Pride is an emotion that can cause us to be stuck in our own ways and unable to move forward, in our personal lives, our professional lives and in our ministries.
It can hinder personal growth and cause us to become stuck in a mental loop and ignore the advice of others.
How we can manage the spirit of pride and unlock personal growth.
What is pride?
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom
Pride is often viewed as a sense of self-importance and superiority to think highly of ourselves and to be boastful.
The spirit of pride is associated with arrogance, self-centeredness, and a disregard for God and others.
When we are prideful we make decisions without seeking God first because we think we don’t need His input.
It is a way of living to trust in God’s plans, to keep our heart humble, and to seek God above all else.
When we live our lives in this way, we can be proud, knowing that we are putting our trust in the Lord.
Humility vs. Pride
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Humility is the opposite of pride and involves putting our trust in the Lord, rather than in ourselves.
We must recognize and acknowledge our weaknesses and limitations before we can truly understand our need for God’s help.
By humbly surrendering our lives to Him, we can realize the true power of faith and how He can help us overcome our weaknesses and strive to be better.
In doing so, we can avoid pride and focus on the joys of faith and fellowship with God.
What is the root of pride?
The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—behaves with insolent fury.
Pride is not just a lack of humility, it is an active turning from God.
It is rooted in rebellion since pride leads us to think that our own thoughts and plans are better than those of God.
When we disregard His Word and act solely on our own desires, this reveals a heart of pride and rebellion.
Therefore, avoiding the destructive power of pride starts with recognizing it as sinful and submitting ourselves to the authority of God’s Word.
The root causes of pride
- A sense of self-importance or overestimation of our own abilities and accomplishments.
- A lack of humility and an unwillingness to admit our own weaknesses and limitations.
- A desire for power and control over others.
- A need for validation and recognition from others.
- A lack of understanding or awareness of our own sinfulness and dependence on God.
- A belief that we can achieve salvation or righteousness through our own efforts rather than through grace.
- A comparison with others in order to feel superior.
- A lack of gratitude and an inability to appreciate the blessings and gifts that we have received.
Ultimately, pride is a sin that comes from a self-centered perspective and a lack of understanding of our place and the need to rely on God and others.
Overcome the Spirit of Pride
To overcome pride, turn to accepting and understanding the limitations of our own power.
Instead of embracing selfish ambition and intense competition with others, we can strive to become more selfless and serve those in need.
As Christians, we are called to serve as Jesus did by putting others first and sacrificing our own comfort for their good.
When we do this, we will be blessed by experiencing true joy and a deeper connection with God.
Steps To Take Towards Humility
God gives grace to the humble, but he opposes the proud.
This powerful truth speaks volumes to the importance of humility. It isn’t about diminishing our gifts and talents, it’s about using them to glorify God.
- Reflect on our actions and attitudes, and ask ourselves if we are motivated by a desire for personal glory or a desire to serve God and others.
- Practice humility by recognizing our own weaknesses and limitations, and giving credit to others for their contributions.
- Seek forgiveness from God and from those we may have hurt through our pride.
- Spend time in prayer and meditation on scripture, which can help to remind us of the importance of humility and the dangers of pride.
- Practice self-control and discipline in our thoughts and actions, so as to avoid becoming excessively self-centered.
- Surround yourself with people who will encourage humility and discourage pride.
- As Christians, true humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less.
How Does God Deals With Pride
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
God deals with pride in several ways.
- God opposes the proud – The Bible teaches that God opposes the proud and exalts the humble. When a person is prideful, they are putting themselves above God which is unacceptable.
- God humbles the proud – God often uses trials and difficulties to humble the proud and bring us to a greater understanding of our dependence on Him; which should lead us to repentance.
- God shows grace to the humble – The Bible teaches that God shows favor to the humble and those who acknowledge our need for Him.
- God gives wisdom to the humble – When we are humble, we are more likely to listen to and follow God’s guidance.
- God disciplines His children – When a child of God is prideful, He may discipline us as a way of helping us to see our sin and turn from it.
- God forgives the repentant -. When a person confesses their pride and asks for forgiveness, God is faithful to forgive them.
God desires for us to have humility and to acknowledge that everything we have and everything we are, comes from Him.
Bible Verses About Pride
Proverbs 8:13 – “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”
Isaiah 2:11-12 – “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”
Matthew 23:12 – “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Proverbs 29:23 – “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”
These verses, and many others, serve as a reminder of the dangers of pride and the importance of humility in the eyes of God.
Conclusion
If you’re struggling with the spirit of pride, consider reaching out to a trusted friend or mentor for advice.
Take some time to think about the techniques discussed in this post and start taking those first steps towards managing the spirit of pride.
I wear many hats; Wife, Mom, Minister, Blogger and Entrepreneur.
It’s not easy juggling everything but with the Grace of God, I can do all things!
My plate is full but my cup runneth over!!
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I find that whenever I put in hard work and it pays off, pride can so easily slip in my heart. I’m so grateful God gives me awareness and forgiveness in these situations!
Great post!
Really great post on the sin of pride!! Love how you showed the difference between humility and pride and all of the Bible verses on pride and what God thinks about it!!