Wednesday, May 23, 2012

What??? I’m Proud… Part 1/4


Pride, Low Self-Esteem and Hearing God: Part One of Four 

Pride is dangerous for many reasons but one of the greatest reasons is because it gets in the way of hearing God.   Psalm 25:9 tells us that God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.  This is serious stuff therefore I’m going to take four blog posts to talk about pride, low self-esteem (a form a pride), healthy identity (self-esteem) and how this relates to Hearing God. 

What is Pride?
Most of us know that a proud person has a high opinion of themselves; they see themselves as important or superior.  When I say the word pride, there are many synonyms that come to mind - conceited, arrogant, vain, filled with ego, puffed up, a bragger or boaster. There are many forms and facets to pride yet it always ends up with the same result – SELF GLORIFICATION. 

The proud exaggerate their abilities, struggle with self-admiration and often have an excessive desire to be admired by others. I’m sure we all know someone who is conceited and is constantly bragging about their abilities, their accomplishments, their vacations or even their kids...self-glorification!!!

Yet pride has other forms, some have a preoccupation with themselves and their troubles. Sometimes proud people crave being the centre of attention so badly that they will actually overshare their problems in order to stay the centre of attention.  As long as the limelight is on them, they are happy...self-glorification!!!!  

Most often people are blind to their pride, they don’t recognize it in themselves or have the ability to see that it’s a motivator in their lives. Yet let’s not pass judgement too quickly, for we are all susceptible to pride.   The truth is that we have become so encultured that pride has subtly eased its way into a place of dominance within our lives and within the Church. Anytime we exalt something over God we are living in idolatry, and the prideful exalt themselves over God.

This makes pride the utmost evil.  The difference between pride and humility is the difference between good and evil.  The sin of pride is poisonous, it is venomous, it’s blinding.  It blinds us to our own sin.  The sin of pride leads to all other sins such as jealousy, hatred, spitefulness, anger/rage, deception, control, abuse, murder, unfaithfulness, indiscretions of all kinds, etc. Pride is at the core of all sin because pride ultimately is contending with God through SELF GLORIFICATION.  Yet we are to glorify Christ and not ourselves (Romans 11:36; 15:17; 16:27; 1 Cor. 10:3).

Characteristics of Prideful People:
  • Struggle with admitting they are wrong
  • Feel that they have achieved their accomplishments on their own ‘self-made’ success; they strive for self-advancement. 
  • Tend to boast about their accomplishments either outwardly/spoken or inwardly/unspoken; they seek the praise of others and may have grandiose thoughts about themselves
  • Feel like they need to know everything
  • Tend to like to have control over other people
  • Are inflexible; not wanting to change unless they can initiate it (control); want to have their own way.
  • Make assumptions and tend to want to speak first and be heard yet struggle with listening to others.
  • Tend to think they are better than other people whether unspoken or spoken.
  • Tend to harbor grudges and don’t easily forgive
  • Feel self-righteous about their offenses
 
Proverbs 11:2  “When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble,” 
Proverbs 15:33  “The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor.” 
Proverbs 8:13  “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.  Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”  

Next blog post - low self-esteem (how it's actually pride)!

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