Pride: Confidence and satisfaction in oneself. Now I know why God humbles the proud. He doesn’t want us to put our confidence in ourselves. Our confidence must come from Him. Here are a few Bible verses about it; however, this is not an exhaustive list.

Jeremiah 17:7, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”

Isaiah 32:17, “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.”

Isaiah 40:31, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I’ve found myself many times relying on my own strength. Yes, I’m confident that He gave me talents and gifts, yet I depend on my own strength to use those gifts.

How do I know? I know because when I make a mistake, feel that I’ve come short of the high standards I’ve set for myself, or when someone provides criticism, I get frustrated and “hit myself over the head”—not literally, thank God!

When I hit myself over the head, I judge myself instead of accepting God’s grace. When I don’t accept His grace, I am trying to put Jesus back on the cross. OUCH! Thank you, Ms. Counselor; God put you on my path to talk TRUTH into my heart.

From now on, I choose to give myself grace. If I feel like I failed, I’ll straighten my crown and keep moving forward, knowing that God’s righteous right hand is upholding me. I choose to accept constructive criticism and even expect it, knowing that it will make me a better person and who God called me to be.

What would happen if I didn’t address pride issues in my life? I would be tempted to QUIT! Yes, I’ve been in that mindset many times. But not anymore!

While pride would make me quit, God’s grace will propel me to move on.

God, I embrace Your grace. My confidence is in You and what You want to do through me. I will renew my strength in You—and in Your abounding grace. I will be courageous, and if I make a mistake, I will address it and move on, knowing that the Holy Spirit is still at work in my life until the day of Jesus Christ. Then, I will be perfect!

Thank you, Abba! Thank you for Your grace! ❤️ #Ineedatattoothatsaysgrace