To glory in self is to exalt one’s own worth above what it really is. It is the act of perceiving yourself as overly important. A person who glories in self is a person who thinks he stands on his own merits and by his own power. This is the reason why the father of lies, Satan, was cast down from heaven. Indeed, Satan is a classic example of someone who gloried in self. He exalted himself above what he really was, and he started to think of himself as better than everyone else, including God. Glorying in self has its roots in self-deception; it starts when a man deceives himself into thinking and believing in a false idea of himself.

Glorying in self might not be obvious at first. It is a very dangerous character flaw that sometimes creeps in on children of God until it leads them to doom. What then are the signs that a person glories in self? One indicator is when you feel the need to parade in public what should and can be done in private. This was one of the issues Jesus had with the Pharisees. They would rather pray in public than pray behind closed doors, and when they fasted, they ensured that it showed on their faces, just so that everyone knew they were fasting. Even today, some people ensure that every good thing they do is done from the rooftops, so that people will see and praise them. In addition, people who glory in self tend to talk about themselves a lot. This is majorly because they feel the need to constantly list out their accomplishments and achievements. They are always quick to say ”I” even when”we” is the appropriate thing to say. People who glory in self honestly feel that they are better than everyone else.

Luke 18:10-13 shows a clear difference between a self glorifying person and a humble person. While humble people see themselves as needing God’s grace and mercy, self-glorifying people think that their actions are perfect enough to dignify them before God and man.

A self-glorifying person will never get anything from God. Only a person who recognizes his or her need for God’s help and asks for it will get it. Glorying in self is very dangerous because at the end of the day, every single thing that person thinks he or she has accomplished will be taken away, and shame, disappointment and humiliation will be the portion 0f such a follow.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.