Self-Worth Based on Pride and Fear

Robert S. McGee has stated that if Satan had a formula for self-worth it would equal my performance plus the opinion of others. At the foundation of this formula is pride and fear; we seek to impress or please when people are our audience.

Fear and pride cause me to compare myself with others, leading to either complacency or anxiety. It distorts the truth since I have an unclear view of reality. It causes me to focus on the short-term instead of the long-term. It also makes me falsely believe that I can control all situations. Fear and pride produce opposite results from what I intend.

Giving in to pride and fear results in separation from God (“I don’t need to pray”), separation from others (“I don’t need help”), and separation from ourselves or our own needs (“I don’t need to change”). False pride and toxic fear actually end up poisoning all our relationships.

Fear and pride need to be treated as addictions since they tend to be our default. The starting point for overcoming an addiction or weakness is to admit that we have a problem. A problem defined is a problem half solved.

[Next week we will discuss the full solution and the proper basis for our self-worth.​]