Fighting Pride

A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Proverbs 24:5-6

There is this little thing in us that can often get us in a world of trouble and pain. We all have it, some more than others. It is something that can trick us into poor decisions and wrong actions. It is a liar that builds our confidence in the wrong things. This thing is called pride. The pride I am speaking off is not being proud of your kids for something amazing they have done. The pride I speak of is self-centered pride. Pride has a way of alienating us from what is good and right and healthy for us all by convincing us that we know best. It is hard to fight against, and although pride likes us to be alone, the best way to fight against it is with others. 

I am not a very smart guy, but I am smart enough to know I am usually not the smartest guy in the room. This was a hard lesson for me to learn because many of us like being the number one person in the room. I like to think I have all the answers but the truth is we don’t. That is why God has given us each other. God has uniquely gifted others in ways we are not and we need each other in the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul describes this in detail in 1 Corinthians 12 as different parts of the body that make up the whole. 

The point is that we need each other and God, in His kindness, has given us each other. We need to take advantage of this gift so that we can grow as individuals and as a church. We do this by seeking others that can speak truth to us. It takes us admitting that we don’t have all the answers but acknowledging that there are others around us that do have answers we need. This is what I love so much about our leadership and staff as a church. I often am amazed at the gifting of our leaders and staff at our church that God has brought together. I am so grateful for their knowledge and experience in areas where I have no clue. 

Here are some things that I have found to help fight the enemy of pride. First, find those you trust and invite them in to speak truth to you. Proverbs says to effectively wage war, we do it with others. I am thankful for those that love me enough to fight for me and with me. This means we have to be willing to own our faults and we often don’t want to hear it but we sure do need to.

Another way to fight is to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers. This is absolutely liberating. It frees us to look to others that do have the answers and it builds community. We have a saying among our staff and it goes like this. We all need to operate in our own lanes of ministry, however we are encouraged to look over the fence at others areas of ministry. We work together to see blind spots that maybe we can’t see from our angle. Some have experience that others don’t and it is foolish not to ask for wisdom from others that was gained by experience.

One other way, and I would argue the best way, is to seek The Lord. James 1:5 says If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. How amazing is that? The God of all Creation gives wisdom generously. It is often our pride that keeps us from the greatest source of wisdom. Let's be humble enough to seek the Lord because He loves to lavish good wisdom to His children. 

I love you guys and am so thankful for being your pastor.