Define
pride: Pride is the cultivation,
preservation or exalting of self. It
is a protecting of self. Pride is
commitment to self. It is building
up ourselves in our own eyes or in the eyes of others. Pride is an excessive belief in one's superiority, worth, merit. Pride is a root cause
of many sins.
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and
the evil way, and the perverted mouth, I hate."
Proverbs 8: 13
"When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is
wisdom." Proverbs 11: 2
"Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the
Lord." Proverbs 16: 5
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before
stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit than to divide the
spoil with the proud." Proverbs
16: 18 - 19
"A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will
obtain honor." Proverbs
29: 23
"You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of
you clothe yourself with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the
proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at
the proper time." I Peter
5: 5 - 6
How
does pride manifest itself in your life?
Here are some common ways pride
often shows itself in our lives:
A desire to be admired or noticed by others for something (achievement,
looks, personality, serving, spiritual life).
Desire to be recognized or appreciated.
Boasting. We take credit for abilities given to me by God.
Desire to achieve status.
Selfishness. Focusing on
myself.
Selfish ambition - Doing things or achieving something to
look good rather than to glorify God. Self-advancement.
Vanity - over concerned with appearance, beauty, looks, and clothes.
Attempting to look good or appear to be better than we really are.
Seeking the approval of people rather than God.
Concerned about what others think.
Comparing myself to others.
Preaching or exhorting others while being blind to my need to repent and
change. Not recognizing my own
spiritual need.
Not being teachable. Thinking
I know it all or don't need to learn.
Wanting things done my way.
Unwilling to risk getting close to others
Hiding sin from others or failing to confess sin to God.
Not being willing to admit when I am wrong.
Not asking for forgiveness.
Justifying our sin instead of just admitting it.
Criticizing others, finding faults in others.
Being quick to blame others.
Shame or hurt or embarrassment occurs when my pride (or self) is damaged.
Bitterness, anger or lack of forgiveness.
Feeling ripped off or hurt when I am overlooked.
Feeling sorry for myself.
Defending my actions or myself.
Unwillingness to ask for help. Self-sufficient
spirit.
Lack of prayer. Trusting in
myself instead of God.
Fear of failure. Not
attempting something out of fear of looking bad if I fail.
Being unable to rejoice when others succeed.
Jealous of other's successes, talent, etc...
Materialism - (having things make me look good or successful).
Other sin - lying (so we'll look good) deception, strife
(over trivial matters-we need to be right)
What
are the consequences of pride? Why
is pride so serious a sin? How has
pride affected you?
What
do we do about pride?
What do these passages teach us?
Philippians 2:1 - 9
James 4: 6 - 10
Humility - is having an accurate view of
yourself. We are created with
dignity in the image of God. God values us so much He died for us.
We are now children of God and heirs with Christ.
We also need to recognize that God gives everything we have and are to
us. We were created for His
purposes not our own. Our main purpose in life is to glorify God.
We need to see God in all His greatness, power and holiness.
We need to also have an honest and accurate view of our sin.
Self
Examination:
Think about your own pride? How
does pride manifest itself in your life? What
prideful tendencies do you have? (Write
them down.)
What are one or two things you can do to develop humility? What action(s) do you need to take this week to combat pride?
Permission is granted to use this Bible Study outline for personal study and small groups only.
Study written by Bob Krepps © 1994 all rights reserved
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