A lot of pioneering and entrepreneurship we see in today’s culture is rooted in PRIDE. I am convinced that one of the prerequisites to building anything in life, should be a study on pride. Many boast about being “self-made”, or needing no one “but God”, and this is covert pride.

Pride is a sense of fulfilment from one’s own achievements/accomplishments aka “self-making”. If you can’t identify a person other than yourself who has shaped your development, your ideas, and even your initiatives, you are governed by the demon called “pride”.

Many use the cop-out of “God made me” to not ascribe praise to “men”. Issue here is God makes you through gifted people (Eph. 4:11-16). You can’t talk about God’s person without God’s methods. You came into the world through parents, so how can you come into destiny through self?

Pride is not the same as arrogance. You can be proud in spirit and meek in personality. Arrogance is eccentric and boastful, but pride is a state of heart and mind; it is independence from the influence of anyone other than self. Pride hides in the heart covertly (Isa. 14:13).

Studying Satan will help you understand the character of pride and whether you have it or not (Isaiah 14:12-19). Based upon this text, I will show that a lot of “pioneering” and “entrepreneurial” qualities we see in influencer/self-made culture are rooted in pride. Here we go...

1. Pride is self-determined to accomplish. It decides to “make moves” without the affirmation/guidance of another.

2. Pride positions oneself above others, without being under another. (This is in the heart before it manifests in actions). You lead, but are you led?

3. Pride has no boundaries/limits. A growing ministry/business can be a sign of this. Is it growing in God’s boundaries, or growing by self-ambition/determination? God puts limit to protect you from pride (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Expansion differs from inflation; where’s your cap?

4. Pride causes you to believe no one can correct you but God. Lucifer wanted to be like God, which means he reverenced Him, but not God’s order/hierarchy. Satan wasn’t jealous of God, he was jealous of other angels God put above him. “Only God can judge me” culture, is pride.

In conclusion, pride is an intensive biblical study. Many think being overtly confident is proud, in many cases it is arrogance but pride is different. Pride is the silent whisper of the heart, that causes you to not trust anyone more than self. Are you building in pride? Repent.

BONUS:

Pride is performative & usually embraces secret sin in the name of “flaws”. Because it comes before fall (Prov. 16:18), many have fallen privately but are standing publicly. Who are you when no one is watching? You can fool people, but you cannot fool the Spirit realm.