Have I been allowing prideful thoughts to fill my mind recently? Have I become puffed up or self-righteous in my attitude or words? Do I consider myself to be better than others and superior in any way?
It's always healthy to remember that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. I pray this poem and meditation help us to keep a check on our heart's attitude today! Love Lucy x
"When I’m feeling prideful and haughty in my heart,It's always healthy to remember that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. I pray this poem and meditation help us to keep a check on our heart's attitude today! Love Lucy x
When thoughts of self-importance come or gloating makes a start,
When I’m feeling arrogant and acting with disdain,
Help me to remember this won’t glorify Your name!
When flaunting my abilities and how I “saved the day,”
When reeling off my strengths has now become a three-act play,
When boasting my achievements or showing off my wealth,
Oh Lord have mercy on my soul and make me check myself!
God forbid I show contempt or scorn for anyone.
Put a guard before my mouth and may I hold my tongue!
Remind me who I was, before I boast the pride of life.
Help me to remember this will only bring me strife.
May I pause before I speak ungodly thoughts aloud,
For You give grace to humble hearts but You resist the proud.
A puffed up, pompous attitude will lead to my defeat.
Oh strip away my selfishness and purge all vain conceit!
Fill me with repentance Lord and change my heart, I pray
Lest my pious tone should turn a searching soul away.
May I find forgiveness as I come before Your Throne.
Let me boast in Jesus Christ! In Him and Him alone."
Romans 12:3
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Jeremiah 9:23-24
“Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.”
Philippians 2:3
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
Proverbs 8:13
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.”
Proverbs 11:2
“When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.”
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 27:2
“Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.”
Heart Check
Have I been allowing prideful thoughts to fill my mind recently? Have I become puffed up or self-righteous in my attitude or words? Do I consider myself to be better than others and superior in any way?
Sometimes we can forget who we were before the grace of God entered our lives. We forget that while we were still sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us and extended His love to the underserving hearts of mankind.
No one of can stand before God and brag about their own achievements. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 64:6 that all our “righteous acts” or “good deeds” are like “filthy rags” in the eyes of God, in regards to the salvation of our souls.
This verse makes it very clear that when it comes to being accepted in the sight of God, it’s through no works or efforts of our own. The only thing we can actually “do” is acknowledge that Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross paid for our sins and accept Him as our Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8-9 highlights this truth too. The verse reads,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Spiritual pride can subtly sneak into our hearts when we compare ourselves to others, considering their faults to be worse than ours and forget that we too are sinners saved by grace. When we compare ourselves to our sinless Saviour however, no one can stand clean.
I’ve heard it said that the Gospel is the leveller of pride and there’s no VIP section in Heaven! None of us were deserving of God’s mercy and it’s only through the Cross of Christ that any of us are saved.
Now might be a good moment to pray through the words of Psalm 139:23-24. The Scripture reads,
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”
There are times when pride creeps in through us being overly confident in our abilities or position in life too. Now please don’t get me wrong, well-placed confidence is a wonderful thing when used for the glory of God! We just have to be careful not to become too self-reliant, forgetting that every good and perfect gift is from above, given to us graciously by our Saviour. Everything we have, whether it be wealth,
intelligence, position, traits or abilities, they have all been gifted to us by God. Therefore why do we boast as if these things hadn’t come to us directly from His hand?
When we consider that the sin of pride was what caused the fall of the angel Lucifer, we can see why the Bible warns us so many times, not to fall into this devilish state of heart. As the Scriptures say, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
The Assistant Pastor at my church once said something in a sermon that really stuck with me. He was speaking on the perils of boasting and gave some advice on how to avoid developing a puffed up heart when hearing praise for our efforts or achievements. He said,
“We should receive praise the same way we receive perfume. Inhale the essence and enjoy it for a moment but don’t swallow it because it’ll make you sick.”
I’ve also heard my Pastor say that there are two well-used lies the devil will whisper to us in order to destroy our witness or ministry. He’ll either tell us we’re worthless and good for nothing or he’ll convince us we’re the best thing since sliced bread and the world isn’t worthy of us! An inflated ego really is the quickest way to become redundant in the service of God.
May we search our hearts today, repent of any prideful thoughts or arrogant attitudes and ask God to help us remember who we were when we were first called. Not to become despondent but to give thanks to God for His endless mercy and patience that’s at work within our lives. Let us consider the last line of the poem and the words of 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 which reads,
“But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”
