“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”” (James 4:6, ESV)

Dear friend,

We received a great question this week, “How do you get rid of pride?”

If we’re going to be honest with ourselves, we all deal with pride. The bible tells us in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NKJV). We have all sinned, and sin is a result of pride. Pride thinks that we don’t need God, that we can do it on our own, and that it’s up to us to control the situation. Throughout the Bible, we are warned of the destruction that pride brings.

“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, NKJV)

Pride exalts self above God and above others, but the opposite of pride is humility. John the Baptist displayed this perfectly. John’s purpose was to prepare the people for Jesus’ coming to the earth. He warned people to get right with God, repent of your sin, and be baptized. In the desert, he had quite a following and people came from all over to hear him and be baptized.

When Jesus showed up on the scene, the people began to flock to Jesus and follow Him instead of John. John’s disciples alerted him that everyone is starting to follow Jesus instead of you! But John, instead of getting prideful and desiring all the acclamation and fame responded, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jhn. 3:30). John humbled himself, exalting God instead of his own reputation.

This attitude is rare and contrary to what we see in most cultures today. Whether its “pride parades,” media, or television, we see self-exaltation: desiring the fame, and fanning the attitude of “this is mine: my promotion, my reputation, my raise, my money,” and so forth. If you don’t fight for it and protect what’s yours, then no one else will.

Once again, Jesus shows us that the way of the Kingdom of God is opposite to the way the world operates.

“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12, NKJV)

Humility is the opposite of pride, and this is how we exalt God instead of self.

But practically speaking, how do we do this—how do we get rid of pride?

It seems that the more I renew my mind with the Scriptures, the more I see how much I need a Savior. I recognize more every day that I have not arrived at perfection and righteousness, but how easy it is for my thoughts, actions, and emotions to revert back to pride. Therefore, I’m under the impression that getting rid of pride in this lifetime is impossible, but rather a journey. Monitoring our thoughts and intentions for pride and selfishness is a daily practice, so that we can recognize them and replace them with humility. Humility is a choice. And so is pride.

Humility is:

• Choosing to exalt God—trusting Him and His Word—more than we trust our own reasoning, thoughts, and feelings (Prov. 3:5-6).

• Trusting God and His will more than we rely on our five natural senses (which the Bible refers to as the flesh or our carnality) (Rom. 8:5-9).

• Relying on our new nature in Christ (our born-again spirit) and putting off our old sinful nature and tendencies (Col. 3:9-10, Eph. 4:22-24).

We can choose daily to die to self-will—our old selfish ways and thoughts—and replace them with God’s truth, His ways, and His thoughts. We do this by continually renewing our mind with the truth of who we are in Christ, and fasting can be a big help.

“But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart.” (Psalms 35:13, NKJV)

Fasting humbles you. It helps you to deny yourself and the desires of your five senses, giving your born-again spirit priority. Fasting is the abstinence or food, drink, or pleasures so you can give God ascendancy, or first place in your life.

Why is this important? Our five senses aren’t evil, but we can be more controlled by our senses than we are by the truth. If I were to ask you, “how do you feel right now?” You could instantly tell me how you feel, “I’m hot, hungry, and a little anxious,” etc. But if I were to ask you, “what’s true about who you are in the Spirit of God?” Because in the Spirit, you are healed, whole, prospering, healthy, saved, delivered, protected, and there’s great things in store for your future. Sometimes, we can be so focused on the way we feel and what’s happening directly around us, that we forget to give God’s truth first place.

In my life, fasting gave my spirit dominance, and it helped me break the bondage of addiction and toxic thoughts. The Bible makes this clear in Isaiah 58:6 which says,

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?” (NKJV)

If there’s an area in your life where you’ve been struggling, you’re depressed, anxious, or you aren’t seeing breakthrough, then you could be facing a stronghold. A stronghold is a toxic way of thinking or believing that’s built a spiritual prison or bondage in your life. These can be formed because of hurtful experiences in the past that lead to perceptions, worldviews, and emotional walls that are built over time in an attempt to protect us from future harm. You might have a stronghold if there’s an area in your life where you aren’t seeing breakthrough—if you’re having a difficult time walking in the freedom that God’s Word promises. You can recognize strongholds because they lead to things like anxiety, depression, fear, overly emotional patterns, destructive choices or patterns, suicidal thoughts, etc.

An example in my life was finances. I saw myself as poor and a poor manager of money. Therefore, I had a very hard time walking in financial freedom. Another example is I saw myself as making bad choices in relationships. I had a very difficult time—for years—of choosing relationships that were good for me instead of hurting me. There’s many more examples in my life that I could share with you, but the last one I’ll share is my health. I saw myself as unhealthy, and therefore I made unhealthy choices.

Strongholds are not when the devil has control over you, but rather, you’ve let the way you think and believe control the outcome of your life.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV).

The good news is that you can change—change the way you think and believe. You can do this by renewing your mind with the Word: recognize toxic thoughts and choices, and replace them with the truth. You can also help this process through fasting. Fasting brought the fastest positive breakthrough in my life. It quickly gave my spirit-man dominance so I could recognize toxic thoughts and patterns, and give control back to the spirit of God within me. I still had to apply the truth and take action, but it was much easier when I wasn’t dominated by the way I felt.

So, if you notice that you rely more on your senses than you’re relying on God, or if you’re led by your emotions before you’re led by the Spirit, then pray and ask God for wisdom about fasting.

You can fast food, TV, social media, sugar, your time, etc. Many times, I only fast for a day, or for a couple meals. I’ve also fasted food for several days. What’s important is that you’re safe and led by God when you fast. When you remove food or something you enjoy, it should be to spend time with God, pray, and give Him first place in your life. You should also make sure you’re drinking a lot of water if you’re fasting food, so you don’t get dehydrated. I’ve noticed drinking water helps a lot with the hunger pangs too.

It’s important that we monitor our lives for pride so we can operate in humility, trusting God and His Word more than anything else. When we resist pride and humble ourselves, God will exalt us and take care of us.

“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5-6, NKJV)

God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. We all need the grace of God—His strength, favor, provision, and ability—working on our behalf. The next time you feel tempted with pride, choose to trust God and rely on Him more than the way you think or feel. Rely on His Spirit and His grace working within you, and He will exalt you in due time.

If you enjoyed this teaching, then you can watch the full video here!

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Love you,
Erin

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