Pride / Humility
Pride is very dangerous, and it's one of the most insidious sins. It sneaks up on you. Most people who are prideful are blind to the fact that they're prideful.
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In this way, pride will blind and deceive you (Obadiah 1:3, Galatians 6:3)
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Pride hardens your heart so that you do not grow well in your faith (Daniel 5:20).
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Pride will cause you to be resisted by God. Humility will cause you to receive grace from God (James 4:6).
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Pride always leads to shame and humiliation in the end (Proverbs 11:2, 16:18, 29:23).
Humility, on the other hand, takes work to maintain. You have to intentionally and actively do things that keep humility or you will naturally grow in pride and ego.
Qualities of pride VS humility:
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You neglect to seek God in prayer for even your basic necessities (Psalm 10:4-6). This is a sign that you trust in yourself (Psalm 49:6). You think you'll never be in adversity.
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To be humble in this area, constantly pray for God to provide for you.
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You cause or continue strife/contention with others (Proverbs 13:10, 28:25).
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To be humble, admit your wrongs and apologize quickly.
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You think you know something or assume you don't need to learn or understand something better in any area (1 Corinthians 8:1-2, 10:12, Romans 12:16).
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To be humble, always receive teaching and always seek to understand better. When communicating what you know, say, “This is my current understanding.”
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You think you earned what you have yourself rather than seeing everything as a gift of God (1 Corinthians 4:7).
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To be humble, never think or say you've earned something by yourself. Thank God for everything you have.
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You don't seek correction, and you dislike correction. When confronted on some wrong, you deflect it, defend and justify yourself, or feel offense (Proverbs 13:1, Proverbs 21:24).
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To be humble, ask close and wise people for correction (ask your spouse!), and receive it as a loving hand, not a means to defend your ground (Psalm 141:5). Don't answer back. Just quietly submit (James 1:21).
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You talk about yourself a lot or like to draw attention to yourself (Proverbs 27:2, Luke 14:7-11).
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You flatter others rather than speaking truth (Jude 1:16).
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To be humble, speak the truth! Be honest with people!
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You don't like to submit to others (1 Peter 5:5).
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To be humble, do what is asked of you with a cheerful heart, and especially of your leaders and fellow believers.
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