FOR FAIR USE EDUCATION AND DISCUSSION PURPOSES

Link of article or video : http://www.allaboutgod.com/sin-of-pride.htm

Hello all,

Pride, the sin of Satan, is the root of all other sins that we see, everywhere, in our world today. This sin has become glorified and is an evil that the world is seeing as good. When we examine ourselves, honestly and deeply, most everyone can find some area in their lives that they have let pride dictate thoughts, feelings and sometimes actions. I have recently been discerning such in my own life and finding I certainly have times when I let this sin overtake me.

What I find most interesting is how the Lord shows us our own prideful ways by placing people in our lives that are such glaring examples of this sin! Of course our first tendency is to point fingers and try to take the speck out of their eye while forgetting about the log in our own. And then there is the old adage about pointing fingers; one finger pointing at them and four back at ourselves.

We look at the person we feel is so prideful and are so happy we are not like them! Yet, if we really look at that, we are being prideful in our thinking we are above being like they are. Very tricky business!

And certainly fighting pride in others with pride in ourselves really just compounds the problem and nothing changes. No, only humility wins this battle, and being human makes it virtually impossible to cultivate humility without Christ. It is only Christ in us that can help us win the war against this most deadly sin; as it runs so deep, and masquerades itself in so many disguises.

I am grateful for glaring examples that help me examine my own faults, and for seeing the real reason the Lord puts people or situations in my life, as they are for my ultimate good and ultimate growth. In truth, anything good about me is He!

With that being said, I found a good article about this, and it was a blessing for me to read …so I am sharing it here.

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Sin of Pride - The Sin of Sins

The sin of pride is the sin of sins. It was this sin, we're told, which transformed Lucifer, an anointed cherub of God, the very "seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty," into Satan, the devil, the father of lies, the one for whom Hell itself was created. We're warned to guard our hearts against pride lest we too "fall into the same condemnation as the devil."

It was the sin of pride which first led Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. In Genesis we read, "Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." And who do you think was that serpent of old who first introduced Eve to this sin of pride? It was none other than the devil himself, eager to share his condemnation with others.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote, "'Pride is the commencement of all sin' because it was this which overthrew the devil, from whom arose the origin of sin; and afterwards, when his malice and envy pursued man, who was yet standing in his uprightness, it subverted him in the same way in which he himself fell; for the serpent, in fact, only sought for the door of pride whereby to enter, when he said, 'Ye shall be as gods.'"

Sin of Pride - Preoccupation With Self

The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self. It is thus very fitting that the middle letter in the word is "i." Pride is all about "me, myself, and I." So even as the word "pride" is centered upon an "i," the sin itself is also centered upon "I." We read of Lucifer's fall, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit." Satan's enmity against God began with "I". And so it is with us. If you are preoccupied with yourself, you are suffering from the sin of pride.

One way to determine whether or not you are preoccupied with yourself is to evaluate your motives. Take the pursuit knowledge for example. If you study hard because that's what the Lord wants you to do and you're being obedient to Him, that's good. That's obedience to God. Or if you study hard because you want to become a teacher so that you can edify others and help them to grow, that's good too. That's love for others. But if you study hard solely to amass knowledge for yourself, just so you can say that you know more than everyone else, that's bad!

Your focus is upon yourself and your own glory. That's preoccupation with self. That's pride. And if this is the case for you, not only are you already suffering from pride, you're setting yourself up to be totally consumed by it! The Apostle Paul wasn't joking when he said, "Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies." And anyone who is ever been there will tell you, knowledge for the wrong reasons (i.e. personal glory) will lead to a proud heart and enmity against God.


Sin of Pride - How to Fight It

So how do we fight against the sin of pride? First we need to recognize that we have a problem. And this might be the hardest part, because as we have seen pride skews our perception of reality. It lies to us. It says to us, "You don't have a problem with pride; you're not being proud, you're just being honest with yourself!

You are better than everyone else and you deserve all the glory. You've established yourself by your wisdom and your might. You, you, you…" And it feels good. It's hard to see the truth when your own heart is lying to you - wooing you with approval. It's hard to stop and think for a minute, "No, I'm not worth more than anyone else, God loves us all the same and His opinion is the only one that really matters. And as for my glory, to God be all praise and glory! I didn't establish myself by my wisdom and might, I've just used the gifts which God gave me to do that for which He gave them to me in the first place! I am an unprofitable servant; I've only done that which was my duty to do."

It's hard to humble yourself like that when you're stuck in pride. And it's hard to see the truth when you're lying to yourself. So you're going to need help. The Lord says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Your heart might be able to trick you, but it can't trick God!

So the very first thing to do is to get on your knees and pray. Say with David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ask God for mercy. Cry out with David, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."

By asking for God's help you're actually humbling yourself before Him and God will honor that. The Scripture says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." This isn't just a warning to the proud; it's a promise to the humble. If you humble yourself before God in prayer, God will pour His grace upon you. And while sin might be able to overcome you, it's no match for God's awesome power. So pray. Pray, pray, pray. That's the first step. By praying you're, not only are you petitioning God to intercede on your behalf, which He'll do by His grace if you're sincere, you're actually combating the sin of pride yourself by humbling yourself before God, humility being the opposite of pride. It's like fighting fire with water.

The next thing to do after God starts to show you areas where you're proud is to fight it mentally. When you experience a sudden pang of pride and you recognize it for what it is, mentally expose it. Admit to yourself that you're being proud and ask the Lord to forgive you. Say, "I'm just being proud; Lord, please forgive me."

The third and final thing to do is to tell your brothers and sisters in Christ that you're struggling with pride and ask them to pray for you. "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Sin of Pride - In Summary

So in summary, the sin of pride manifests itself in selfish motives, an exaggerated ego, a low opinion of others, and disrespect for God. It can lead to other sins against God. For example: robbing God of the glory He is due, and it can and does distort your perception of reality. We fight pride by humbling ourselves before God in prayer, asking Him to reveal the pride hidden in our hearts, acknowledging and repenting of pride when we see it in ourselves, and by being transparent with our Christian family for the sake of accountability and prayer.

In closing here are a few passages of Scripture dealing specifically with pride:

"The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4)

"Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar." (Psalm 138:6)

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." (Proverbs 8:13)

"When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2)

"By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom." (Proverbs 13:10)

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

"Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished." (Proverbs 16:5)

"A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor." (Proverbs 29:23)

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No one should take personal pride in the gifts that God has given them, we need to cherish our gifts and use them in such a way to give God all the glory, and to love our fellow man. For surely, we need to remember:

“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
(1Cr 8:1)

May we all treat each other with the upmost respect and not let pride rob us of the glory of Christ in our lives, and what He can accomplish in and through us if we surrender humbly to Him.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Agape!

Patti C.

Patti,

Your growth in our Lord Jesus Christ continues to edify the body! I personally want to thank you for being you. This has been an eye opener for me, and a reminder of what is meant by Gods laws, to love God with all our hearts and each other as we do ourselves.

God Bless you sister,

Michael

Dear Michael,

Thank you so very much for your kind and encouraging comments...what a blessing they are to me.

I am glad you are here with us and sharing your Love of the Lord and love for His children so generously and graciously.

Bless you dear brother!

Patti C.