Let’s talk.
Not preach, just talk.
Because pride is not something people like to admit, it’s quietly destroying believers. And the dangerous part? Most of us don’t even know it is happening.
Jesus said something profound:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
— Matthew 16:24, KJV
Have you ever wondered why self-denial comes before the cross?
Because the greatest enemy of a believer is not Satan, it is self.
Pride begins where self is not denied
When self is not denied, pride becomes the default operating system.
You can pray, fast, prophesy, do deliverance, speak in tongues — and still be full of self.
Self says:
- “My opinion is right.”
- “I know better.”
- “I don’t need anyone to teach me.”
Jesus calls this the flesh. And He says it must be denied daily.
Now, here’s the interesting part:
A childlike heart is the easiest way to hear God
Not a childish heart — a childlike one.
Jesus said:
“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 18:3, KJV
Children:
- receive easily
- trust quickly
- learn fast
- forgive without effort
- follow without overthinking
Adults analyze, calculate, suspect, and hold grudges.
Many believers think depth is in complexity.
But in the kingdom, depth is in simplicity.
The simpler your heart, the clearer your hearing.
This is why Solomon said:
“My son, receive my words… and apply thine heart to understanding.”
— Proverbs 2:1–2, KJV
Receiving begins with humility.
Let’s talk about the “Holy Hill” problem
David asked a very important question:
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.”
— Psalm 24:3–4, KJV
Do you see that?
Before anyone ascends, the heart must be clean — not perfect, just pure.
Purity does not mean sinlessness; it means a heart free of pride, suspicion, and self-importance.
This is where many believers struggle.
They want to ascend with dirty filters — filters of:
- criticism
- superiority
- skepticism
- comparison
- hidden judgments
These rob the believer of the ability to recognize God’s voice.
Skepticism — The Pride We Call “Discernment”
Let’s be honest.
We come to church skeptical about people before we even say hello.
We assume:
- “He might not be genuine.”
- “She is probably not spiritual.”
- “Let me be careful, I don’t trust easily.”
But Jesus taught:
“Judge not according to appearance…”
— John 7:24, KJV
And Paul said:
“…charity believeth all things, hopeth all things.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:7, KJV
Love gives people the benefit of the doubt.
Pride gives them a suspicion test.
When a believer relates to people through suspicion, revelation becomes cloudy.
God does not speak clearly through a heart stained with criticism.
Dishonour — Another Silent Expression of Pride
Here is the painful truth:
Most believers do not honour people.
We honour titles, platforms, microphones —
but not the person sitting beside us,
not the believer with less influence,
not the voice that does not sound like ours.
Paul said:
“…in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
— Philippians 2:3, KJV
When honour is absent, heaven becomes silent.
It happened in Jesus’ hometown.
The Son of God Himself could not move because they did not honour Him (Mark 6:4–5).
Dishonour shuts down the supernatural faster than unbelief.
Prejudice — The Pride That Says “If I didn’t think of it, it cannot be God.”
This one is deep.
Some believers cannot receive anything God says through another person.
If the idea did not come from them, it must not be God.
If the revelation did not originate with them, they discard it.
Jeremiah gives us a powerful example.
When the false prophet Hananiah publicly contradicted Jeremiah,
Jeremiah did not fight him.
He simply said,
“Amen, the Lord do so.”
and turned to walk away.
Then scripture says:
“…the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah…”
— Jeremiah 28:12, KJV
Why?
Because even when faced with dishonour, Jeremiah kept honour in his heart.
God speaks to humble hearts, not reactive ones.
To be continued…
In Part 2, we will discuss:
- Why pride makes believers unable to ascend
- Why calling on the Lord sometimes “doesn’t work.”
- How the mind becomes the battleground of pride (2 Cor 4:4; 10:4–6)
- And how believers can break the stronghold of self
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