Mighty Monday - February 23, 2026

The traffic light changed, but the car in front of me did not move. I waited for what seemed like an eternity but had to have been a three-second count. Still the car did not budge. The driver was distracted. The next logical thing to do is to get their attention by tapping the horn. I tapped the horn. I did not lean on it like I was trying to squeeze the remnants of toothpaste from a tube. Just a tap. One simple beep.

However, now this driver was angry with me. As we each navigated our cars around the corner, she landed in the right lane, and I moved into the other. In my mind, we were done; we were safely around the corner. But for the other driver, I had done something wrong. As we travelled on, she suddenly switched into my lane. I mashed the brake to avoid coming close to her car. The next few moments were a game of trying to pass her. I moved into the right lane and so did she. I moved into the left lane and so did she.

When we finally came alongside each other and made eye contact, I opened my mouth, but heard in my spirit, "It's your pride that's about to speak."

The Holy Spirit in the believer acts as a coach and mentor. The Spirit reminds us that God can guide our daily responses to others. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit uses a gentle nudge to show us that our next words, next actions, or next thoughts are from our pride.

Good pride is when we feel wonderful about our accomplishments or about others’. Bad pride kicks in when we feel disrespected. It pushes us to retaliate. In Proverbs 16:18, the writer states that the predecessor of destruction is pride. Therefore, the Holy Spirit's internal nudging is working to avoid our downfall.

As we venture through this next week, listen as the Spirit guides you that perhaps a response you are making is your pride speaking. A beautiful aspect of the Holy Spirt is that he is respectful. He doesn't force us. He gently nudges. Listen to the nudging and stop your pride from speaking too fast.

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit who leads us, coaches us and mentors us in how to live to glorify you. May we be sensitive to his nudging this week. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Reflection: Where else has your pride spoken for you?