Pride: The Source of Our Stress (Part I)
Series: Breaking Free
March 2, 2008 Pastor Bill Bump
The good kind of pride consists of: self-respect, dignity, satisfaction in a jog well done, and joy in seeing others succeed.
The bad kind of pride consists of: selfishness, stubbornness, self-importance, and gossip.
THE DAMAGE PRIDE DOES…
1. IT CAUSES CONFLICT
Proverb 13:10 (NIV)
Pride only breeds quarrels…
Proverb 28:25 (KJV)
He that is of a proud heart stirs up strife…
Matthew 7:5 (NIV)
“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck our of your brother’s eye.”
2. IT PREVENTS PERSONAL GROWTH
The moment our head starts swelling our mind stops growing.
Proverb 11:2 (NLT)
Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverb 10:17 (LB)
Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.
It is pride that keeps us stuck in a rut.
3. IT PRODUCES ANXIETY
Image is what people think we are, character is what we really are.
Proverbs 29:25 (GN)
It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you…
It is dangerous to worry about what others think about us because:
A. When we worry about what other people think, it will make us easy to be manipulated.
B. When we worry about what other people think, it keeps us from being authentic.
Proverb 20:27 (GN)
The Lord gives us a mind and conscience. We cannot hide from ourselves.
4. IT ANGERS GOD
Leviticus 26:19 (NIV)
I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.
James 4:10 (NIV)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
How do we humble ourselves before the Lord? By expressing our dependence on Him.
James 4:6 (NIV)
…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
