Word::The Spirit of Pride

THE SPIRIT OF PRIDE

One of the greatest tragedies of life is not been able to tell the truth to oneself. It can be referred to Self-Deception.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. {1 Cor 10:12}

If you ask a lot of people today, if they possess some quality of pride, a lot will say;

 ü I am not proud at all, I am just myself !

 ü I am not proud at all, people are only envious of me !

 ü I am not proud at all, some people should just know their class !

 ü I am not proud at all, He is the one at fault !

 ü I am not proud at all, but I cannot apologize !

All this are few scenarios of pride we can have.

It is very dangerous for a person to doubt that he has the spirit of pride and self-exaltation because it was pride that got Satan sent out of heaven and man was ultimately sent away from the Garden of Eden also.

It is because the enemy’s method for derailing men and women and for dribbling them out of God’s will has not changed. It is the same old method. It is the same old serpent. He still uses the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. 

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud {Proverbs 16:18}

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world { 1 John 2:16}

What makes pride even worse is that it has a strong defensive force that it uses in camouflaging.

Illustration story:

A young lady went to see her pastor and said, "Pastor, I have a besetting sin,

and I need your help. Every time I  come to church on Sundays, I can’t help thinking that I am the most beautiful girl in the congregation. I know I ought not to think that, but I can’t help it. I want you to help me with it."

The pastor replied, "My sister, don’t worry about it. In your case it’’s not a sin. It’s just a horrible mistake."

Pride is dangerously deceptive.

Pride is at the very top of the list of things God hates.

"These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Pride is just that potent, that abusive, that offensive, that destructive.

Relationally there are few things more obnoxious than self-righteousness.

Pride grows in our attitude, perception and reaction.

Spiritually there are few things more lethal than pride.

It is been said that;

Saints agree that they are sinners; only sinners think they are saints.

Defensive Strategy of Pride

 v Pride will make you cover your Sin.

 v Pride will build a very strong defensive wall around your wrong actions.

 v Pride will always complicate your issues

Agents of Pride

Consider carefully, the following areas that pride could show up in ones life.

 v Ego

 v Status 

 v Beauty/Handsomeness

 v Intelligence

 v Skills

 v Good Speech

 v Achievement

 v Children

 v Possessions

 v Spirituality: The irony is, the more we experience and express the character of Christ, the more natural reason and temptation we’ll have to become prideful.

 v Self-Righteousness: Luke 18:9 (“Certain men who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.”)

The hardest people to reach are not adulterers, or fornicators, or drug abusers, etc.

They are people who are filled with spiritual pride.

Consequences of Pride

 v Difficulty to Learn

 v Difficulty to accept mistakes.

 v Rising up in life might be difficult.

 v Conflict with God: Unable to submit to the will of God, hence diverted away from your God’s proposed destiny.

 v Becomes an Enemy of God: God opposes the proud. {James 4:6}

Symptoms of Pride

 o  Spotty prayer life: suggests you are not actively relying on God, nor

aware of my need for Him.

 o  Weariness : is often the result of trying to do more than God intends, which means I am not letting Him order my day.

 o  Anger :can mean I am not trusting God’s sovereign plan and timing, and am trying to take control from Him.

 o  A critical spirit:  the sorry act of bringing others down in order to lift up myself, often points to an inflated sense of self.

 o  A defensive reaction to criticism, despondency after failure, and the inability to laugh at my mistakes all suggest that I am taking myself too seriously and thinking of myself too highly.

 o  Taking responsibility for success, accomplishment, or financial prosperity may mean I have lost sight of God’’s gracious and undeserved provision.

 o   Impatienceabout having to listen, wait, serve, be anonymous, or be led by someone else all hint at an overdeveloped sense of importance.

Few Keys to Overcome Pride

 Ø Consciously live a life of Humility: What do you have that you have not received? Nothing! You possess it by grace and not by works.

 Ø Consciously follow the footsteps of Jesus: If it were Jesus, what will He say, do, react, accept, condone and so on.

 Ø Pray Against Pride: Pride must die in you or nothing of heaven can live in you.