Pride. The Bible has a lot to say about it—and none of it is
good:
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before a fall.”
Proverbs 29:23: "A man's pride will bring him low, but
the humble in spirit will retain honor."
Psalm 138:6: "In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."
Romans 12:3: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you should.”
Pride stems from becoming too preoccupied with ourselves. It is a topic of many sermons and Christian articles. The staff at Bible Study Tools writes, “Pride is not merely a personal flaw; it is a sin that separates us from God. James 4:6 reminds us, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’
“Pride can blind us to our own faults, make us resistant to correction, and create a false sense of self-sufficiency. It often leads to other sins, such as envy, anger, and dishonesty, as we strive to maintain an image of superiority.”
How we appear to others can become so important to us that it leads to all the things the Bible Study Tools staff mentioned, but I have recently realized it is also the root cause of many fears. Pride makes us resistant to trying something new for fear of failure, fear of being rejected, fear of being laughed at. Pride can cause us to avoid certain people for fear of “guilt by association”. Pride fills us with fear when we are faced with people, things, and situations we cannot control.
Do you, like me, struggle with some form of pride? How do we combat it? There is hope! Philippians 2:3 admonishes us, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Proverbs 3:5 encourages us to depend on God, instead of stubbornly relying on our own understanding of things. And ultimately, realizing our worth in God’s eyes (Isaiah 43:4), and believing He loves us can help cast out our fear of rejection. (1 John 4:18)
Be encouraged!
©2025 Pamela D. Williams.
