Pride

[Ruba]

pride

noun \ˈprīd\ : a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people
: a feeling that you are more important or better than other people
: a feeling of happiness that you get when you or someone you know does something good, difficult, etc.

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My Story:

There is a TON of motivational articles, groups, and beliefs that "Believing in yourself" is the root of all successes. I grew up with that, because anything God related was censored. To me, I didn't actually quite understand what pride was until I realize my behavior and attitude was all about it.

I wasn't the kind of person who would go up to people trying to prove that I am better, but it was more like I killed my esteem because I forgot to vacuum my room today. That third term basically describes me. I use to do art for 7 years, and every picture I completed, I felt happy about myself. If I did not draw, I felt like there was something REALLY wrong with me, and I'd get depressed very easily and make myself go through hell until I draw a other picture or something. I had pride over my successes, and my emotions tied deeply to my failures because apparently it hurts the pride I had. I didn't know it was pride for a long time until I met God.

Since I met God, there was no reason for me to draw anymore. I only did art because I was wanting to tickle my pride all the time. God pretty much threw a wrench at the clogs, and now there is no spark of interest of doing half of the stuff I did. I am thankful for that, because I felt like a prisoner to my own selfishness. Now I feel more at peace.
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Questions for you:

Has pride tore you away from God?

Was your life full of pride before you met God?

How much of your life has changed when you decided to let go of pride?

Do you struggle fighting pride?

Do you think there is any acceptable pride to God about anything?

Have any advice, questions, stories to share?

 

[thesunisout]

Hi Ruba, thanks for sharing your testimony. Pride is the sin that caused the devil to fall from grace, and so we need to stay vigilant against it because it can corrupt even the most noble endeavors.

Has pride tore you away from God?

Sometimes, I am trying to do things under my own strength, but deep down I know that I can't do anything without Him. I think of this verse:

Daniel 5:23

And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.

Was your life full of pride before you met God?

Yes, in the sense that I was sitting on the throne of my life, passing judgments on everything under the sun.

How much of your life has changed when you decided to let go of pride?

It has helped me to understand who I am, and who God is. You cannot understand your relationship with God when pride is in the way.

Do you struggle fighting pride?

Maybe there are hidden features of pride in my life, but I have no problem accepting that fact that without God, I am nothing but a broken wretch, and with God, I still don't deserve anything but death and hell except for Gods grace.

Do you think there is any acceptable pride to God about anything?

Since God deserves all the glory, I don't see any reason to be proud. In the scripture, I don't see much that affirms pride but a lot that condemns it.

Have any advice, questions, stories to share?

Spiritual pride can be the source of a lot of destruction in our lives. It can cause us to do everything in our walk with Jesus for the wrong reasons. The scripture says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. If we are proud, God is resisting our efforts. We can start to think that we are more highly favored by God because of the gifts or abilities we have, our understanding of scripture, and so on. Not so! God creates us all differently for different reasons which we aren't privy to. What is good for one isn't for another. Pride is the leaven with leavens the whole lump. I think we should always pray to God to have pure motives.

 

[iambren]

Matthew 5:5
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."


Meek has tended to be a downcast,effacing word. However a teacher showed me that the Meek are those who do not think too much OR too little of themselves.