Chapter 6: Insecurity and Pride — Two Sides of the Same Coin
Pride doesn’t always strut.
Sometimes it slouches.
It doesn’t always say, “I’m the best.”
Sometimes it says, “I’m the worst.”
But both keep the focus on the self.
Pride wears many masks.
One of the most convincing?
Insecurity.
Pride Doesn’t Always Feel Proud
We think pride is arrogant.
Loud. Boastful. Bullying.
But what about:
– “I’m not good enough.”
– “They’re better than me.”
– “Why would anyone care what I say?”
– “God couldn’t use someone like me.”
That may sound humble.
But it’s still centered on me.
The proud heart says,
“I should be more than I am.”
Even when it sounds like self-pity.
The Trap of Self-Focus
Insecurity makes us compare.
It makes us defensive.
It makes us afraid of being unseen, unheard, unvalued.
But every question it asks
starts with self.
– “How do I look?”
– “How did I do?”
– “How do I measure up?”
That’s still pride.
Not because we think too highly of ourselves,
but because we think of ourselves constantly.
Moses at the Burning Bush
God called Moses from the flames.
“Now go. I will send you to Pharaoh.” — Exodus 3:10
Moses didn’t puff up with pride.
He shrank.
“Who am I that I should go?”
“What if they don’t believe me?”
“I am not eloquent…”
“Please, send someone else.”
It sounds like humility.
But it’s still refusal.
Still mistrust.
Still me at the center.
God didn’t commend Moses’ insecurity.
He confronted it.
“Who made man’s mouth?”
“I will be with you.”
Insecurity Can Be Control in Disguise
Sometimes, what looks like self-doubt
is actually a demand for control.
“If I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed,
I won’t try.”
“If I can’t be the best,
I won’t show up.”
“If I might be rejected,
I’ll reject myself first.”
This is not surrender.
It’s pride guarding itself from failure.
True humility says,
“Even if I fail—He is still enough.”
What the Gospel Says
The gospel confronts both ends of pride:
– The high-minded: “You are not your own god.”
– The low-minded: “You are not worthless.”
God does not save the self-sufficient.
Nor does He pity the self-loathing.
He calls both to look away from self—
and look to Him.
The Antidote: Security in Christ
“You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
“In Him we have redemption… according to the riches of His grace.” — Ephesians 1:7
If I am His,
I do not need to prove anything.
I don’t have to be the smartest,
the strongest,
the most admired.
I just have to be His.
That kills both arrogance and anxiety.
What Does It Matter?
If we think pride is only loud,
we’ll never see it in our low self-image.
But pride can whimper as well as shout.
It can paralyze instead of push.
Insecurity keeps us from obedience.
From boldness.
From worship.
Because it still says,
“I’m the center of this story.”
The truth?
We aren’t.
And that’s what sets us free.
Reflection and Questions
Do I often feel I’m not good enough to serve God—or others?
Am I afraid of failure because it would make me look weak?
Do I avoid responsibility in the name of humility?
Is my low view of myself actually pride dressed as shame?
What would it look like to rest in who God says I am—without comparison?
