What is Pride?
Pride
happens when we get caught up in trying to get other people to
'admire', 'like', 'love', or 'accept' us. We try to dodge
rejection from others at all cost. In other words, through
our
insecurity, we try to 'coerce' or 'force' others to 'admire', 'like',
'love', or 'accept' us.
When we realize that God's love IS ALL
WE NEED and that His love truly satisfies our need for acceptance,
insecurity (which feeds pride) melts away from us. The more
we
realize and experience God's love (through Jesus Christ), the less
insecure we become. We need to be open to receive God's love
as
we truly seek Him from our hearts. His love can bring us
total
security, to the point where we become FEARLESS.
"There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has
torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love." I John 4:18
Pride
is a 'defense mechanism' for feelings of rejection. Pride and
arrogance are feelings we allow ourselves to fall into because of the
delusion that somehow others (anyone but God) will completely satisfy
our need to be accepted and loved. This will never
happen!
We completely lose sight of our need for God's love.
Pride
will always say, "Are you rejecting me? Well, I'll show
you!!"
And on and on we try to get other people's attention to prove a point,
or try to be right and make ourselves look better than our
neighbor. At the same time your neighbor is likely feeling
the
same thing toward you, and as a result you get striving and
contentions, bitterness, envies and jealousies! THIS IS A
COMPLETE WASTE OF ENERGY, causing unnecessary stress as we try to
'prove' something to others!! This is the fast track to 'aging' and
eventual 'death'.
"Where
do wars and fights among you come from? Come they not from your lusts
that war in your bodies? You
lust, and have not: you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain:
you fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not. You
ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it
upon your lusts. You
adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of
God. Do you
think that the scripture says in vain, 'The spirit that dwells in us
lusts to envy? But
God gives more grace. Therefore He says, 'God resists the proud, but
gives grace to the humble.'
Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
Draw
near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you
sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to
mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Speak
not evil one of another, brothers. He that speaks evil of his brother,
and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law, and judges the law: but
if you judge the law, you are not a doer
of the law,
but a judge." James 4:1-11
Parents,
learn to love your children and impart unto them security! Be
wise by teaching them (at the earliest possible age) to love God and
seek Him with all their hearts. It will likely avoid delinquency from
taking root in your children, and save you from much heartache later in life.
The more self-sufficient/self-reliable a person
perceives himself/herself to be, the prouder he/she becomes. That
person loses sight of God and the ability to completely trust God with
their lives and all things pertaining to life. This is why God always
admonishes us to humble ourselves before Him at all times!
"If
My people who are called by My name will HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY
and SEEK MY FACE, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from
Heaven, and will forgive their
sin and heal
their land". I Chronicles 7:14
God
hates pride & arrogance. Try to avoid these at all cost! The
best
way to deal with pride is to spend time with God daily seeking Him and
studying His Word. Learn to strengthen your faith in His love for you!
Develop a strong faith that He does truly love you and accepts you
unconditionally, and never lose sight of this fact!
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