City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth.

Proverbs 30:12

It is a terrible thing that the worst of all the vices can smuggle itself into the very centre of our religious life. But you can see why. The other, and less bad, vices come from the devil working on us through our animal nature. But this does not come through our animal nature at all. It comes direct from Hell. It is purely spiritual: consequently it is far more subtle and deadly.

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity Book 3, Ch 8

Aisha’s Analysis

Pride is a tricky trap. From the above scriptures and this week’s C.S. Lewis excerpt, it is clear that pride is bad; it is also apparent that pride is deceptive, which makes it even more sinister. With all that we know about the disastrous effects of pride, how does it continually creep its way into our lives? 

Just as Adam and Eve listened to the lies of the serpent, who coaxed them into thinking they needed to eat the forbidden fruit to be like God, we are constantly affronted with the same attacks on our identity (Genesis 3:1-7). The truth is Adam and Eve were already like God; the Bible clearly tells us they were made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). The enemy deceived them into thinking they needed to go outside of God to find fulfillment, that God was withholding something from them, and that they needed the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. What they desired was the ability to operate independently from God, and that is what builds the bastion of pride in our thinking and decisions.  

As we’ve seen in scripture and without doubt have experienced firsthand, pride precedes a fall. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God by disobeying His command, they were cast out of the garden and the curse came into play. Not only did they die spiritually and experience separation from God, but they also had to deal with all the struggles of day-to-day life, such as a difficult marriage, painful childbirth, and failed business ventures, among so many other struggles. 

Perhaps one silver lining of all the struggles we face in life is they make it easier for us to see how much we truly need God. Without His grace and mercy, we don’t stand a chance. God is the only One who can satisfy us in every way. It is only when we turn to God that the defenses of pride will come crumbling down, and we can experience the true freedom Christ has won for us. 

Pride has a way of puffing us up to a high and lofty place only to knock us down even harder. When you get knocked down, however, do not brood over the shame of defeat. See it as a wake-up call and as an act of God’s mercy to give you a reality check. To foster humility in our lives, we must remain intimately aware of the truth. 

The truth is God has seen the absolute worst of humanity and still loves us. What’s more, He offers grace to those humble enough to receive it. 

Analysis

In his chapter on The Great Sin, C.S. Lewis states the test of being in God’s Presence is forgetting oneself. He also advises the first step to acquire humility is to realize that one is proud. If you’ve already acknowledged your pride, let’s take a moment to address self-centeredness. 

One of the best ways to break free from self-centeredness is to adopt an attitude of gratitude. When you express gratitude, you are shifting your attention away from yourself and onto someone else. In particular, thanking God expands our view of Him and makes life so much sweeter. 

Let’s not restrict thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November; make it a daily habit. Challenge yourself to write a thank you note once a week or keep a daily gratitude journal in which you can list 5 things you’re grateful for. This is not only a good way to combat pride, but also has an energizing effect on our own spirits. 

For a closer look on the positive effects of expressing gratitude, watch this one-minute video on why you should write more thank you notes:

Prayer

Pray Psalm 28:6-7 (MSG) aloud: 

Blessed be God—

    he heard me praying.

He proved he’s on my side;

    I’ve thrown my lot in with him.

Now I’m jumping for joy,

    and shouting and singing my thanks to him.