worship of self and you. Forgive me my pride Merciful Father, for in it I have surely sinned. Help me to overcome my own desires and selfishness. Teach me how to assume a posture of humility in all things. This, Sovereign Father, places you before all things in my life, and brings myself into subjugation before you. Build a hedge around my humility and protect it from sudden attack; keep Satan from tempting me with my own abilities and luring me with the strong drink of pride. You are my God, and before you I am prostrate in prayer and supplication. Holy, Holy, Holy are you my God, and I will always praise, honor, and glorify you. Holy are you whose Son Jesus Christ shows me your strength through His humility. Teach me to be humble like Jesus is, and if I ever feel unable to compare myself to Him, your only begotten Son, then teach me to be humble like Moses who was wholly man and yet humble beyond all others. Father, let my pride be humbled and my self-righteousness be subjugated to your righteousness for all time and in all ways. Hear this my prayer Abba, as I kneel before you with bowed head.
“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 CSB
“Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.”
Numbers 12:3 CSB
Amen, Amen, Amen!
Rich Forbes