Growing as an Enneagram Two: The HelperShembull

How Satan Uses Pride to Stop You 

Satan uses pride to hide how Twos reflect God. When we let pride make itself at home in our hearts, then we start to soak up all the glory that belongs to God. Prideful hearts will also shift our focus on the feedback we’re receiving and how well or poorly others are reciprocating our kindness instead of why we’re doing it in the first place. You see, discontentment and selfishness are the best friends of pride. We’ll rarely find one without the others.

If Satan can win in this area, then others will start to reject our offers of help. The price is too high when they can’t repay us or might even forget to thank us. A prideful heart says, “I will do this so that you will honor and glorify me!” A prideful heart keeps a record of every good thing it’s done as proof that it should be treated better and is worthy of love. Keeping record of our giving is not generosity. Giving with an expectation of getting something in return (without explicitly saying so) is manipulative.

Most people can sense a prideful heart before they can name it. If this is the case, they won’t want your help, charity, generosity, or gifts. This is how Satan stops you from reflecting helpfulness and generosity in Christ’s love: he inflates the price for your help, and that’s when people start to reject it.

Of course, there are other reasons people refuse your help that have nothing to do with your pride, but when pride is on full display, the no’s start rolling in. They may even end with the ultimate no—a no to friendship or a relationship of any kind.

In contrast, a humble heart says, “Here I am” (Isaiah 6:8); I will serve even if I receive nothing in return. A humble heart is not focused on its reward here on earth because it knows its reward is in heaven. It doesn’t need your applause or thanks to feel fulfilled.

We all need to grow in this area of humility. Amen?