The Narcissism Epidemic: What the Bible Says About Pride in Today’s Culture

Have you ever dealt with someone who twists every story, demands control, and always plays the victim? The world calls it narcissism, but the Bible calls it pride — and it’s a spiritual battle that’s destroying hearts, homes, and churches.

In this powerful episode of Behind The Mike Podcast, Mike Stone uncovers the spirit of narcissism that’s taken root in our culture — and contrasts it with the Spirit of Christ, who calls us to humility, grace, and truth.

You’ll learn:
⚔️ The biblical origins of narcissism (Isaiah 14, Genesis 3, and 2 Timothy 3)
💔 How pride destroys relationships and isolates hearts
💡 The difference between healthy boundaries and self-worship
❤️‍🔥 How to walk in humility and freedom through Jesus Christ

If you’ve been wounded by manipulation, control, or gaslighting — or if you’ve seen pride creeping into your own heart — this message will speak directly to you.

✝️ “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” — James 4:6

#BehindTheMikePodcast #ChristianPodcast #MikeStone #Narcissism #Pride #Humility #Jesus #Faith #BibleTeaching #ChristianLiving #Gaslighting #ToxicPeople #Healing #Grace #Truth #FreedomInChrist #ChristianEncouragement #SpiritualWarfare

Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 – The rise of narcissism and self-worship
01:44 – How the Bible defines pride and control
03:29 – The pain of manipulation and gaslighting
04:00 – What Scripture says about narcissism (2 Timothy 3)
06:00 – Lucifer’s fall: the origin of pride
08:17 – The Spirit of Christ vs. the spirit of self
10:36 – Humility is warfare, not weakness
11:41 – Narcissism in relationships and the cost of control
14:30 – Finding healing and freedom through surrender
17:00 – Let God defend you
18:20 – Guarding your heart from becoming what hurt you
19:40 – Walking in grace and truth
20:47 – Setting healthy boundaries
22:00 – A prayer for humility and restoration
23:00 – Surrendering pride and finding freedom in Christ
25:00 – Final encouragement: Walk humbly with your God

Transcript

0:00

Hey friends, have you ever dealt with someone who could twist every story to make themselves the victim who craved control, demanded loyalty, and turned every good thing back toward themselves? The world calls it narcissism. The Bible calls it pride. And it's far more dangerous than you might think. Today on Behind the Mike Podcast, we're going to talk about the spirit of narcissism and how it wages war against the Spirit of Christ, because this battle isn't just there, it's inside all of us. So stick around. Hey friends, welcome back to Behind the Mike Podcast with Mike Stone. Today's episode is one that I've been wanting to talk about for a long time, and it's not easy, but it's necessary because I think so many of us are walking through life with people who manipulate, gaslight or control. And we're left wondering, what does God say about that? And maybe even deeper. What does God want to show me through that? You've probably heard the word narcissist tossed around a lot lately. It's become almost trendy. But the truth is, the Bible has been talking about this kind of person for thousands of years, just under a different name. The proud, the haughty, the self exalting. And if we're honest, pride isn't just something they have, it's something that we all have to guard against. Let's start off with the culture of self. We live in a world that practically worships the self. Everywhere you look, it's believe in yourself. Put yourself first. You deserve better. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with healthy confidence or boundaries. But somewhere along the line, the self-help movement turned into the self worship movement. And that's where narcissism begins. When self becomes the God of the heart. Proverbs

16: 2:18

18 says, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It doesn't say sometimes. It's basically saying always because pride always has a crash coming. It's inevitable. I've seen it in my life. I've lived near it. Without going into details. I've had a situation for years that's tested every ounce of patience and grace that I've got someone who always had to be in control, someone always had to win, always had to have the last word. And every time I tried to make peace, it turned into another battle. I'd leave conversations wondering how did this become my fault? That's gaslighting. When the truth gets twisted, until you start to doubt your own reality. And if you've dealt with that before, you know the emotional exhaustion that it brings. It's like walking on eggshells, trying to avoid landmines that shouldn't be there in the first place. But here's what I want you to hear. God sees that he knows the toll that it takes on your heart, and he's not silent about it. So what does the Bible say about narcissism, even if it doesn't use that word? Well, in 2 Timothy

3: 3:47

1-5, Paul gives us this chilling description of what people will look like in the last days. It says, but mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Wow, that list sounds like it was written for culture today. Lovers of themselves. That's narcissism in one phrase. Having a form of godliness but denying its power. That's the spiritual version of it. People who wear religion like a costume to hide their pride. Jesus saw it. He saw it in the Pharisees and Matthew 23. He said, everything they do is done for people to see. They make their factories wide and the tassels on their garments long. They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. He wasn't just calling out religious hypocrisy. He was describing the original narcissistic personality, image obsessed, attention hungry, status driven and manipulative. Under the surface. It's sobering to realize that pride didn't start on Earth. It started in heaven. Isaiah 14 gives us a window into the fall of Lucifer. We talked about this in a previous episode. Lucifer became Satan. Listen to this. It says, you said in your heart I will ascend to the heavens. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly. On the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.

Isaiah 14: 6:04

13-14. Five times Lucifer says, I will, I will ascend. I will rise, I will sit, I will ascend above. I will make myself. That is the heartbeat of narcissism. I will verse 15 flips. It says, but you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. The Hebrew word for pride here. And I'm a butcher. It is God of war, which literally means arrogance, swelling, or happiness. It paints the picture of someone puffed up, inflated with their own importance until God pops the bubble. And if that sounds harsh, remember, pride isn't just an attitude problem. It's a worship problem that dethrone God and puts me at the center. So when we talk about narcissism, we're not just talking about a personality trait or a mental diagnosis. We're talking about a spiritual posture that says, I'm the center of my own universe. And that's exactly what Satan whispered to Eve

in Genesis 3: 7:17

5, where it says, you will certainly not die. The serpent said to the woman, For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. That's it. You will be like God. The same lie, the same spirit. So when I see pride rears its head in people, in culture, even in myself, I try to remind myself that this isn't just bad behavior, it's spiritual rebellion. It's the oldest sin that there is. And if left unchecked, it always destroys what it touches marriages, friendships, churches, communities. Because pride isolates. It can't love fully. It can't listen humbly, and it can't admit when it's wrong. And yet Jesus shows us another way. So let's talk about the Spirit of Christ. When we talk about the Spirit of Christ, we're talking about the exact opposite of what we've just described. So we're narcissism says, exalt yourself. Jesus says, deny yourself. Where pride says, serve me. Jesus says, I came to serve.

Matthew 20: 8:46

28 tells us plainly, The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. You know that single sentence destroys the foundation of narcissism because it shows power wrapped in humility. It shows authority expressed through sacrifice. Now, the Greek word used for humble

in Philippians 2: 9:13

8 is and I'll butcher it again. Tap inio. It means to make low, to bring down one's self-importance. And that's the heartbeat of Jesus. Let's read that together.

Philippians 2: 9:26

8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. That is the Spirit of Christ. He had every right to demand worship. Yet he chose the cross. Years ago, I remember trying to reason with someone who could never admit wrong no matter what happened. Somehow they were always the misunderstood one, the victim, the hero of their own story. And I remember praying, God, how do I deal with this without becoming bitter? That's easy to do. And what I felt God whispering back to me was convicting. I felt like he was saying, and even through his words, saying, let me fight your battles and you focus and fight to stay humble. That is not easy. When someone gaslights you or twist truth, everything in you wants to defend yourself, to prove your innocence. But humility doesn't mean silence. It means restraint. It means letting truth speak for itself, even when the lies are louder.

James 4: 10:47

6 says, God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Another Greek word for you, the word opposes is anti taso, which means military. It's a military term meaning to rage in battle. Against. Think about that when we walk in pride. God literally lines up in opposition to us. But when we walk in humility, heaven lines up for us. So when pride tries to take over, humility isn't weakness, it's warfare. Let's talk about what narcissism actually does to relationships. It divides. It manipulates. It drains the oxygen out of love. Maybe you've been there with a family member, a boss, maybe even someone in your church. You start thinking, well, maybe if I just try harder. They'll finally see me. But you can't win a game that's rigged to feed someone's ego. And that's why Jesus warned

in Luke 14: 11:56

11, which says, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. If you've ever been hurt by a narcissistic person, hear me. That's not God's design for love. Love isn't control. Love isn't manipulation. Love doesn't twist the truth to protect an image. A great passage of scripture about love. True love is the one you've probably heard before. And for first Corinthians

13: 12:31

4-6, it says it so clearly. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, and it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It can't fake that kind of love because real love has no room for self worship. We try to look to Jesus for our example. So, when Jesus walked the earth, he faced narcissistic behavior on every side. Religious leaders tried to trap him with their questions, to embarrass him publicly, to test his loyalty to the law. We know Pilate tried to bait him into defending himself. And even Judas, one of his own, betrayed him for personal gain. Yet Jesus never mirrored their pride. He never stooped to their manipulation. He stood in truth. He spoke with authority. And he let his humility be his defense.

First Peter 2: 13:44

23 says, when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. That verse has carried me through some long days and long nights, when it felt like, no matter how gracious I tried to be, it was never enough. Jesus didn't fight for his reputation. He trusted the father with it. And sometimes that's what real strength looks like. So practically, if you've ever been wounded by someone like this and maybe you're still carrying those scars, like, like I do. Hear me clearly. God knows the truth. Even when others rewrite the story.

Psalm 34: 14:39

18 says, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirits. That's for you. The Hebrew word for crushed is the car. It literally means to be shattered into fine dust. If you're feeling shattered, God specializes in gathering those pieces. He's not just your defender. He's your healer. He can teach you how to set boundaries without building walls. He can help you forgive without excusing sin. And he can restore your peace. The kind that no manipulation can steal away. I want to wrap this up by talking about freedom and how to walk in the Spirit of Christ, when pride is all around you, and how to guard your own heart from becoming what hurt you. So what do you do when you've been burned by pride? When the lies have spread, the story has been twisted and you feel stuck somewhere between anger and sheer exhaustion. The temptation is to fight back. Now, I've done that the same way that you were hurt by pride. I've done that to match pride with pride. To control what you can't fix. But the Spirit of Christ invites us to something radical. Freedom through surrender. Galatians five one says, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. My friends, pride is a yoke. Control is a yoke. They weigh you down until you can't breathe. Jesus breaks that yoke not by overpowering it, but by out loving it. So first of all, let God defend you. There were nights when I would just replay conversations over and over in my head, trying to craft the perfect comeback. You ever do that? Then one day as I was praying, I sensed God speaking to me. You can spend your energy proving you're right or you can spend it becoming more like me. Pretty simple. I cut deep because sometimes we want justice more than we want Jesus.

Romans 12: 17:23

19 says, very important, do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written. It is mine to avenge. I will repay, says the Lord. God's justice may move slower than what we want, slower than our emotions. But it's always perfect. And letting him defend you doesn't make you weak. It makes you free. Secondly, guard your heart from becoming what hurt you. What I mean is, if we're not careful, prolonged pain can kind of morph into pride of our own. We start thinking. I'd never treat people that way. And pride creeps in through the back door.

Philippians 2: 18:15

3-4 can keep us anchored. It says do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourself, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. The Greek phrase for selfish ambition there is a riskier. It literally means a spirit of rivalry. So when we let hurt Harden into rivalry, we start competing with the very people that God called us to love. So the prayer then becomes, Lord, heal me. So I don't mirror that same pride that wounded me. Third. Walking in truth and grace.

John 1: 19:09

14 says, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth. Grace and truth. Not without compassion and not grace. Without boundaries. The balance is what exposes narcissism and heals its victims. Truth says this behavior is wrong. And Grace says, but you're still loved together. They say there's a better way. Come and follow Jesus. Number four when you need boundaries, sometimes loving like Jesus means stepping back. Even Jesus withdrew from people who wanted to kill him and his mission before it was time.

Mark 1: 20:09

35, says he often went to solitary places to pray. So boundaries aren't walls. They're just wisdom. They protect peace so you can keep loving from a place of wholeness and not weariness. That's important if you need permission to rest, to step away, to stop explaining yourself over and over, you have it. God doesn't call you to be someone else's emotional punching bag. He calls you to be light. And sometimes light shines best when it's no longer trapped in someone else's storm. You know, every morning we choose whose image will reflect throughout the day. The image of self or the image of Christ. And that's not a one time decision. We've talked about this before. It's daily surrender.

Jesus said in Luke 9: 21:07

23, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me daily, because pride keep knocking every morning whispering protect your image. But the cross answers die to your image and live for mine. Humility doesn't mean thinking less of yourself. It means thinking of yourself less. It means living in such a way that when people see you, they glimpse at the heart of Jesus, not the shadow of self. So before we close, I want to ask you something that only you can answer. Is there any part of your heart that's become hard from pride, from pain, or from control? Maybe you've been the one who's been wounded by narcissism. Or maybe if you're honest, you've seen bits of that in yourself. Either way, Grace is here. God never exposes pride to shame us. He exposes it to free us. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24 is my prayer today. And it says, search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there's any offensive way in me. And lead me in the way. Everlasting. That is a brave prayer. And it's also the one that leads us to peace. So maybe as you've listened, you've realized something deeper that pride has kept you at a distance from God himself. You've been trying to run your own life. Call your own shots. Be your own savior, my friend. That's what sin is. It's putting yourself where only God belongs. But here's the good news. Jesus humbled himself so you could be lifted up. He took every ounce of your sin and my sin, including our pride. And he nailed it to the cross. Three days later, he rose again so we could walk in freedom and not shame. So Romans ten nine declares it very simply if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That's it. It's not religion. It's not performance. It's not image. Just surrender. If you've never made that decision, you can do that right now. Wherever you are, don't repeat it. Say something like this from the heart. Lord Jesus, I admit I've tried to run my own life. I've let pride sit on the throne of my heart. Today I surrender. I believe you died for me and rose again. Forgive me and fill me with your spirit. Teach me to walk in the way of humility and truth. I belong to you. Amen. If you prayed that prayer. Welcome to freedom. You just traded self-rule for the Savior's reign. And there's no better exchange. Maybe you're still in the middle of a hard situation dealing with manipulation, gaslighting, and control. I'm there. Hold on to this. You don't need to win every argument. You just need to keep your integrity. You don't need to prove your worth. Jesus already did that on the cross. You don't need everyone's approval. You already have God's. Another one of my favorite verse verses in the Bible sums it up perfectly.

It's Micah 6: 25:19

8 and it says, he has shown you all mortal what is good and what does God require of you to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? That's our calling to walk humbly. And when we do, even in a pride filled world, people will see something different in us. Not the spirit of narcissism, but the Spirit of Christ. Hey, thanks for joining me today on Behind the Mike Podcast. If if this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who needs hope or healing. And remember, truth still stands. Love still wins and grace still changes everything. Hey, if you're not subscribed to this YouTube channel or to this audio podcast, please click the subscribe button and the notification button on YouTube. And please click the subscribe button on your favorite podcast app. Thanks again for joining us. I'm Mike Stone. We'll see you next time on Behind the Mike Podcast. Keep you.