God is against those who are proud, including those who are spiritually proud.

James 4:6 – “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

We’ve become spiritually prideful when we see ourselves as more spiritual than others.

Sometimes in my life, I think I know more or am more spiritual than others. I remember teaching a class on how to love and serve people; and receiving much positive feedback.

I walked away thinking, “I’m good at this. Maybe I’m just better than most people.” On my way home, I stopped at a store and the person coming out from the car next to mine hit my door just slightly. For whatever reason, I lost it right then and yelled out at her.

That situation has taught me that it was my pride that made me think highly of myself. As a result, I was not able to treat others with love and patience, much less serve them.

Why is this so important when we’re dealing with spiritual battles? Sometimes it is our pride that prevents us from depending on God. This can happen in the most subtle of ways that we may not even be aware of. All of us have these blind spots that we can’t see ourselves.

It is only when we’re humble and broken before Him that we’re able to see His power work in our lives.

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We need to be humble and broken before Him to win our battles over the spirit of lack. The spirit of lack can make us feel inferior and sometimes superior to others. That’s because we constantly compare ourselves to others to find our self-worth.

Being broken before God is different from having this inferiority/superiority complex. It’s more about acknowledging that we cannot change ourselves spiritually unless we fully depend on Him.

Here’s how we can test our character by asking ourselves these questions:

· How do I respond to people who disagree with me?

· Am I easily offended by others?

· Do I become resentful when people ignore me?

The answers to these questions will help us examine our hearts and see if we have to deal with issues of pride within us.