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Pride
Pride is perhaps the most dangerous of all
sin. No person is immune from an infection of pride. Pride is
what made Lucifer Satan. It turns God's hand against us and
invites ruin on our lives. It can gain a foothold in our lives
without us even realizing it.
Pride self-test:
Please take this test before proceeding:
- Do you consider yourself to better than
other people?
- Do you refrain from doing things that
would embarrass you?
- Do you have difficulty raising your hands
in worship to God?
- Do you let what others may think about you
hold you back from doing things?
- Do you have trouble admitting it when you
are wrong?
- Do you consider yourself to always be
right?
- Do you get angry when someone doesn't
agree with your view?
- Do you look down others on the basis of
race, gender, creed, education, position, personal hygiene or
appearance?
- Do you find yourself habitually
interrupting people in conversations to give your comments?
- Do you enjoy being the life and center of
attention of a party?
- Do you enjoy talking about yourself in
front of others?
- Do you find it hard to be impressed with
things other people have done?
- Do you feel that you have an answer for
everything?
- Do you frequently respond to other
people's stories with "I know," or "that's nothing"?
- Do you strive to impress others with your
wealth, your possessions, how you drive, body appearance, athletic
ability, professional ability, or humor?
- Do you find yourself criticizing
others?
If the answer to the any of the above
questions was "yes," we encourage you to read on.
Pride is sin: Proverbs makes it
clear that pride is sin: "Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, are sin"
(Proverbs 21:4 NIV). "The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this:
They will not go unpunished. (Proverbs
16:5 NIV). (see also Proverbs
6:16-18)
What
pride does to us:
- Pride inhibits Christian
harmony (Romans
12:16)
- Corrupts our ability to show true
love ( Love is not proud -1 Corinthians 13:4)
- Deceives us:
"The pride of your
heart has deceived you.." Obadiah 1:3 NIV
- Causes us to
forget God: "then your heart will become proud
and you will forget the LORD your God" Deuteronomy 8:14 NIV (also
Psalm
10:4)
- Hardens
our hearts: "But
Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown
him" 2 Chronicles 32:25 NIV
- Blocks prayers, healing and forgiveness (Psalm
18:27)
- Keeps God distant : "For though the LORD is exalted, Yet
He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar" (Psalm
138:6 NASB).
- Brings ruin on our lives: "Pride goes before destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall" Proverbs 16:18 NIV (also Proverbs
15:25, Zephaniah 3:10-12, Leviticus 26:19, Daniel 5:20, Job
20:5-7)
Sources of
Pride
Dealing with Pride: If you have
sinned by pride in your life, we encourage you to confess and repent from
it. Here are suggested prayers to confess and repent of
pride:
- Confess: "Father God, I confess that I have
been prideful in these specific ways: ……(name them all). I
see my pride as sin and I ask your forgiveness through the blood of
Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord, for this forgiveness I have
in Jesus Christ."
Repent:
Repenting from our sin is just as important as confessing it
(Luke 13:3). Repentance means to turn from
our sin and commit our way to living for God.
"Father God, I turn from my pride now,
and I surrender every area of my life that has been a source of pride:
....(name them all). I lay them all down before your throne,
and commit myself to serving You in humility. I ask for
opportunities each day to put on humility. I renounce any evil
spirits I have allowed in through my pride and command you in the name
of Jesus Christ to depart from me and trouble me no more. I close
the door to pride, bar it with the cross of Christ and seal it
with the blood of Christ, Amen."
Put on humility:
Humility reverses the effects of pride. When we put on humility,
we gain God's favor and assistance in the battles we face. Humility
can even change God's mind. King Josiah's humility postponed God's
judgment on Israel (Chronicles
34:27). Humility combined with prayer and repentance opens
the doors to forgiveness and healing (2
Chronicles 7:14). For other verses on humility see 1
Peter 5:5-6,
Isaiah
2:12, Psalm 18:27, Psalm 37:11, Matthew 5:5. Here are some ways
to put on humility each day:
- Surrender control of our lives to God
- Follow Jesus and make him master of our
lives (Philippians
2:5-8)
- Consider others better than
ourselves (Philippians
2:2-4)
- Be quick to listen and slow to speak (James
1:9)
- Spend time praising and worshiping
God
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