7 Warning Lights for Highly Vulnerable LeadersSample

WARNING LIGHT #1

PRIDE: Am I too Big for My Boots?

Pride is elusive. It’s far easier to spot in others than in ourselves. Just when you think you’re humble, pride sneaks up again—like the case of the pastor whose congregation gave him a badge for being humble and then took it away because he wore it!

Leaders who have lived a lifetime of relative humility can still stumble into pride as they near the finish line. That’s why 2 Chronicles 26:15-16 needs to be etched on the mind of every leader:

“ ... he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.”

King Uzziah enjoyed 52 years of wise and creative leadership. Then one day he presumptuously entered the Temple and acted as though he were a priest. Was it not enough for him that he was a king? At that moment, leprosy broke out on his forehead. He lived as a leper until the day of his death.

John Stott, the esteemed pastor and author observed,

“At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.”

Why is pridefulness so dangerous—for leaders and for all of us? Proverbs 16:18 warns that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. 1 Peter 5:5-6 intensifies the warning: that God actively opposes the proud but pours grace into the humble.

So how might pride be showing up in you? Here are some indicators to be aware of:

• You don’t think you are prideful. Maybe others—but not you!
• You’re talk more than you listen.
• You fish for compliments and feel deflated when affirmation doesn’t come.

Is the warning light of pride blinking on your character dashboard? One of the clearest signs may be what is happening—or not happening—in your prayer life. When prayer shrinks, self-reliance grows. What steps could you take to return to humble dependence before pride hardens in your heart?

Reflect & Discuss:

1. Would those closest to you describe you as humble or prideful? What evidence might they point to?
2. More importantly, how do you think God would describe your current posture—self-reliance or humble dependence?
3. Which of these three pride indicators resonated most with you?

·Thinking you don’t struggle with pride.

·Talking more than listening.

·Fishing for compliments

Prayer:

Gracious and holy God, You dwell with the lowly and revive the contrite in heart. Search my heart and show me where pride has taken root in my words and motives. Teach me again to listen, and depend, and pray. Clothe me with humility so that I will finish well by your grace. Amen