June 23, 2021
5 Powerful Scriptures to help you overcome Pride!
One of the worst characteristics that a person can possess is pride. It is described in the Word of God as an abomination, but why is that? When someone is entirely full of themselves it leaves no room for anything or anyone else including the Lord. God will have a difficult time completely being able to use you for His Kingdom becomes of your inability to fully submit. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a difference between confidence and arrogance. You want to hold yourself to a high standard not letting outside circumstances dim your shine, but you have to approach it from a place of humility. Some of the best ways to tell if you are too prideful is if you find yourself constantly announcing to others all of your accomplishments, proclaiming that you are the best at everything you do, or you feel superior to those around you. It is ok to have some pride to a certain degree but the problem arises when the pride becomes overbearing and distasteful. Luckily the Word of God has some powerful Scriptures that can help you begin to change your mindset. They will explain to you how important it really is to have a spirit of humility!
James 4:6-“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
When we try to do things on our own without looking to the Lord like we should, that is when we begin to get ourselves in trouble. The failure to humble yourself knowing that you cannot handle the storms of life without help will put you in problematic situations. God cannot work with overbearing pride because it shows that you do not need Him, you do not trust Him, and you do not want His hand of protection. That is why the trials we encounter are so overwhelming because we are facing them without seeking the Lord for strength to get us through. If we approach God with humility He is more than willing to extend us grace when we get into circumstances that we know we shouldn’t be in. I can’t stress enough how imperative it is to work on humbling yourself if you are dealing with having the spirit of pride.
Proverbs 11:2-“When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.”
All through the Word of God He explains to us in detail how damaging egotism is. Most of the time what we tend to do is completely forget about the Lord or anything having to do with Him until we actually need Him for something. We don’t pray, fast, or read His Word like we should. So what happens is we find ourselves in instances where we desperately need God’s help but our communication with Him is so distant we can’t even get our prayers through. This scripture is describing humbleness as having wisdom, but why is that? Those of us that are able to come humbly before the Lord are able to find Him because we are seeking him with our entire heart as we should, Jeremiah 29:13.
Proverbs 16:5 –“Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.”
This verse of scripture makes it evident about how the Lord views someone with pride in their hearts. He goes as far as calling it an abomination which simply put means something that is hated. When you feel like you can do all things on your own, it leaves no room for God. The problem is we are to do all things through Christ that gives us the strength, Philippians 4:13. He can’t use you as a vessel for His Kingdom like He wants to because your arrogance gets in the way. He wants all of your heart not just a piece of it but how can that be probable if your heart is filled with yourself. If all you care about is your own agenda, your personal needs, and your own desires you will not be able to effectively become a Disciple for Christ which is what we’ve been commissioned to do, Matthew 28:16-20.
Psalm 10:4-“The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.”
When you elevate yourself on a pedestal in the place of God it is a very dangerous position to be in. This verse deliberately defines it is as something that is wicked. Someone that thinks they can conquer the hardships of life without the strength, power, and guidance of the Holy Spirit will find out the hard way how careless that methodology is. The more in tune you are to God the more direction He can give you which will prevent harmful circumstances. You have to keep in mind, the Lord knows your heart and that is what He looks at when determining your motives. He could really care less about outward appearances. Get to a place in your life where you put God first in everything that you do including the way you think and that will allow Him to direct your path, Proverbs 3:5-6.
1 Corinthians 13:4-“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up”
In this verse of scripture the Lord is giving us the traits of what love is supposed to look like. When we think of the people in our lives that we care about, we want to approach them with this kind of love. Paul the Apostle goes into detail when he describes this type of affection as patient, kind, and not envious but most of all a love that is not arrogant. The reason that God makes it a point to include how harmful pride is throughout the bible is because it hinders someone from fully walking in their Purpose. The most challenging way to cope with life is from a position of arrogance where you feel like you have it all figured out and don’t need any help from the Lord. If that’s how you want to handle adversity, that is how He will let you resolve it. The thing is without the hand of God guiding you through trials and tribulation, your situations will be 100 times more disastrous than they have to be.