Apostle Paul in our main scripture text is cautioning every believer to be truthful(honest)as you evaluate yourself, not thinking of yourself or believing that you are better than you are. I categorize this phrase under "pride." When you think about pride, it is saying to yourself and those around you that you are superior to everyone else. And so it is essential to be sober and vigilant, with an honest mind, examining yourselves daily to ensure that you are remaining true to yourself, using good sense and measuring yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you (plain text by the Contemporary English version). Some people may argue thinking highly of yourself does not necessarily mean arrogance. However, if you pay attention to what brother Paul was saying in this verse " Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" so he is not saying that it's terrible to think of yourself highly but to the point of it leading to an arrogant and superior attitude.
The spirit of pride is a deadly spirit that every human being needs to be careful of. Many believers have fallen victim to the spirit of pride, and it has resulted in several destinies destroyed. Remember it is the same prideful spirit that brought down Lucifer from the glorious place God had put him. This dangerous spirit has existed since the beginning of time. See Isaiah 14:12-15. A proud heart is deadly and we, as believers must accurately assess ourselves daily to ensure that the spirit of pride has not enslaved our hearts.
Beloved always strive to live a life of humility, do not think of yourself highly or better than the next person because of what God has blessed you with (i.e., material wealth, good education, beauty/looks, spiritual gifts, children, spouse, etc.), do not look down on others because they don't have what you have. Pride is the quickest route to eternal damnation, and I decree it shall not be our portion in Jesus name. I encourage you once again to examine yourself daily to ensure that no iota of pride should be found in you. Be always on alert (vigilant) because pride can creep in anytime due to our sinful nature. Allow the Lord to lift you, exalt you in due season, instead of boasting in yourself, boast in the Lord, giving all the glory to Him.
Scripture reminds us in 1 Peter 5:5b that we as believers should clothe ourselves with humility, i.e. show humility towards one another, respecting and showing kindness to one another. God detests a proud person, an arrogant individual. It states in Proverbs 16:5 that everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord and such a person will not escape God's punishment.
Beloved, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to guard your heart by being conscious of your thought process, how and what you think of yourself, how you react when someone offends you, the thoughts that come into your mind. That is why examining one's self daily and taking an accurate record of your thoughts and emotions is crucial in your Christian walk. It is something I strive to do regularly because I know how easy it is for pride to creep into my heart, how easy it is to think highly of myself than I ought to... If you are struggling with pride in your life today, take heart beloved, with the help of the Holy Spirit you shall surely overcome. You cannot do it alone, but you can do your part by first of all repenting of your sins, asking the Lord to destroy the stronghold of pride and deliver you from the prideful spirit... when you do that, the Holy Spirit will begin to move mightily, completing the deliverance process in your life..…
Shalom.
