How Does Pride Affect Our Lives? (Part 1)

I would like to share with you a topic that concerns everyone: whether he believes in God or not and no matter how long he has been walking with Him. There are things in our lives with which we will be fighting throughout our whole lives. This doesn’t mean that we will not obtain victories. It is about something rooted in us and something that God doesn't like. It is about pride. Pride is something common that all people have, no matter their appearance, race, culture, or habits.

Let us read some verses that talk about it.

“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)

These passages talk about humility and pride. They say that God resists pride. It is something that He cannot bear. Pride is not manifested outwardly only. It is not a matter of how someone walks, talks, or acts in certain situations. These aspects are obvious manifestations of it, but we will see that it is something much more profound than what we imagine. People who don’t know Christ are proud, but also believers have it even though they resist it. I think that God will work all our lives on it. This doesn’t mean that we will not advance or have victories. Through Christ and the sacrifice He made, we can comprehend what humility is, and through His strength, we can obtain it. Nevertheless, God will work in our lives and treat us to preserve us from it. Most times, we will not even be aware of it, but He will keep on working so that we can grow and be ready to enter into the heavenly gates with humility. This type of sin is one of those that we are not always aware of.

Pride precedes failure, and many times, we will not succeed in something because of it. Now, when I talk of success, I am not referring to material prosperity only or some other kind of success but of success in the kingdom of God. Meaning to bring fruit for His glory. There is a passage that talks about it.

 ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1 :7-8)

Here in this passage, we see God giving instructions to Joshua at the beginning of his march toward the promised land. There was a great journey ahead of him in which he had to face his fears, trials, and enemies. He had to obey God and fight for victory to obtain God's promises for his life and God’s nation. God told him to take heed of His word and to obey it. That was going to bring him victory, prosperity, and success. I know that there might be people who don’t use the word “prosperity” much when using godly vocabulary and talking about godly things. This is because this word might have been misused and used to imply material prosperity while neglecting the rest of God’s word. We need to know that, however, this word is biblical, and its proper implementation has to do with the rest of God’s word. It needs to be used in its proper context. We are talking about prosperity and success here that has to do with God’s glory. We are talking about spiritual success which brings glory to God. We are talking of primarily seeking His kingdom and having success in it, knowing that the rest will be added after (Matthew 6:33). Still, God said that success will come when we meditate and obey His word, following His guidance.

What I want to say is that many times the reason we might not prosper and have success is the pride in us. God wants to preserve us from it, and sometimes, that might be with the cost of withholding success. He wants to make us humble because, in this way, He can also use us. Who knows how many blessings and victories we might have missed because of pride? Still, a Christian experiences victories and success in his life, but this is only when he is humble. I know that great men of God who accomplished great things were known for their dedication to God and humility. We are talking of humility that He produces in our lives, which is a fruit of comprehending with heart what He is and the sacrifice He made for us. Such situations in which God works in people’s lives because of the pride they have happen mostly to believers. God works in their lives because He loves them. Ungodly men, instead, might prosper and grow and be proud, but their success is not for God’s kingdom.

One of the examples in the Bible about pride we can see is the one of King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a King who got involved in Israel’s history. He was used by God to correct His nation. That happened unknowingly in his life. While there were also other kings who were used somehow by God to bring about situations so that He could work and treat His nation, this king got even more involved as God started working personally in his life. He even came to know God. Until that happened, God had to work in his life and show him truths about His kingdom in a similar way as He works today in a believer's heart. That probably happened because King Nebuchadnezzar was involved with godly men such as Daniel and his friends, and he witnessed miracles and prodigies from God (Daniel 3). The Scripture tells us that he had a dream (Daniel 4:1-18) that made him afraid, and he asked Daniel to give him an interpretation. Daniel gave him an interpretation of the dream, which warned him of not living in sin and living instead in a godly manner (Daniel 4:19-27).

What happened next is that as time passed, he forgot about the warning and the meaning of the dream and had an attitude of attributing all the glory of what he was to himself. He didn’t acknowledge that all belonged to God, and He reigned above all. Instead of that, Nebuchadnezzar boasted about what he had done. The next verses describe how that occurred.

²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

³¹ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! ³² And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

³³ That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

³⁴ And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, “What have You done?”

³⁶ At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. (Daniel 4:28-36)

We see that for the pride he had and not attributing to God all the glory, he lost his mind and started living as an animal. He didn’t come back to his senses till he repented, acknowledging that God reigns above all and that He exalts and humbles whomever He wishes according to His justice. Sometimes, believers need to go through a similar process in order to acknowledge some truths and to really glorify God. We need to seek the genuine attitude to be humble and not go through certain situations to be able to acknowledge only then that we need it. We notice that King Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t the only prideful man then, but still, God made him go through all of that because He had already started working in his life. This is what He does in the lives of believers as well. He works in their lives because He loves them and because He cares for them. He corrects them, and if there is a need, He will humble them as well. He will eventually do that at the end of time at the final judgment, where He will show to each person that He reigns. The Bible says that every knee shall bow and acknowledge that Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). Still, this happens in the present in the life of the believers Because, in this way, they will not be humbled when they stay in front of the great white throne. That’s why, at times, even if it is not pleasant, God will do all possible so that we can have the right attitude and faith. He will work in us so that we can be humble. Because He accepts those who are humble. From our side, we need to be comprehensive and open to that. We need, in the first place, to seek humility without always being reminded about it. This is important.

So, we see that one of the ways pride manifests is by assigning the glory of some success to ourselves. We cannot do that because if we can achieve something today, it is because of God. Even the usual things we do. We might be thinking that as we have strength, we are able to do it, but it is actually because God gives us life. This example is for the usual things that we do, but it also applies much more to what is spiritual and what we can achieve for His Kingdom. It is entirely because of Him. We need to glorify Him for that, and if when we examine ourselves, we see that we glorify and boast because of what we have achieved, we need to repent.

I repeat that pride doesn’t have to do only with outward manifestations, which consist of the way someone talks or walks, but it is something more profound. Seeing it from this perspective, I cannot also become humble by changing certain ways of my behavior on the outside, such as talking silently and humbly or using good manners. This is a part of being humble sometimes, but it is only genuine if it is done for Christ and, most importantly – if it is produced by Him in our lives. Humility is a fruit of His Spirit living in us. His whole life was a perfect example of humility, and the sacrifice on the cross was intertwined with it. He taught humility, and He walked in it. He washed His disciples' feet and taught them to do so (John 13:12-17). He took off and abandoned all His majesty and died on the cross. He took the form of a bondservant and paid for something He didn’t deserve. To be genuinely humble is something spiritual, and it becomes possible when we accept His sacrifice in our hearts. Then, a way starts for the believer in which he will still have to avoid pride, seek more humility, and pray to God for that. God will also work in his life to make that possible. The message of being humble is not for unbelievers only but, in a huge part, is for those who believe. They could become proud, too.

We have the example of the apostle Paul in which he prays to God to take out a torn placed in his flesh by Satan. God doesn’t take it away but tells him that His grace is sufficient and enough.

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

In these passages, we see that lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to him. That came from Satan in his life, but it was with the purpose of humbling him. By this, we see that Christians can become proud, too. In Paul’s case, it was because of the abundance of revelations he had received. He could acknowledge that. We don’t know what the thorn might represent for each one of us, but we need to trust in the work of God. He wants to make us humble.

As believers, we can never boast of the fact that God has chosen us to be part of His nation and those who are called. This occurred by pure mercy. If it is by mercy, it means that we cannot boast of it because we received it. There is a tendency to boast about God’s election. This is what God’s word tells us about the nation of Israel. They were boasting because of the fact God had chosen them. This is also the impact they had with Jesus when He began His teachings. Their understanding often clashed with His teachings as He urged them to repent, letting them know that they are not good by themselves alone and had to repent. He was teaching them to be humble, and they didn’t want to accept it. John the Baptist told them:

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” (Matthew 3:8-9)

The same lesson is also valid for us today, as Paul teaches us in Romans 11:16-24 that we can become boastful that God made us part of His nation today by faith. In the Epistle to the Romans, we see an example of an olive tree in which we Gentiles are compared to a wild olive tree that has been grafted into the natural olive tree, which is Israel. It tells us that they had been cut out because of unbelief, and we are inserted because of faith. It warns us, though, not to be haughty about it because we can be cut off, too. Pride is an enemy of faith, and it cannot coexist with it. With time, it eventually prevails and kills it, if we can say so.  Faith grows and develops much better in a humble heart. We always need to have the attitude of renewing our hearts in the understanding of His mercy, which will make us humble. Those from Israel who believe will also be saved. They just need to be saved by mercy as us, not by merits or works. Works bring pride, while salvation by grace brings humility. If we start boasting because of it, we lose the purpose and get astray from God’s purpose. Born-again believers eventually start doing works, but they are those who are prepared by God for His glory, and only He can empower them to walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).

¹⁶ For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. ²² Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. (Romans 11:16-22)

Here, we see that we are clearly warned not to be haughty but to fear. There is no place for pride when it comes to God’s mercy and election. The word of God clearly declares it. In Deuteronomy 7:6-8, it is said that the Israelites weren’t chosen by God because they were numerous, greater, or more special than any other nation. If there was a reason why they were chosen, it was because God loved them and because He wanted to keep the oath He had with their fathers for His glory. It was because of mercy. As it was back then, so it is today. God keeps on choosing people and showing mercy for the same reason. His character and ways are the same.

⁶ “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. ⁷ The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; ⁸ but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

We see that they were even smaller and weaker than other nations. Today as well the Bible tells us that God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong. This should make us humble and grateful. It cannot make us proud or boast of what we are. Even if today, as believers, we can have a spiritual gift and do things for His glory, the last thing we can do is to boast or glorify because of that because this is not from ourselves but from God. Without Him, we cannot do anything because only through Him we can bear fruits (John 15:5). Still, to be proud and to boast is a tendency that humans have, and we need to resist it.