Since reading last post’s passage, the Lord has been convicting me on how important it is fend off pride and self-reliance as a leader for God.

Here are some quick reasons why pride/self-reliance is always a bad choice as a leader:

  1. Because it steals glory from God
    What pride and self-reliance does is that it shifts within our hearts the object of worship. In subtle ways, credit and acknowledges shift from the almighty God to the almighty self.
  2. Because it steals joy from us
    More than it just being an act of disobedience, it also is an act which robs us of real joy and intimacy with God. James 4 says that “God resists the proud..” Perhaps one of the quickest ways out of sustained intimacy with Jesus is a spirit of pride within us. It is the stiff-arm of his presence. Prideful leaders are often joyless leaders.
  3. Because it disempowers others
    I presume that it was quite American of me to frame this discussion in the context of this just being a “God versus me” thing. In reality, pride is a family issue.  I think it takes a real fool to fail to recognize that the fruit they can accomplish, however great or small that is, cannot be done without the anointing, knowledge, grace, and power of others in the family of Jesus. Pride devalues others.
  4. Because it’s a lie
    Perhaps the simplest reason why we should never choose pride/self-reliance as a leader is because the attitude (however subtle) that says, “I have done this in my own strength (whatever percentage that is)” is that it’s not true. From the day that God chose us to serve him was the day his power came upon us. The activity within us was only death–more of Jesus’s life and power within us and less of us. At some point down the years of serving, we can’t be so foolish to cultivate an attitude which observes the work of our hands and even hint that it was done by our own strength.

In America, we’re surrounded by excuses to look at ourselves and marvel. But in the context of living before an awesome God who calls us to ministry, may we be reminded of these things so that there would not be a hint of pride within us.

—

Jesus, help us to live a life of radical humility like you did.

Though you had all power, still you said, “The Son does nothing apart from the Father.” Jesus, come and expose the areas in our life in which we have authority and position, and root out all traces of pride and self-reliance in our spirits, so that you may be glorified, your family would be honored, and that we can have true joy in humility.

Amen.