Am I Prideful?

Are you prideful? Don’t be so quick to say no, lol.
It was recently brought to my attention that I have issues with pride. At first I was like nahhh… not me.. I don’t boast or brag about what I have. I don’t post pictures daily on social media for attention etc. Pride is tricky and can manifest itself in many forms! I was reminded of a statement that I made concerning myself that was extremely arrogant. There was a situation in the news that prompted me to pray. I prayed for the situation and the parties involved. Later on that day I heard the report that all was well and I rejoiced and said look I prayed for that outcome, as if my prayer alone changed the situation. I should’ve been rejoicing and thanking God for the outcome and realistic enough to recognize that there were millions of people praying for the situation, not just myself.

How do I know if I am operating in pride you might ask? Do you find yourself always steering a conversation towards yourself and your accomplishments? Is it difficult for you to accept correction and even more challenging to admit when you are wrong? Are you are quick to find fault in others? If you answered yes to any of these questions this would be a great indication that your dealing with pride. We all know that self care is necessary and that is it perfectly normal to rejoice in personal accomplishments. However, it becomes pride when it is boastful and rooted in conceit and arrogance. It is vainglorious to believe that everything begins and ends with you, that you have all the answers and can figure everything out on your own. It is basically saying that you don’t need God, and at this point your moving into dangerous territory. “God is opposed to the proud and haughty but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away froms self-righteousness”] I am sure many of us can relate to not being able to figure things out or navigate this life on our own. We weren’t designed to live this life apart from God. Our destiny and purpose is wrapped up in Him! So it behooves us to establish, re-establish or maintain a relationship with GOD (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to receive direction for life.

Do you seek validation, acceptance or approval from others? I also struggled with “needing” the approval, praise and acceptance” from others and came to realize that needing validation is evidence of pride as well. Whatever God has called you to do, DO IT. If no one recognizes you, encourages or supports you that’s fine. Even if it is people who you thought would be supportive and they are not, it’s okay. Sometimes people have this erroneous idea that they are more “spiritual” than you are based on their own preconceived opinions and judgements of your current state or even your former state. In case anyone who has this type of mindset is wondering- You are operating in pride. The only approval and validation required is GOD’s. If God in fact called you to do something, He will validate you and in due time it will be evident to all! Be encouraged! …. Also, do not let anyone make you feel like you are not in relationship with God because you are not connected to “their” ministry. God will place you exactly where you need to be, to equip you and get you to the next level in His perfect plan, not man’s. An arrogant person might say if you are not affiliated with my ministry, you are missing the move of GOD. This type of mindset is extremely dangerous. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9)So be careful in making hasty judgements about people and situations. Instead, pray that God will direct people to who and where they need to be.

In closing, I highly recommend purchasing and downloading the ebook Leviathan written by Apostle John Eckhardt. This book is an eye opener and clearly defines and exposes the ways in which pride manifests. As a bonus it also includes specific decrees and prayers for breaking pride. (If interested you can purchase the ebook from WWW.APBOOKS.GLOBAL)

Let’s pray…
Father in the name of Jesus we come to you thanking you for who you are. You are the Most High and we love you. Thank you for every blessing, every lesson, every open door and opportunity, and every door that you have closed for our protection. Father we ask you to reveal to us the areas of pride in our lives and empower us to turn away from pride and walk in humility. Holy Spirit enable us to walk in divine love and to manifest the fruit of the Spirit which is “ [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) Thank you for your wisdom, guidance and protection. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.