Pride’s Greatest Illusion
When I was young, I had an imaginary friend named Pride. Pride wasn’t the typical companion of childhood imagination—it was more of a quiet voice, constantly whispering in my ear. Whenever my parents tried to teach me right from wrong, Pride would step in: “They’re trying to control you. Don’t listen to them. You know what’s best.”
As you might imagine, listening to Pride got me into a lot of trouble. One such incident still stands out.
During a school break, a group of friends convinced me to follow them into a store to steal candy. We were caught red-handed—cameras, witnesses, and all. The store clerk decided not to press charges, but our principal made it clear we weren’t off the hook. Letters would be sent to our parents detailing everything.
The thought of my parents finding out terrified me more than the police. As some of my friends began crying, Pride intervened: “You can outsmart them. Just intercept the letter.” For the next two weeks, I raced home every day after school, beating the mailman. When the letter finally arrived, I tore it to shreds and scattered its remains far and wide. I thought I had outwitted everyone, but in reality, I was running from the truth.
Looking back, I’m not proud of that moment—or of the many other situations Pride led me into. Over the years, Pride had become so deeply ingrained in my decisions that I mistook its voice for my own. Pride is deceptive, a master of disguise. It convinces you to resist correction, reject truth, and fight against the very people who love you.
The Deception of Pride
The Bible warns us about this spirit in Titus 1:10-16:
“For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception… They claim to know God, but by their actions, they deny him…”
This passage reveals the nature of Pride—it disrupts, deceives, and destroys. Even in the early church, Pride masqueraded as righteousness, twisting good intentions for selfish gain. For example, some insisted on circumcision as proof of faith, not out of love for God, but for dishonest profit. Their actions caused division, pain, and even loss of life.
Today, Pride continues to wreak havoc, often cloaked in ideologies that seem noble. It whispers that you must deny who you are, change your body, or conform to societal expectations to be “authentic.” But at its core, Pride’s message is always the same: “You are not enough as you are.”
The Root of the Problem
The Bible gives us a simple command in Mark 12:30-31:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
But how can we love God if we don’t know Him? And how can we love others if we don’t first accept ourselves as He created us? Pride preys on this foundational disconnect. It tells us to deny the truth of our creation—that we were made in God’s image, fearfully and wonderfully crafted. Pride whispers that we are broken, flawed, and unworthy without masks, surgery, or accolades.
This illusion is especially dangerous for children. Luke 17:1-3 warns:
“Woe to anyone through whom [stumbling blocks] come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
The spirit of Pride targets the innocent, shaping their minds through media, education, and cultural pressures. It distorts their sense of self before they even have the chance to discover God’s love.
My Journey of Healing
I’ve battled Pride for much of my life. It has torn apart relationships, ruined opportunities, and led me down paths of sin and regret. But through prayer and surrender to Jesus Christ, I’ve begun to discern its voice and resist its lies. The process is not easy, and I still wrestle with it daily, but I am learning to replace Pride’s deception with the truth of God’s Word.
To anyone reading this who struggles with Pride, know that this message is not meant to shame you. I do not know your story, your pain, or the experiences that have shaped you. But I do know this: True healing and acceptance cannot come from external validation or fleeting illusions. They can only come from God, who loves you unconditionally, and from learning to love yourself as He made you.
A Call to Love and Truth
The greatest commandment is to love—God, ourselves, and our neighbors. But Pride seeks to disrupt this order. It tells us that the reflection we see in the mirror is unworthy of love unless it is masked, altered, or hidden. Yet God sees us, stripped bare, in all our flaws and imperfections, and calls us His beloved.
The spirit of Pride is at war for our minds, bodies, and souls. But there is hope. Just as Jesus cast out the spirits tormenting the man in Mark 5, He can free us from the grip of Pride. When the man was delivered, he was found fully clothed and in his right mind—a testament to the restoration Jesus offers.
I pray for everyone who struggles with this spirit, as I have. May you find peace, clarity, and healing in Christ. May you discover the joy of loving yourself and others through the lens of God’s truth. And may we all continue to challenge the illusions of Pride with the humility and grace that only Jesus can provide.
With love and sincerity,
Bueka Uwemedimo