Isaiah 2:12-17 (NASB)
12 For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased.
13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan,
14 Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall,
16 Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft.
17 The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

Our prayer goals in the New Year can take many forms, but as I meditate on what God would want me to focus on, I keep coming back to the sin of pride. We all admit that we have pride in our lives, we even confess it in our prayers. The humility that is necessary to defeat that sin in our lives is probably the most difficult challenge in our walk as Christians.

Pride hides in our hearts and then manifests itself into what we believe is our righteousness. The Holy Spirit, if we listen closely can reveal that to us. But pride is the one thing that the world and Satan uses to convince us that we are walking in His way, when we are just walking in ours. Pride is one sin that often requires others to lovingly reveal to us.

For those that are mature in their faith, pride can easily become a substitute for the humility that God wants from us. It is particularly a challenge to those of us that are called into leadership. After all, don’t we know the scriptures, don’t we follow the path that God has given to us? How could someone less mature see any sin in our lives? And yet, God uses others to show us. When they do, it is easy for us to rebuke those attempts if our hidden (to us) pride takes over. Other Christians can’t be our Holy Spirit, but they can in love help us to open our hearts to the Spirit.

Do you have others or even just one someone in your life that will share your hidden sins? Do you know someone with a humble spirit that would speak truth to you if you asked? What a gift from God that is! I spent many years living in my own bubble, allowing pride to rule my thoughts. I’ve got a long way to go, but with the help of humble servants of God and the Spirit’s leading, I am working on it.

That and a lot of prayer to the only One that can change me.

Always praying for the glory of God,