Pride: The Source of Our Stress (Part II)
Series: Breaking Free
March 9, 2008 Pastor Bill Bump
REVIEW:
THE DAMAGE PRIDE DOES…
1. IT CAUSES CONFLICT
Proverb 13:10 (NIV)
Pride only breeds quarrels…
2. IT PREVENTS PERSONAL GROWTH
Proverb 10:17 (LB)
Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.
3. IT PRODUCES ANXIETY
Proverbs 29:25 (GN)
It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you…
Worrying about what others think about us makes us easy to be manipulated and keeps us from being authentic.
4. IT ANGERS GOD
Leviticus 26:19 (NIV)
“I will break down your stubborn pride…”
TODAY:
HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM PRIDE…
James 4:10 (NIV)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
1. ADMIT MY STRUGGLE WITH PRIDE
Proverb 28:13 (LB)
A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.
2. EVALUATE MY STRENGTHS REALISTICALLY
Romans 12:3 (Ph)
...Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities.
Galatians 6:4 (NIV)
Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else…
Two reasons we should not compare:
A. We will always find somebody doing a better job than us and it can discourage us.
B. We will always find somebody that we’re doing a better job than and it can fill us with pride.
3. ENJOY MY SUCCESSES GRATEFULLY
Daily remind ourselves of two pride busting truths:
A. First, everything I have is a gift from God.
B. Second, one day I will give an account to God for what I did with what He gave me.
I Corinthians 4:7 (LB)
What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God...why act as though you have accomplished something on your own?
Romans 2:16 (LB)
The day will surely come when at God’s command Jesus Christ will judge the secret lives of everyone, their inmost thoughts and motives…
4. SERVE OTHERS UNSELFISHLY
Philippians 2:3-5 (NIV)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves...Look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking less about yourself.
5. DEPEND ON JESUS CONTINUALLY
Psalm 10:4 (NCV)
Wicked people are proud. They do not look for God; there is no room for God in their thoughts.
Proverb 22:4 (NLT)
True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.
CONCLUSION:
Ephesians 2:8,9 (NLT)
God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
