Saturday Motivation! Pride And Its Pitfalls
June 27th 2020
Saturday Motivation! Pride And Its Pitfalls!
Text:
1. Proverbs 11 v 2: When pride comes then comes disgrace but with humility comes wisdom
2. Proverbs 8 v 13: To fear the Lord is to hate evil, I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
What is Pride?
Pride is a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from an individual’s achievements.
Pride is self-confidence in a particular skill that an individual possess.
Pride is an exaggerated sense of feeling good about what one does or what one has achieved.
Pride is the result of perceived ability of an advantage we have over others due to a skill or opportunity.
Pride is the satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to an individual with the purpose of taking all the credit.
Pride is holding oneself in high esteem or holding an inordinate opinion of one`s self worth, importance or abilities.
Pride is thinking more of ourselves than we should. It is love for oneself and hatred or contempt for our neighbor.
Pride is often driven by poor self-worth and shame. Proud people feel so badly about themselves that they compensate by feeling superior.
Proud people often look for the flaws in others to conceal their own feelings of shame.
Pride prevents us from acknowledging our imperfections; it is selfish, self-promoting and self-seeking.
Pride is the opposite of humility; it is over thinking our self-worth or thinking that we are better or higher than we actually are.
Pride is self-worship or self-preoccupation. It is being in love with our image or self.
Pride is thinking excessively about one’s self than we should. Proud people might refuse to communicate with others because they think they are better than everyone else.
Pride goes before a fall because proud people are over confident or too arrogant and therefore are likely to fail.
Pride simply means all about me or being in love with our image or self and less about others; it is seeing yourself as more important than others.
What Does the Bible say About Pride?
Pride does not mean simply arrogance or over-confidence in self alone, it further means preferring your self-will to God`s will.
Pride is considered the original or most serious sin. It is a desire to be more important or more attractive than others, failing to give the credit due to others or excessive love for oneself and hatred for others.
Pride is the worst sin and leads to damnation.
Pride led to the fall of Lucifer from heaven and this led to his transformation into Satan.
I am proud of you is a word we all wish to hear daily. But when it is over exaggerated, it becomes sin.
The Bible makes it clear that we can encourage and appreciate one another and be proud of the good works of God and His creation. But when all we do revolves around us, it becomes sin.
Pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one`s dignity, importance, merit or superiority.
Proud people can be deceptively sneaky or over confident about themselves.
Why Is Pride Sin
1. The Lord hates it (Proverbs 8 v 13); The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.
2. Pride is the root of the rubble in people`s life; Proverbs 16 v 18; Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. 1 Corinthians 10 v 12: Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
3. Pride is oppression that leads to depression; Psalm 10 v 2-11;
4. Pride is at the heart of bullying and entitlement. It is a deceptive tendency that leaves a wake of destruction. The very nature of human conflict is rooted in pride. Proverbs 13 v 10 says; By pride comes nothing but strife but with the well-advised is wisdom.
5. Pride tempts us to be self-sufficient rather than God reliant. Proverbs 3 v 5; Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
6. Pride is disobedience to God`s command to love Him above all else and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Isaiah 13 v 11: I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will halt the arrogance of the proud…
7. Pride seek to set idols: Anything that we replace God with on the throne of our hearts e.g. tangible things, worldly accomplishments, unhealthy dependence on another human being will only make one fumble and stumble.
How to overcome the Spirit of Pride
1. By faith in God; We can get rid of pride by looking away from ourselves and looking up to God. By staying connected to God, we can overcome and break free from pride.
2. By Prayer; Through prayer, God can reveal the spirit of pride to us when we pray so that we can remove pride from our hearts, minds and lives.
3. By the Word of God; Meditating on God`s word on a daily basis helps us to overcome the spirit of pride.
4. By Obeying the Word of God; Obedience of God`s word ushers blessings into our lives. Gratefulness and generosity keeps pride away
5. By repentance; To get rid of pride we must continually repent, confess and forsake the sin of pride.
Examples of Pride in Scriptures
1. Adam & Eve; (Genesis 3 v 5-6)
2. King David; (When he called for the unnecessary census of Israel`s army in 2 Samuel 24)
3. King Uzziah; Who assumed that he was worthy of priestly duties and was cursed with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26 v 16)
4. King Hezekiah; Whose pride led to disobedience ( 2 Chronicles 32 v 25)
5. Nebuchadnezzar; Who was driven from his kingdom for taking credit for building Babylon; (Daniel 4v 30).
6. Herod; Who was struck dead and eaten by worms because he assumed the status of a god rather than praising the one true God.
Bible verses on Pride
Proverbs 11 v 2: When pride comes then comes disgrace but with humility comes wisdom
Proverbs 8 v 13: To fear the Lord is to hate evil, I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Romans 12 v 16: Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Proverbs 29 v 23: Pride brings a person low, but the lonely in spirit gains honor.
2 Corinthians 10 v 17: But let the one who boast, boast in the Lord
Proverbs 18 v 12: Before a downfall, the heart is haughty but humility comes before honor
1 John 2 v 16: For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life –is not of the Father but is of the world.
James 4 v 6b: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
James 4 v 16: But now you boast in your arrogance, all such boasting is evil
Galatians 6 v3: For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself
Proverbs 27 v 2: Let another praise you and not your own lips.
Proverbs 21 v 4: Haughty look and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin
Proverbs 21 v 24: Scoffer is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride
Psalm 138 v 6: Though the Lord is on high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
Proverbs 16 v 19: It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 25 v27: It is not good to eat much honey nor is it glorious to seek one`s own glory
Proverbs 15 v 25: The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow`s boundaries
Isaiah 14 v 14: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the most High.
Proverbs 6 v 16-19: There are six things that the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him, a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.
1 Corinthians 10 v 12; Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall
Luke 14 v 11: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but he who humble himself will be exalted.
Proverbs 29 v 23: One`s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
Psalm 10 v 4: In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek God, all his thoughts are, there is no God.
May the Lord give us the grace to overcome the spirit of Pridein Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!
Shalom!