#2. Pride not only causes conflict, the second thing it does is it prevents growth. (Spiritual growth)
You can’t grow with pride in your heart. Pride makes you unteachable. If the only person you can learn from is you, you’re not going to learn very much. I’d rather not know it all and admit it and learn than pretend that I know it all and be ignorant.
The moment my head starts swelling my mind stops growing. Pride is what keeps me growing. Listen folks, you can learn from anybody. The person sitting next to you could teach you. I learn from my friends I learn from my enemies, I learn from critics, I learn from people I don’t like, I learn from people who don’t like me, I learn from people I don’t even agree with. You can learn from anybody if you’re willing to be humble and teachable. Pride prevents personal growth.
I remember years ago when Mohammad Ali was in his prime. The champion! The superman! He got on an airplane. The stewardess came back, “Mr. Ali you need to buckle up.” He said, “Superman don’t need a seat belt!” She looked at him and said, “Superman don’t need an airplane.” You’re not as hot as you think you are.
Proverbs 10:17 says, “Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. But anyone refusing has lost his chance.” How willing are you to be corrected? Are you teachable? I have seen this a thousand times. It is pride that keeps us stuck in a rut. It is pride that keeps us from getting help on our marriage. It is pride that keeps us from getting help in our finances. It is pride that keeps us from getting into recovery from an addiction. From a difficulty. It is pride that keeps us from getting help in any area of life. At work – parenting – whatever.
#3. Pride angers God.
God hates pride. He doesn’t just put up with it. He hates it. Pride is the sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven. It can keep you out of heaven. God hates pride. It’s basically saying, “I’m god. I’m going to do my own thing. I’m going to be my own god. I’m going to run my own life.”
James 4:6 (NIV) says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The English version says, God comes against the proud. Folks, that is a position you do not want to be in. It is not a position I want to be in. When it comes to selfish, stubborn pride, I must go the other way. And you know what the other way is? HUMILITY.
Friends, if I could learn just one Christ-like quality in my life and get it down it would be the quality of humility. More than anything else I want that quality in my life. More than any other quality. It’s the one I have to struggle with the most. It’s the one I want the most in my life.
Why? Because humility is the hallmark of emotional maturity. The more emotionally mature you are the more humble you are. The more emotionally insecure you are the more prideful you are. Pride is an evidence of insecurity. The more insecure you’re feeling on the inside the more you try to puff yourself up.
But the more secure you are and the more stable you are in your love for God and His love for you, the more humble you are. It is the hallmark of emotional stability. Humility is the secret of God’s power in your life. And I want God’s power in my life more than anything else.
How do you humble yourself before the Lord? By expressing your dependence to Him. Pray. Bow your head and say, “God, I humble myself before You. I humble myself before you!” There’s a song that used to go “Humble myself in the sight of the Lord..” I’ve memorized that and it’s a regular part of my prayer life.
How can I learn to live more humbly and get that stubborn ego out of the way that causes so much problem in my life?“ James 4:10 (NIV) says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” You have to take the step…
Will you do that today? Humble yourself before the Lord? I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!
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