This year, I’ve been working through the Foundations Bible reading plan, and right now, I’m in Proverbs. One thing that struck me from the reading is the fact that Proverbs itself is an answered prayer. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and not only was he granted wisdom and acknowledged as the wisest king, but we have an entire book filled with his wisdom as a result. I never thought about Proverbs that way before—an answered prayer in written form.
The verse of my reading that really stood out to me today was Proverbs 16:18:
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
I’ve heard this verse countless times. But this time, it hit differently. If pride leads to destruction, and I know pride is something I struggle with, then what destruction am I unknowingly leading myself toward?
The Two Sides of Pride
For me, pride tends to show up in two ways.
The first is when I accomplish things and fail to give God His due credit. I show up, I do the work, I check things off the list, and if I’m not careful, I begin to believe I made it happen on my own. But the reality is, apart from Him, I can do nothing. Nothing. The only way I’ve pulled off anything in my life is because God enabled it. The way I fight this kind of pride is by intentionally acknowledging Him as my source. He’s the resource, the provider, the reason anything comes together in the first place.
The second form of pride, though, is more subtle—insecurity. I once heard Jackie Hill Perry say that insecurity is also a form of pride because it still centers on self instead of God. It’s looking at what I lack instead of what He provides. He created me with certain skills, abilities, and personality traits, and when I let insecurity hold me back from stepping into something He’s called me to, I’m still failing to acknowledge Him. I’m still making it about me instead of Him.
The Alternative: Confident Humility
So, what’s the alternative? What’s the posture I want to take? Confident humility.
That means knowing exactly where my gifts come from, using them without hesitation, and always pointing back to the One who gave them. It means stepping boldly into the things He’s placed before me—not because I’m capable on my own, but because He equips me for every good work.
And ultimately, it means avoiding the destruction that comes from pride by continually surrendering to the One who makes all things possible.
That’s where I want to be—walking in confident humility, giving Him all the glory, and trusting that wherever He calls me, He has already prepared the way.
