Prayer to eradicate pride
By Annie Yotty
Bible Reading:
“This is what the Lord says: “The wise men boast about their wisdom, and the powerful powers are boastful to their powers, and the rich boast about their wealth.” – Jeremiah 9:23 NLT
Listen or read:
A real confession – I have a brown thumb. I will not be accused of being a Master Gardener. But I was able to recognize the weeds when I saw it.
Last fall, I knelt on the flower bed and raked dead leaves from the ground cover. This creeping plant produces a carpet of white layered flowers that resemble the snow patches in my garden every spring. Google is called Candytuft. Ultimately, the petals give way to the abundance of small rounded leaves for the rest of the growing season.
I thrust back the leaves with the cultivator, covering the shards that had gathered underneath them. The plants were clinging to my hands and sleeves when I retracted the tool. I tried to brush it off, but it latched into a velcro-like fabric.
Was this plant always sticky? I leaned forward for a thorough examination. All the leaves had the same shape and color, but some felt gummy. I pushed the green aside to check the stems. The stain-prone leaves had brown woody stems, while the counterfeit leaves were purple-gray near the roots.
Luckily I didn’t have to be a plant genius to realize that a sleazy con man had grown up in my ground cover. Using my hands as a guide, I found weeds and tore them with the roots. I pulled all the tricksters one by one, but lost some of the good leaves in the process as well. I leaned against my heel and looked into the gap hole in the once beautiful ground cover.
As I lamented the damage caused by the con man, I wondered how much it hadn’t creeped up in the flowerbed.
Friend, did you notice that pride is very similar to my sticky weeds?
The sin of pride occurs when the joy of accomplishment and possession transforms into an exaggerated self-esteem. As an author, if I write and praise clever stories, I must protect the pride that permeates my heart. When my children are successful, my tendency may be to trust my parenting skills. When I draw attention to my child’s ministry work, I think I am superior to those who I have not served. Pride makes us believe that we are not God, but our source of gifts and talent.
How do pride stealth weeds creep up inside and around your garden?
My ground cover came back to life this spring after a winter nap.
I’ve decided not to be fooled by the con artists again, so I check my garden almost every day. My eyes alone cannot identify fakes, so the tests must be up close and personal. I crouch down and touch every leaf. If it detects stickiness, run the stem towards the sauce to yank.
Similarly, we need to eradicate the sticky human tendency to boast about ourselves for God-given achievements. James, Jesus’ brother, gives us herbicides for pride. “Humiliate yourself before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. He will approach God. God will come near you. Wash your hands. You are a sinner. I will cleanse your heart.
My garden was destroyed throughout the season before I discovered the con artist. Eradication of weeds left unsightly confusion. Similarly, if God’s herbicides are not applied every day, pride grows and destroys our work for God.
I also realized that the con artists in my garden never bloom. Likewise, pride never produces eternal fruits that please God. Instead, conceit creates a vast, barren realm of our lives. But when we humbly turn human praise into the spotlight of God’s glory, we reveal the fruit of God’s Spirit to the world where we need to know Him.
Let’s pray:
Dear Father, I am grateful that you have created me with unique gifts and abilities in your image. And thank you for giving me a sacred purpose in which I can adopt everything you have given me. I am privileged to be a showcase of your glory. Your words say I tend to be proud of my wisdom, influence and possessions. I confess that I have repeatedly fallen prey to this sin. The sleazy weeds of pride are creeping up in my achievements and I barely recognize the con man until it takes root and suffocates the glory for you. i need your help. I encourage you to examine my mind and reveal attitudes that do not reflect you, and to achieve your eternal purpose. Eradicate any con artists who may outweigh you. I want to bloom my life with your glory. I pray in the name of Jesus, my Savior. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Eerik
Annie Yothy writes and speaks to encourage others to perceive the man, existence, supply and purpose of God in unexpected twists and turns. Married to her high school lover and lives in Pennsylvania, she is a teenage mother, two adult children (one with intellectual disabilities), and a Labradoodle, a furry beast. She is written from ignorance to bliss. God’s heart is revealed through Down Syndrome and is to find Jesus the 25 symbols of dedicated Christmas. Connect with her on Annieyorty.com, Facebook and Instagram.
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