How Pride Puffs You Up

by Rick Warren — February 11, 2021
From When You’re Hoping for a Miracle

“Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake. His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. Jesus warned them, ‘Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, ‘He said this because we have no bread.’”

Mark 8:13-16 (NCV)

In the Bible, yeast is often a metaphor for pride and arrogance. Why? Because both pride and yeast make things puff up.

When you put yeast in dough, the yeast puffs up the dough. It only takes a small amount for this to happen.

Pride in people is similar. Just a little pride can puff you up and quickly take over your life, getting you in all kinds of trouble.

A while back, my wife Kay and I had what you might call an argument. We call it a “love match.” After that argument, I wrote in my journal, “When I’m filled with pride, I blow things out of proportion.”

We all do this. When you’re filled with pride, you blow things out of proportion. All of a sudden, little things get you really upset. When that happens, you know you’re dealing with pride. Wherever you find conflict anywhere in the world, pride is always involved.

When you’re filled with pride—when you have the “yeast of the Pharisees”—guess what? You can’t see life clearly. Pride even blocks you from seeing what God is doing in your life.

Beware the “yeast of the Pharisees” so that you can more closely follow God. As you clear the pride from your life, you’ll start to see how God is working. You may even realize he’s working a miracle in your life.

Talk It Over

  • How has pride affected your relationships with other people?
  • How has pride kept you from developing spiritually?
  • What does pride usually look like in your life? In what ways has it kept you from seeing God’s plan for you?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.