“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.” (C.S. Lewis)
Pride is the deadliest enemy of the Christian today. There is not a Christian alive who doesn’t have to deal with the spirit of pride on a daily basis. If you think pride isn’t a problem for you, then perhaps you need to deal with it all the more!
It is a simple truth that our flesh wants to be exalted, recognized, and admired. It wants to be looked up to by other people. That is just one of the truths about the clay vessels our spirits inhabit. Pride has been called the father of all sin, and it is not hard to see why.
Lucifer experienced pride. He said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isa. 14:13). All of the adversity God’s creation now experiences began with Lucifer’s desire to exalt himself above God. In Ezekiel 28 the Bible tells us that “he was lifted up by his own beauty.” But his pride brought about the greatest rebellion ever in the kingdom of God, and Lucifer and his fallen angels were expelled from heaven.
Stop and think about this a bit. Why does anybody knowingly disobey God? Isn’t it because he thinks he has a better idea?
The Church Is Not Immune
Pride is the only reason division exists in the Body of Christ. Pride says, “I am right, and I want to have things my way.” Pride is the tendency to exalt self; it is the most poisonous evil that a Christian must deal with. Yes, pride is dangerous. But “religion’s” solution to it – self-abasement – is just as bad.
Most of the religious world believes that if you flog yourself enough, call yourself a worm and generally walk around acting like you don’t deserve to live, that somehow you will have dealt with pride.
The truth is, that kind of self-abasement is really just another form of pride. If Satan can’t get you into pride, he will try to push you into the opposite “ditch” on the other side of the road, to see yourself as some lowly worm, squashed by the circumstances of life.
True Humility
How do you stay out of both ditches and walk the right road regarding pride? Know that pride is self-exaltation but that true humility is not self-abasement. Humility is exalting God through the accomplishments He produces in your life.
Recognize that without God you cannot be or do anything but that in Christ there is absolutely nothing you can’t do. In Jesus, you are an overcomer. You are a success story looking for a place to happen.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Mac and Lynne Hammond are senior pastors of Living Word in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, which they started in 1980. Many outreaches and ministries have launched from Living Word since that time, including Maranatha Christian Academy, a Pre-K through grade 12 school with nearly 900 in attendance, and Living Free Recovery Services, a licensed outpatient treatment program.
Most recently, Mac and Lynne have launched a vision to plant fifty churches across the globe in the next five years. As of August 2024, nine churches have been planted in the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and Guatemala with construction underway for seven more churches in El Salvador, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prior to becoming a pastor, Mac was a pilot. He served in the Air Force, served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia, and was honorably discharged in 1970 with the rank of Captain. Between 1970 and 1980, Mac was involved in varying capacities in the general aviation industry, including ownership of a successful air cargo business serving the Midwestern United States. A business acquisition brought the Hammonds to Minneapolis, where they ultimately founded Living Word. Currently, Mac is the host of The Winner’s Way and The Winner’s Minute broadcasts and the author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
