Get Rid of Pride ASAP

In this day and age, what are a few things that pop into your mind when I say PRIDE?

Could be a rainbow flag, could be you as a proud parent, pride in your job, pride for success.

But what is the real meaning of pride and how does it affect our everyday living when it comes to scripture?

The root of most of our sin usually stems from pride. Pride is PUTTING SIN INTO ACTION, and just so you know God Hates Pride. Pride is basically “My way or the highway!”

Proverbs 8:13 “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech.”

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:5 “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

Definition: Proud/Pride: feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated. Having or showing a high or excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance.

Don’t get me wrong, I often find myself proud of my accomplishments or proud of my husband or sons accomplishments which is good, but the difference is, who do I give the glory to? Myself? Them?

No, it should be God.

In the theological sense, pride is defined as an excessive love of one's own excellence. As a deadly sin, pride is believed to generate other sins and further immoral behavior and is countered by the virtue of humility.

Here are some things that often start with Pride: sin, never being wrong, not needing God, dependency on self, not being able to let go of things, un-forgiveness, being unapologetic, bitterness, resentment, our glory.

These things blind you from the truth, putting yourself up on a high pedestal , causing you to twist scripture and justify your own sin, believing you are in the right even when it contradicts the Word, and ultimately replacing God with Self! We lose sight that everything that we are and everything that we have are not because of our glorious amazing selves, but by of the grace and love of God.

A small idea of someone who has Pride could be as simple as someone who is unwilling to ask for help or someone who is always defensive…about everything!

Even coming from a physiological point of view: “One of the most significant roots of pride in psychology is low self-esteem and self-worth,” says Lea McMahon, a licensed professional counselor and an adjunct psychology professor in Houston. “When people feel bad about their own flaws and insecurities, they tend to mask them with feelings of pride.” She adds the goal of pride is often to deceive others with the image that one is perfect and flawless. Fear of vulnerability, excessive childhood praise, and lack of self-accountability also contribute to unhelpful pride, according to McMahon.

HELLO PARENTS! Excessive praise and lack of self-accountability! This is the age we are living in!

We believers in Christ should know that with God we are valued and loved, even though we will and can never be perfect, he loves us anyway! We must realize that our value comes from God and not the eyes of the world.

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” Jeremiah 31:3

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8

Gods love for you is infinite! So who does that leave to tell you, you’re not valuable, that you’re not worthy, or to go ahead and bask in your glory, that you’ve earned your accomplishments all on your own, that you don’t need anyone’s help?… Satan!

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or anything in the world (the world belongs to Satan). If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

God is clear here when he tells us, not to conform t0 the world, do not love the world or anything of the world, that this life is fleeting and one day it will pass away. God is not telling us to abandon our dreams, our goals, or to not be proud of our accomplishments but he is reminding us not to forget who gave us life, who gave us our abilities, our opportunities, and the grace needed to accomplish and succeed our goals. It is through God and God alone, John 15:5 ““I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

The opposite of Pride is Humility.

Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Luke 14:11 “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Definition: Humility: a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

Have you ever had a season or a time where you’ve been humbled? One of the ways God builds our character and our trust in Him is to humble us, and often times it's not a fun journey or experience. There’s pain, disappointment, heartache, loss, obstacles, and variations of trials to build us and mold us into becoming the person God has intended for us to be. We often fight His way, or forget His way, but God never stops pursuing us and refining us. He is always working on us and guiding us back to Him no matter which way we go. If you’re stubborn or persistent and stuck in your own ways, you are dealing with pride and pride will open the doors to many other “sins” that can lead you down a destructive path. A verse I recently read in Proverbs 25:28 is “ Like a city whose walls are broken down is like a man who lacks self control” If our defenses are down we will allow the enemy to enter (body, mind, soul), if we have self control, it’s similar to having a wall of defense and protection. God is our defense and our protection, He is our safeguard! We must trust Him as we walk through the good times and the bad times. Acknowledging that He knows best, and when we succeed and overcome that it is through the grace and love of God, to acknowledge Him, and thank Him for interceding on our behalf and allowing us the success in His name for His glory. Humble yourself before the Lord and praise Him for the successes and accomplishments that presented themselves before you. Be proud of your hard work, but always remind yourself that your success’s in life and your great accomplishments in life are gifts and opportunities for building Gods kingdom for His glory, bask in His glory not your own. That takes some surrendering and some humbling, but with God’s help we can do that!