Pride

[ChristianRocks]

Pride is something I deal with constantly (that and being stubborn). Whether its being prideful of my work, or what I know, or what I can do, you name it. You may not think that pride is that big of a sin or that difficult to deal with, but to me it is. It often gets in the way with my relationship with God. Not to mention human relationships as well. But it is something that I strive to change! Yes, I want to be a man who is humble, not prideful.

These are the verses I currently dwell upon:
Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 13:10
Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

These verses have helped me in my struggle and have described what pride can do to a man. But I dont know, I think am missing something. I pray that God would open my eyes.

Does anyone have great wisdom in this matter? Has anyone else struggled with Pride? Anymore good verses? I could use some advice from some fellow Christians on the subject of Pride! Please, all critisism is welcome. Humble me.

 

[II Paradox II]

Does anyone have great wisdom in this matter? Has anyone else struggled with Pride? Anymore good verses? I could use some advice from some fellow Christians on the subject of Pride! Please, all critisism is welcome. Humble me.

hmm.. it seems to me one might disqualify themselves the moment they think they are qualified to answer this question due to their great wisdom...

ken

 

[ChristianRocks]

I guess I didn't word that very good did I, lol.
But some advice would help. I know it's a very hard topic to talk about..

 

[II Paradox II]

I guess I didn't word that very good did I, lol.
But some advice would help. I know it's a very hard topic to talk about..

hmmm... the best way I know of to deal with pride is to fix your mind on your position in relation to God's. If you think you're smart, take a sec to think about limited you really are in the grand scheme of things. And even that comes by the grace of God. After all, you didn't choose your mind, God did.

The same exercise can be done for pride in almost any area. By the time you finish you'll have a much better picture of your own position in life!

ken

 

[Preachers12]

Pride is something I deal with constantly (that and being stubborn). Whether its being prideful of my work, or what I know, or what I can do, you name it. You may not think that pride is that big of a sin or that difficult to deal with, but to me it is. It often gets in the way with my relationship with God. Not to mention human relationships as well. But it is something that I strive to change! Yes, I want to be a man who is humble, not prideful.

These are the verses I currently dwell upon:
Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 13:10
Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

These verses have helped me in my struggle and have described what pride can do to a man. But I dont know, I think am missing something. I pray that God would open my eyes.

Does anyone have great wisdom in this matter? Has anyone else struggled with Pride? Anymore good verses? I could use some advice from some fellow Christians on the subject of Pride! Please, all critisism is welcome. Humble me.

ChristianRocks, God give you Peace.

Thanks for an excellent question! One I have struggled with as well.

There is nothing wrong with taking pride in yourself and in what you do, so long as you, at all times, acknowledge that good things which you do are only possible because of God's grace working in you. That is what humility means.

Look to the life of the our Lord, the Apostles and to Saints like Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Jerome, Joan of Arc and countless others for an example in how to live in humility while taking proper pride in themselves and their faith. Living a humble life doesn't require a life of walking about with your head hung low and avoiding compliments, etc..., it is living your life in service and obedience to God while constantly acknowledging His work in you and through you and others.

Without God we are nothing. Dust. But with God, all things are possible. And all of our works are given to show the glory of God.

God Bless,
P12

 

[LuxPerpetua]

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

Remembering this verse usually pulls me off my pedastal.

Pride and selfishness are hard things to combat, and I think it is a daily struggle for all of us. Just remember, though, that God loves us unconditionally.

 

[dotcomguy]

Pride is something I deal with constantly (that and being stubborn). Whether its being prideful of my work, or what I know, or what I can do, you name it. You may not think that pride is that big of a sin or that difficult to deal with, but to me it is. It often gets in the way with my relationship with God. Not to mention human relationships as well. But it is something that I strive to change! Yes, I want to be a man who is humble, not prideful.

. . .

These verses have helped me in my struggle and have described what pride can do to a man. But I dont know, I think am missing something. I pray that God would open my eyes.

Does anyone have great wisdom in this matter? Has anyone else struggled with Pride? Anymore good verses? I could use some advice from some fellow Christians on the subject of Pride! Please, all critisism is welcome. Humble me.

I'm often the same way. It's something God has definitely called me on in the past and recently. The best way He's dealt with my pride is to hurt it in different ways, to remind me of how, while I've been given certain abilities and blessings, I'm far from perfect. Sometimes those like me who are stubborn need to learn humility the hard way. It's a difficult challenge, but humility is definitely a good thing.

Os Guinness' The Call has a chappter on an Audience of One. It's something I've been keeping in mind lately. He writes that to other people we have nothing to gain and nothing to lose; we should only be seeking God's favor.

Best wishes dealing with pride, and God bless.

 

[ShetlandRose]

Wow, I think we all struggle with pride--it was the original sin, after all. Pride is lifting up ourself above others, and even lifting up ourself above God and His purposes for us (remember that is what Satan did/does). Unfortunately pride seems to be our natural state of being, so humility should be our goal. Satisfaction in a job well done is appropriate, unless it goes too far, and pride as a sin should be guarded against and we should pray for Christ to renew our mind. When we compare ourself to other people and see ourself through our ego, then we get into trouble. Only in God should we boast all day long! (Psalm 44:8)

Proverbs 27:2 -- "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."

I Peter 5:6 -- "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time."

ShetlandRose

 

[Cathologetics]

Makes me think of those WWJD bracelets. It's not easy to live the golden rule, which the first fork of addresses, in part, pride. I mean if you are prideful, you are not loving God before all others. No easy solution to this. Gotta pray a lot and take inventory often. I struggle with this too. Maybe this is in part why that gate is so narrow. Guess I need to lose some weight!

 

[seebs]

No offense, but did you think about how much of a temptation you're offering by asking people if they have great wisdom in the matter of dealing with pride?

Anyway, I tend to think of pride as the greatest and most deadly sin; pride is the sin that makes all of the others harder to get out of, by making you too sure you're correct to consider backing down. It's nasty.

The best antidote, I think, is to study the beliefs of other people who have been entirely sure of what they were doing... Great atrocities have come from people who were so sure they were right that they were no longer really listening for God's guidance.

When you see someone, remember this: That person is, in some way, so incredbly neat that God Himself thought that person was worth dying for. They're all that important. There are six billion of them, and you will never know any one of them fully.

The world is very big, and we are very small.

 

[ChristianRocks]

There is nothing wrong with taking pride in yourself and in what you do, so long as you, at all times, acknowledge that good things which you do are only possible because of God's grace working in you. That is what humility means.


....Living a humble life doesn't require a life of walking about with your head hung low and avoiding compliments, etc..., it is living your life in service and obedience to God while constantly acknowledging His work in you and through you and others.

I like those definitions of humilty Preachers12! Makes it very clear to me thank you.

Proverbs 27:2 -- "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."

Man, that verse speaks to my heart, thank you so much ShetlandRose!

No offense, but did you think about how much of a temptation you're offering by asking people if they have great wisdom in the matter of dealing with pride?

Yes, I did and I'm sorry. Its so easy to cause temptation isnt it. And I did it without even knowing, too!


Too be honest though, it is good to see that I am not alone in my struggle. It's strange, but I don't feel so alone when I know there are others who are also struggling with pride. It touches us all I think.

Lately, God has really touched my heart about being thankful in all things. And I think being thankful is the key to overcome pride. When you are thankful for something (whether it be success at a certain task, gifts from God being used, posting a particularily good post, etc.) we should be thankful to God for giving us such pleasures! For it is because of Him that we can even experience such things! I know I am speaking very generally, but pride can strike anywhere. It can touch the heart, the mind, or soul. Thats why I like Colossians 4:2 in this case:

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

It's a very short verse, but doesnt lose any of its effect. It can be applied to the subject of pride, too. We are to be watchful. Watchful of what? Well, we can be watchful of pride in this case. It can strike our heart, mind, or soul. So we much devote ourselves to prayer (I think Cathologetics had the right idea about prayer here); being thoughtful of the things that are from God, where pride isnt one of them. And then finally, being thankful shows God, and others if its outward, that we are aware and acknowledge that such things that give us success and pleasure are from God. So to Him goes all the glory and thanks. A very practical verse. I love practical stuff. So I guess that's a good way to overcome pride; A battle which must be fought daily, so we must make sure we always have our armor on!

I also found 2 Timothy 1:14 which spoke to me:

"14Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."

Thanks ShetlandRose for bringing this to my attention in your post!:

.....and pride as a sin should be guarded against and we should pray for Christ to renew our mind.

We are to be on our guard of the gifts (or good deposits) God has given us. Pride only seeks to turn our eyes from the One that has given us such gifts, so that we may glorify ourselves. This verse also tells us that the Holy Spirit will help us in such a quest, which is great!! Woohooo, Go Holy Spirit!

So if we keep all these things in mind (and heart and soul), then we may stand a chance against the wiles of pride.

1)Being thankful! (I believe its important)
2)Always on guard/watchful (having our armor on)
3)Prayer and taking inventory
4)Humbing ourselves (as per 1 Peter 5:6 In ShetlandRose's post)
5)With help from the Holy Spirit

That, I think, is a good recipe for success!!

Thanks guys,

God Bless!

 

[seebs]

Sounds great to me!

Consider I Peter 3:15. Consider how much pride ties into the practice of witnessing.

 

[ChristianRocks]

oo, thanks seebs. Quick reply, I like it, hehe.