Guard Your Heart Against Pride

Pride is a destructive sin. The Bible says that before destruction, the heart of a man is haughty. Pride makes a heart exalt itself, it makes someone see themselves as better than others. Pride makes a person not be willing to accept correction, it makes a person unwilling to admit their mistakes, it makes a person defensive and such a person shifts blame to others and is unwilling to admit their contribution toward a mistake made. Guard your heart against pride.

A proud person sees themselves as if they are above others, they might view themselves as ‘good’ and label other people as bad.

Such a person likes to discuss the shortcomings of others, they like to tear others down, whether in words or in actions. Such a person then talks good about themselves, telling others how good they are and the good they do, and they carefully choose their words in an effort to make a good impression of themselves. They will watch out their words and actions, and put up a false impression of who they are, and in the process, many people end up being deceived.

Such are the people who will not tell you the truth about who they really are, instead, they will put forward a false front in order to achieve what they want. They are usually motivated by selfish ambitions, and in doing so, go against the Word of God. Guard your heart against pride.

Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Philippians 2:3.

Pride can often be masked by false humility. A person struggling with pride can appear humble, yet such a false show of humility usually covers up deep-seated haughtiness.

A proud heart has no respect or interest for the welfare of others, the only concern they have is for themselves. Such a person can approach others and tell those people how much that person is suffering or struggling in an effort to get sympathy from those people, yet all such is self-serving. Guard your heart against pride.

A proud person is usually a taker, they rarely give. The person may always seem to share their problems, eliciting pity from others and playing the martyr, and end up taking and taking from others. Such people have deep voids and seem to be like water buckets full of holes, such that no matter how much other people pour into them, they never get filled.

It is not uncommon to see such a person turn against people who have been there for them; after those people have done their best to help that person, that same person can turn around and go against the same people who were helping. Guard your heart against pride.

A proud person has no respect for authority.

Such a person sees themselves as better and because of that, they have no regard for those people who are in a position of authority over them. Such a person will have no respect for their seniors, they will talk to them in a haughty arrogant way. When they reach a point where in their minds they think that they have more knowledge than their seniors, such people will plan to overthrow those in authority because they think that they can do better than them.

They become rebellious and are usually not willing to listen to other people’s opinions because they think that their opinions are superior. They tend not to ask for opinions or advice from others because they think that they know how to do what they are required to do. When a senior person asks them to do something, they start complaining and murmuring, and start asking why that person could not do that thing themselves instead of delegating it to them. Such people want to be authoritative but do not want to be of service to others. Such are rebellious people. Guard your heart against pride.

The Bible is clear regarding how we are to conduct ourselves in regard to those in authority over us.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Romans 13:1.

Some people are proud because of money, achievements, or power. When some people obtain power and riches, they start considering themselves as if they are above others.

Such people begin wanting preferential treatment because of their status in society. They are the same people who usually think that they can get away with anything. Some of them become very oppressive and start taking advantage of others, because they know the money and power that they have will be used to buy themselves out of difficult situations. Even if they are to face a court of law, they know somehow they can bribe their way out of that and avoid facing the consequences of their actions.

Other people are proud and arrogant because of the connections that they have, such as being relatives of powerful and influential people. Such people will use the connections they have to intimidate others, they tend to think that they are untouchable. It is very unfortunate because they do not seem to realize that every one of us will give an account for our actions before God. God is a just Judge; our earthly achievements, positions, power, or money will mean nothing on the day of judgement. Guard your heart against pride.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that everyone may be recompensed for the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

Proud people like having their own way. They usually come up with all sorts of explanations to justify their actions.

They like other people submitting to them but they do not submit to other people. Such like to be in control every time and want things to turn out the way they want. If someone corrects them, they become very defensive and might even insult the person correcting them. Guard your heart against pride.

Pride leads to the destruction of families and friendships. When other people realize what a proud person they are dealing with, they usually choose to distance themselves from such a person. Such a person is usually very self-centered and that makes it difficult for them to be in long-term relationships.

In a marriage where the wife is haughty and rebellious, the husband is starved of respect and honor. When the husband tries to correct such a wife in accordance with the Word of God, such a wife is most likely to end up verbally exploding on her husband. Such a wife wants to be in control and in doing so goes against the way God designed family headship. Such a wife becomes a source of pain to her husband and such marriages have many sorrows and many are breaking down. The Bible tells a wife to submit to her husband.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Ephesians 5:22.

It is sad in the world today that we have many proud rebellious haughty wives.

May God help us to be humble.

The Bible tells us to be humble and gentle, to be patient, and to bear with one another with love. When we sincerely humble ourselves before God, He will lift us up in due time. There are many things we can learn from others if we have a teachable spirit; we do not know everything.

We should not allow the things of this world, whether money, power, achievements, our external looks, where we live, our family connections, the knowledge we have, fame, and such like things to make us haughty and arrogant. On the contrary, we should always give glory to God for anything we achieve in this life, knowing very well that without God, we can do nothing.

Let us always have eternity in mind, knowing very well that this world and things of this world are passing away. If something does not glorify God, then we should not be partakers in it. Humility is the fear of God and the Bible says that its wages are riches and honor and life. Any other perceived humility apart from God is false humility and is rooted in pride. True humility is rooted in Christ Jesus.

But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24.

Blessings.

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