Transcription
About six years ago. There was a time when I struggled with depression and deadly thoughts. And the reason why was because I constantly felt like I wasn't good enough. I felt like I was failing as a Christian, a teacher, friend, cousin, son, brother. And the list went on.
And after seeking help and talking to my mentor, I learned that one of the reasons why I was depressed was actually because of my pride. And gently, my mentor taught me that I was placing an unhealthy amount of attention on myself. I needed to be a great teacher. I needed to be a better Christian, and I needed to be good enough.
And the reason why I tell you all of this is because I'd say that pride is the deadliest of sins, because it's one that almost ended my life, and because it's arguably the root of all other sins. Acts of lust come from a place that says, I want to do this and look at this. Acts of greed come from a place that says, I deserve this. And acts of selfishness come from a place that says I'm better. And people should look at honor and respect me.
I know I covered a video on how to be humble before, but as I look at pride as a topic now, I'm learning that the key to victory when fighting against pride is all about someone placing less attention on themselves and more attention on God. So in this video, I want to cover seven steps that believers should take if they want to defeat pride in their lives.
Quick shout out to our sponsor. Private Internet Access VPN. Using the internet without protection is kind of like walking around with a see-through backpack. Everything you're carrying, your private info, your browsing habits is wide open for anyone to see. Hackers, advertisers, even your internet provider can easily peek in if you're not protected. That's why Private Internet Access is so important. The VPN encrypts your connection, hides your IP address, and makes sure your personal data stays your business. Plus, PIA's app is completely open source, meaning anyone can review their code for extra transparency and peace of mind. That's a huge deal when it comes to trusting a VPN.
One thing I really appreciate about PIA is how simple they make it to protect everything. You can install it on unlimited devices, phones, laptops, tablets, even your smart TV, all under a single account. It's quick to set up. It runs fast in the background and honestly, you barely even notice it's there once you're connected. But the peace of mind it gives you, that's huge. And it's not just about security. With PIA, you can also unlock shows and content that might be blocked in your region. For example. Friends. One of the most iconic sitcoms ever isn't on Netflix in the US right now, but with PIA, you can change your server to the UK and stream it from another country's library. It's just one more way PIA protects your experience and opens up more of the internet to you.
Right now, PIA is offering Impact Viewers, an exclusive 83% discount plus four extra months free. That's just $2.03 a month, and it's completely risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Go to vpn.com/impact Video Ministries. Protect your digital life the smart way. Click the link below to get started today. That's pia vpn.com/impact Video Ministries.
All right, back to the video.
Step number one: Learn to see who God is. 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 18. "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."
In this passage, Paul ends his letter to the church by telling them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. So there was another time in my life when I was being discipled by another mentor of mine, and one of the things that he taught me was the importance of theology. And before, I already took a class on theology, and I honestly thought it was a little boring. But as my faith grew, and as I read *The Knowledge of the Holy* by Tozer, and *Knowing God* by Packer, I realized that my view of God was small. And that His love, His grace, His mercy, His power, and His holiness were beyond my understanding. And I learned that God was someone that I should fear, respect, honor, cherish, and appreciate.
You see, according to the Bible, God is complete, unlimited, meaning there's no end to His power, knowledge, presence, love, and the list goes on. And this means that there's always something new that we can learn about when it comes to God. You see, there's a reason why Peter encouraged Christians to grow in the knowledge of Jesus, and I think that this command here is one of the biggest keys to winning against pride, because this step gets you to place less focus on yourself and more focus on God. John the Baptist rightly says in John chapter 3, verse 30 that "He, Jesus, must increase, but I must decrease." So if you're someone that struggles with pride and you're regularly looking down at other people, or you're paying an unhealthy amount of attention on yourself, your first step is to start looking at who God is by growing in your knowledge of Jesus. And you can do this by reading more of your Bible and by looking closely at God's character. And you can also try reading *The Knowledge of the Holy* or *Knowing God* to provide some extra help. My personal recommendation is the one by Tozer.
Step number two: Learn to fear God. Joshua chapter 24, verse 14. "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the river, and in Egypt. Serve the Lord."
In this passage, Joshua, the leader of Israel after Moses, was giving his final words to the people of Israel. And after years of war and obtaining the lands that God promised them, Israel was now entering into a time of greater peace. And Joshua told them to fear the Lord and to serve Him in sincerity and truth, and to put away all false gods. And the reason why Joshua said this was because he saw who God was. God was the God of war, who unleashed ten plagues that delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians. He also parted the Red Sea, gave Israel food and water when they needed it. And on top of that, Joshua saw God descend on the dark mountain that Moses went up. And fast forward, Joshua saw God destroy Jericho's walls, and he saw God punish Achan for stealing. And then he saw God's power and faithfulness through every single battle that Joshua's army had to fight. So as part of Joshua's final words as an old man, he told Israel to fear God.
So know that a big part of defeating pride in your life comes from you looking at who God is and then growing in godly fear of Him. And I know to some of you that may sound weird, and we covered what the fear of God is in a previous video, but simply put, when we actually see who God is, the God of heaven, the God who has the power to destroy soul and body in hell, and the God who will come back to exact judgment on the world for their sins, we should come to a place of holy awe and deep respect, and we should bow down our lives in response to who He is. I think this world likes to make life all about us. Life's about our dreams, our passions, our tastes, and our experiences. But from what I've read in the Bible, life is actually all about God. And Jesus even says in Matthew chapter 10, verse 39 that "when we lose our life for His sake, we'll find it." So all that to say, learning to fear God is the next step to overcoming pride. And a big part of growing in that fear is seeing who God is, understanding who He is, and then looking at what that means for us.
And once we fear God, that leads us to step number three: Learn to submit to God. James chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. "But he gives more grace. Therefore he says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
In this passage, James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells believers that God resists those who are proud and to therefore submit to God. So know that part of defeating pride is understanding God's attitude towards pride. And this passage says that God resists pride and gives grace to humble people. And then this passage says for people to submit to God. Now hold that thought and look at Isaiah chapter 66, verse 2. "All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: He who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word."
So note here that God pays special attention to those who are humble and tremble at His Word. You see, God is attracted to humility. God chose the slave Joseph to save Egypt. He chose the forgotten shepherd, David, to be king, and He chose a young girl to give birth to the Savior of the world. And all these people, I would argue, were people who were not into themselves but loved God and placed greater attention to submitting to Him. So for you, understand that part of submitting to God looks like growing in His Word, because you cannot submit to what He says if you don't know what He says. And I would say that submission to God is much easier when you look at His heart for you.
To look at step number four: Learn to appreciate God. Psalm chapter 50, verse 14. "Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High."
In this passage, one of the things that the Psalmist Asaph said is to offer God thanksgiving. And that's just this verse. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 18 says to "give thanks in every situation, because that's God's will." I personally find gratitude to be a huge help when it comes to conquering any sin, because it shifts our attention to God. You see, this passage does say to offer God thanksgiving, and the reason why this is such a good tool for combating pride is because it really puts things into perspective. For example, our channel recently hit 1 million subscribers, and I do think it's cool, but at the same time, it's a little difficult for me to take credit for things. All my ideas for scripts are ideas given to me from God. They actually feel like they're handed to me. Yet many times I'm credited for its wisdom. On top of that, I'm surrounded by, like, the best team ever. And God also gave me the best wife who supports me and helps me edit my scripts. The best YouTube partner I can dream big with. Amazing artists who are much more talented than me. And we have a bunch of people who believe in us. So when I take the time to thank God for everything that He's given me through Impact: His Word, His ideas, His workers, His finances, it's almost like I'm not sure what there is for me to personally be proud of. Honestly, if I'm proud of anybody, it's my team because they all work hard and they have to put up with me sometimes. However, I'm not saying that you should not be proud of what you do, because I am proud of all that our team has done through God's strength. But what I am saying is that seeing all that you have and thanking God for it, is a very powerful step that you can take that will help you in your fight to defeat pride.
Next, let's cover step number five: Learn to serve God. Luke chapter 10, verse 2. "Then he said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"
In this passage, Jesus was about to send 72 of His followers to go teach people about the kingdom of God, and before they went, He told them that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few, or in other words, there's a lot to do in God's kingdom, but few laborers in comparison to the work that needs to be done. So one way to combat pride is to pay less attention to yourself, and to pay more attention to what needs to be done for God's kingdom. And what I'm not saying is you working yourself to the bone and you burning yourself out, because obviously we should take care of ourselves and be wise. What I am saying, though, is to place some focus on serving God. One of the things that I've been realizing lately is that God is incredibly passionate about His people. So not too long ago I read Exodus in my devotions, and I saw that God really cared about the Israelites. He sent plague after plague, fed them manna, gave them water, spoke to them through Moses, set up a tabernacle so that they can know Him more. And He did everything He could to bring them to the promised land. And even in the New Testament, Jesus spent years of His life healing, feeding, teaching, and leading people to eternal life. So all that to say, when it comes to God's kingdom, much has to be done. And for me, I find that when I focus on what needs to be done for God, it helps shift the focus off of me and places it on others. And that helps a ton when it comes to fighting pride.
And finally, we have step number six: Learn to love God's people. Acts chapter 20, verse 35. "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
In this passage, Paul is saying goodbye to the leaders in the church of Ephesus, and he tells them that through his actions he has shown them that they must support the weak, and to remember what Jesus said about how it's more blessed to give than to receive. So in the previous step, I wanted you to see how much God loves His people. And in this step to combat pride, the goal is for us, as followers of God, to develop a heart for the people that God loves. On top of that, do you remember when Peter denied Jesus three times? Because after Jesus rose again from the dead, He spoke to Peter and told Peter three times to feed and to take care of His sheep. So understand here that a big part of winning against your pride is to simply shift your focus from yourself to God and to other people. Jesus did say that the top two commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. So if you struggle with pride and you tend to put yourself before people, try to ask God at that moment why He loves those people. Because the reality is that God sent His precious Son to die for them. So if our God loves them so much, it should really get us to think twice before we put them down.
Okay. So if you want to defeat pride, I would encourage you to take these steps: Learn to see who God is. Learn to fear God. Learn to submit to God. Learn to appreciate God. Learn to serve God. And learn to love God's people.
Close. Let me tell you a fun story. So I used to teach at a junior high, and I was the boys' Bible teacher. And the way that I organized my classes was by dividing the class into groups of four. And I called them Crews. And I would elect a crew chief or leader to be in charge of each group. Sometimes I chose leaders by grades, other times it would be based on character, and other times it would just be based on what their peers thought. So I tried my best to keep it as unbiased as possible. So again, for every class there were four crews, and each crew was led by a leader. And one of the ways I tried to promote unity and teamwork in my class is by having them compete with each other by playing games. Because then my boys would be forced to rely on each other so that they can win. And for one of the games, I had them do one-legged wrestling, where everyone had to stand on one leg, and the goal was to push everyone around to force them to use their other leg to catch themselves from falling, which would lead to them being out. And I remember this one time when there were only two people left standing in one of the games. One of them was a crew chief, and athletically, he was probably the quickest and strongest of nearly all my students. And the person he was going up against was someone much smaller than him. And as a teacher, I kind of freaked out a little because there was no competition. And I was worried that that smaller student was going to get hurt. But the crew chief, that guy, he tried to take the guy down, but then he fell and made it look like a mistake. And he lost on purpose. And then he laughed it off and made the whole thing look funny. And I remember he made it a point to make it look like he didn't just give up, he actually gave up the victory in a way that made everyone laugh. And in a way that made the person who won feel good. And all his crew members cheered the guy who won on. And to everyone else who thought it was a genuine mistake, I also had the privilege to coach that crew chief in football, and I knew that he doesn't make mistakes and that if he wanted to win, he would have won. And I also know this about him. He had humility. In the years that I've known him, he had a genuine concern for his classmates, and nearly all his classmates called him the best in everything. But he never made it all about him.
So I want to bring this up because I wanted to say this: humility is all about lifting others up. That young man saw a situation that he could have easily won, but instead he chose to consider his classmate. So I want to encourage everyone to know that humility actually helps people. You see, defeating pride is actually pretty straightforward, and it comes naturally when you learn to love God and you learn to love the people that He loves. And I find that both those things are much easier to do when you live your life knowing that Jesus loves you.
Hey guys, thanks so much for watching that video. If it was a blessing to you, please consider liking, subscribing, and ringing that notification bell so you don't miss a single upload. I also want to give a huge shout out to our team listed below. Their hard work makes this whole thing possible, so give them some love. Their links are in the description below. We also want to say a big thank you to our newest members who joined this week. We appreciate you guys so, so much. Your support makes videos like this possible, so thanks for being a part of this journey. If you'd like to support us in the work we're doing, please consider becoming a member. For the price of a coffee each month, you can be contributing towards reaching people online with the gospel message. Click the link in the description below and become a part of the community today. Thanks so much for your support, and we'll see you all next time. Drop.