Thursday, August 20 – Plead with God to teach us that it is possible to have a modest outward appearance while having the critical, self-righteous, judgmental heart of a Pharisee. Ask God to deliver us from our self-righteous pride and to give us penitent, gracious hearts that regard others as more important than ourselves. 

"The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’” (Luke 18:11-12, NASB).

Friday, August 21 – Ask God to reveal our self-justifying behavior. Beg Him to make us sensible of His evaluation of us, our depravity and that our only hope is in His mercy.

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to you. I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:4, NASB).

Saturday, August 22 – Petition the Lord to help us see that self-righteous people measure how they are doing spiritually by performance and duty rather than by the condition of their heart, and that they spend more time in performance than in prayer, cultivating a relationship with Christ. 

“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector” (Luke 18:9-10, NASB).

Sunday, August 23 – Beg God to strike another blow against our self-righteousness. Seek deliverance from the sin of being highly opinionated, unteachable, judgmental and critical of others.  Ask God for the kind of heart that He revives.

“But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself” (1 Cor 4:3, NASB).

Monday, August 24 – Cry out to God to deliver us from the self-righteous attitude that points out, talks about, and feels good about not sinning like others do, rather than mourning and grieving over our own sinfulness. Beg God to help us see our sinfulness and desperate need of revival.

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'” (Luke 18:13, NASB).

Tuesday, August 25 – Seek grace for deliverance from the delusion of trusting in ourselves. Ask God to deliver us from the hardness, deception, pride and pretense of self-righteousness.

“Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, He would prove me perverse” (Job 9:20, AMP).

Wednesday, August 26 – Entreat God  to teach us how fatal it is to exaggerate the faults of others and minimize our own. Ask Him to forgive our pride that sees ourselves as more spiritual than others and ask God to revive our own hearts rather than the hearts of others.

“Two men went up . . .  the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican . . . I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:10, 14, KJV).