Dealing With Pride

Pride is a serious problem.

Pride is actually a spiritual disease. It’s cured by recognizing the symptoms, changing your heart, and committing to grow in humility. God provides opportunities to recognize and correct our pride. The difficulty is admitting we have it. We must welcome correction and criticism from those who are spiritually discerning. Those most consistent in noticing our faults are usually our spouses. God places them in our lives as a balance to help offset our extremes, if we will simply listen.

Thinking too highly of ourselves makes us of little use to God and His work. Philippians 2:3-4 warns, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Putting others first may mean sacrificing something we want so that someone else can benefit. We learn to provide wisely for our families, give generously to the kingdom, and help those in need. We support ministries that are accomplishing good work. We resist the temptation to use wealth to impress others or to elevate ourselves. God gives us resources not just for our good, but to increase our capacity to give.

True financial success uses God’s provision to bless others. As Jesus said, “It is better to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) That attitude is one cure for our financial pride!

And if you need encouragement to wisely manage your finances, check out Crown’s udget coaching program. It can put you on the road to financial freedom. Go to crown.org and click “Get Help Now”. Start today at crown.org.