10 Days of Confidence That Will Change EverythingSýnishorn

Level Up

It is easy to identify ourselves with the heroes of the Bible. But sometimes, whether we like it or not, our sinful nature can be identified in the Bible’s villains, too. Case in point—King Nebuchadnezzar. He’s the dude who threw three young men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego— into the fiery furnace because they refused to worship a golden statue. Very rude of him, I know; thankfully, the story ends extremely well. They emerged from the flames unharmed due to God’s protection.

Yes, King Nebby was a haughty man, a stubborn man, a man who idolized himself more than he honored God.

His pride eventually led to dire consequences, where he literally went crazy and started eating grass like a cow (not even joking). However, here’s the cool part: After recognizing God’s authority, King Nebsters humbled himself and praised God for His greatness. God then restored his life and promoted him to a higher level of influence than ever before.

Now, you might be thinking, First of all, I’ve never thrown anyone into a fire. Second of all, King Nebz was doing too much. No way am I as prideful as that guy! However, hear me out: pride is pride, and it presents itself differently in everyone. Some levels of pride are obvious, like King Neb-man’s grandiose golden statue of himself. Other levels of pride are subtle, like justifying a mistake by finger-pointing, making excuses for poor decisions, dismissing a sin as “not that bad,” or holding on to plain old unforgiveness.

If we want a closer relationship with Christ, we must pass the “pride test” we’re in right now. It’s like school: once we pass first grade, we can move on to second grade, but if we fail, we’ll be held back. Failing to release our pride will hold us back, leaving us stuck on a merry-go-round of repeated patterns and recycled problems. But there is hope!

God, in His mercy, allows us opportunities to retake every test. Once we pass with a humble heart, we can victoriously move on to the next level with Him.

Today, let’s pinpoint the pride in our lives (both obvious and subtle) and pray this prayer together:

God, I’m sorry for the pride that has held me back. Humble my heart and show me how to make things right. I want to level up with You. Amen.