“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” // Matthew 7:15-16
Phew, it’s a good thing I never fall for false prophets!
If you had a reaction similar to mine when reading today’s Gospel (see Matthew 7:15-20), then you, like me, might struggle with pride! Pride itself is a familiar false prophet. I know we like to think of false prophets as only those blatantly ridiculous or bombastic personalities touting the newest thing on YouTube, but in reality we listen to not just other voices but to our own sinful inclinations more than we think.
Pride likes to sneak into our habits of thinking: how we think about ourselves, how we think about others, and how we think about the world around us. It happens little by little, and all of sudden it is a giant wall that has blocked off our heart from God’s love, relationships with others, and a proper understanding of ourselves. The fruits are obviously bad!
It is so difficult to recognize when we start to follow the false prophet of pride in our own lives. It is much easier to recognize the voices that are outside us, the misguided messages bombarding us at every turn, but not so much our own bad habits or the way we begin to think that our way is best, even when held up beside God’s way.
Pride, with its insistence that our way is best, is always tempting to follow. It is a siren call that pulls us towards individualization and selfishness. To be connected to Christ, and to not only enjoy the fruits of His teaching, but to be a channel for the fruits of His love to flow to others, means following His Word in humility and submitting our way to His.
Is there an area of your life today that is being led by pride instead of God’s Word? Ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light on your intentions and motivations today.
Christy Isinger is a cradle Catholic, wife, and mother of five teenagers from western Canada. During the short Canadian summers she tries to garden and grow flowers, while in the long cold winters she reads a lot of books, writes, and homeschools. Her Substack newsletter can be found at christyisinger.substack.com.
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