DEVOTIONAL
One of the student pastors shared a story. This is a story about the time they saved a life when they were in Costa Rica on a mission trip with their youth group. Part of their job on this trip was to serve children in Costa Rica by hosting a camp for them. One day at camp, their group had to cross over a bridge that was very wobbly and looked like it was about to fall apart. Beneath the bridge was a river. While they were walking on the bridge, suddenly the tiny little girl, no older than four, became unsteady on the bridge and almost fell through it. Instantly, they grabbed her, said “be careful” in Spanish, and held her the rest of the way as we crossed the bridge. They tried not to brag, even though they were a little, but they saved a life.
They felt like a superhero that day. Everyone who saw this happen was amazed at how quickly they swooped down and saved this precious little girl. Before you all think too highly of them, they admitted that they were not a superhero. Actually later that day, they ended tripping on that same bridge. They said they let pride get in the way the day they helped that little girl.
That pride was quickly put into check when they tripped. Pride makes us think we are greater and better than we are. It is easy to fall into, isn’t it? If we are not careful, pride can get in the way and make us think we are superman or superwoman when we certainly are not.
INTRODUCTIONWe are in a new series called Kryptonite. In this series we are looking at things that, like superman, become our downfall if we let them. Pride is the first thing we are going to talk about. Pride is when we think and act like we are better than everyone else. Prideful people are focused on them and the things they need instead of other people and what they need. Just like kryptonite rendered Superman powerless, pride will make us look foolish and humble us.
Isaiah 14 gives us a glimpse of Satan’s pride. He thought he was better than God. Here is what verses 13-14 say, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”
In these short verses, it is clear that Satan was very focused on himself. He wanted everything to be about him. That is what pride does to us. We spend our lives thinking about ourselves and not the people around us.
The tricky thing about pride is that it is very sneaky. It is easy to see in other people, but hard to see in ourselves. That is why right now you are thinking about other people you know who have a problem with pride instead of looking at yourself. Our challenge today is to look at ourselves.
Do you ever walk past a mirror and think about how good you look? If you go to Chuze fitness you will find on their mirror that it tells you how good you look. Imagine that helping you take the selfie then affirming you in the process so you can post on social media!
The thing about mirrors is they show you what is there. You can see boogers in your nose, lettuce in your teeth, or a big pimple. Now, mirrors can be good for assessment and today we want you to take a little assessment of where you are when it comes to the Kryptonite of Pride.
I want you to take out a piece of paper and follow along with these questions.
How often do you think you are better than someone else?
Always - Often - Sometimes - Never
Are you critical of others?
Are you a stubborn person?
Are you constantly thinking about yourself and what others think of you?
Okay, look through your answers to those questions. If you are hitting on one of those areas you might need to take some time to reassess where you are at with your pride.
Scripture teaches us that there is a better way to live. Look at what Jesus said in Luke 14:11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” What is the prescription for pride? It's humility. Humility is thinking about others. It involves thinking less about yourself and more about other people. It involves not thinking you are better than everyone else because we are all sinners. So how do we do this? How do we let go of pride and pick up humility instead?
What if instead of using a mirror to see just how God sees you are, you turned it around? What if you started to see instead all the areas that you needed to grow?
This is important because Romans 12:3 says, “Because of the privilege and authority[a] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us."
A humble person admits when they are wrong and they give credit to God when He blesses them.
Now, this is the opportunity after working through the areas you need to grow to acknowledge something. Instead of wallowing in the fact that you don’t have it all together, what if you remind yourself that God loves this person everytime you look in the mirror. What if you knew that God loved this person so much that He sent His Son to die for the wrong things you have done, because He couldn’t stand the thought of being without you. When you do that your focus isn’t on yourself it is on God.
At the end of the day, friends, we have to decide, are we going to spend our lives building up our own names, or God’s. Only one is worthy and deserving of all of the glory and praise, and that is God. Let’s choose humility today.
BREAK THE ICE
Who is your favorite marvel character? Why?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
1. How would you explain what pride is in your own words?
2. Read Isaiah 14:13-14. How did Satan show pride in these verses?
Isaiah 14:13-14 13 For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’
3. Read Luke 14:11. What does pride lead to, according to these verses?
Luke 14:1111 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
4. How are we supposed to live instead of living pridefully? How would you explain humility in your own words?
5. How have you seen pride negatively impact someone’s life and relationships?
6. What is one area you tend to let pride get in the way? (School, sports, extracurriculars, etc.)
7. What is one way you can show humility this week? (Help someone in your class study who is struggling with school, help your teammate who is struggling to keep up, offer to help your parents clean the kitchen? Something else?)
MOVING FORWARD
Sometimes we have to take a step back and evaluate to see areas where pride may have crept its way into our lives. Take a few minutes to think about the 4 questions we can ask ourselves:
Which one of these areas is more of a struggle for you? How can you take a step toward humility and let go of these areas this week? Share these things with your group and pray together when you are finished. Ask that God would give each one of you hearts of humility today.
©2026 Sagebrush Church
