In Podcast Episode 347, “Power, Pride, and the Plummet,” Kim discusses the humiliating fall of the puffed-up King Uzziah of the Southern Kingdom. As long as he feared the Lord and sought guidance from the Lord, he had a successful life, and the kingdom of Judah thrived. Yet, at some point, his eyes left the Lord and his purposes, and began to consider himself above respect for God and His law. May each of us learn from Uzziah’s tragic end.
Our focal passage for this episode is 2 Chronicles 26:16-23, with 16 as the focal verse:
“But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.”
WEEKLY ENGAGEMENT FEATURE:
Humbly pray the prayer provided below and fully submit to the Spirit’s leading.
You are the Lord Almighty, the One who resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
We come before You today, confessing that pride has crept into our hearts like a silent thief, stealing our dependence on You.
Forgive us, Lord, when we have thought too highly of ourselves,
when we have sought our own glory instead of Yours.
Like King Uzziah, we have sometimes trusted in our success, our strength, our wisdom—
and forgotten that “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Break our hearts where pride has taken root.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Search us and reveal any arrogance, self-reliance, or desire to be seen by others.
Help us to “humble ourselves under Your mighty power” (1 Peter 5:6),
knowing that You alone are worthy of praise.
Teach us to walk in the fear of the Lord,
for “true humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life” (Proverbs 22:4).
Clothe us with humility, as You clothed Your Son, Jesus,
who “humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).
May we never stand on the precipice of pride,
but instead “boast only about the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31),
and “take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:10).
Guard our hearts, our words, and our actions.
Let “everything we do… bring glory to God” (1 Corinthians 10:31),
and keep us low at the foot of the cross,
where true greatness is found in serving, not in being served.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our humble King, we pray.
Amen. (Grok, Oct. 31, 2025)
Additional Resources and Scriptures:
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This podcast is hosted by Kim Smith, a small town Country Girl who left her comfort zone to follow Jesus in a big City World. Now, she wants to use God's Word and lessons from her faith journey to encourage others in loving Jesus.
In each episode, Kim will share insights regarding a portion of God's Word and challenge listeners to apply the lessons to their daily lives.
If you want to grow in your faith and learn how to encourage others in loving Jesus, subscribe and commit to prayerfully listening each week.
Remember, “It’s Always a Trust & Obey Kinda Day!”
If you have questions or comments or would like to learn more about how to follow Jesus, please email Kim at [email protected].
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004.
Podcast recorded through Cleanfeed and edited through GarageBand. The soundtrack, entitled “Outlaw John McShane” was obtained from Pixabay.
If you can't access episodes 1-50 on your podcast app (the podcast was then entitled "A Country Girl in a City World - Loving Jesus"), you can get all the content at my Podbean site at https://acountrygirlinacityworldlovingjesus.podbean.com/
