Thy Kingdom Come, My Will Be Done (The Quiet Creep of Pride) | Pastor Amara Ononiwu

In this powerful message on pride and humility, we explore how pride rarely storms the gates of our hearts—it quietly creeps in whenever our will begins to replace God’s rule in our lives. Drawing from both Scripture and personal testimony, this sermon calls us out of self-sufficiency and into honest dependence on Jesus.

Key Themes & Scriptures:

• The spiritual danger of pride
  • Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction…”
  • James 4:6 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
  • Proverbs 28:26 – “Those who trust in themselves are fools…”
• Pride as self-centeredness and self-rule
  • Genesis 3 – Adam and Eve seeking wisdom apart from God
  • Genesis 11 – Tower of Babel: “Let us make a name for ourselves”
  • Daniel 4:28–37 – Nebuchadnezzar’s boast and God’s humbling
  • Tim Keller and C.S. Lewis on pride as “the great sin” (cf. Mere Christianity)
• How pride blinds us
  • Proverbs 3:5–7 – “Trust in the Lord…lean not on your own understanding…Do not be wise in your own eyes.”
  • James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.”
  • Psalm 139:23–24 – “Search me, God, and know my heart…”
• Mislabeling pride in our lives
  • Defensiveness, control, comparison, isolation, and self-protection
  • Calling control “leadership,” avoidance “peace,” isolation “independence,” and stubbornness “conviction”
• Pride and our God-given purpose
  • Genesis 1:26–28 – Made in God’s image, called to steward and fill the earth
  • Ephesians 4:11–16 – The body builds itself up in love as each part does its work
  • How pride steals glory from God, diminishes the beauty of the bride, and hinders our mission to the city
• The way of Jesus: humility
  • Philippians 2:5–8 – Christ humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross
  • Biblical humility as honest dependence, not self-hatred or false modesty
  • Turning from self-rule back to the lordship of Christ through repentance
• Repentance as a gift of grace
  • James 4:6–10 – Grace to the humble, drawing near to God
  • 1 John 1:9 – Confess, and He is faithful and just to forgive
  • Jeremiah 29:13 – Seeking God with all our heart

This message invites you into a time of Holy Spirit–led self-examination, repentance, and surrender. Learn how to recognize the subtle language of pride, break agreement with unhealthy independence, and step into the freedom, beauty, and power of a humble, Christ-centered life.

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