Humility vs. Pride

Humility vs. pride is addressed on more than one occasion in the Bible, and in all cases we know beyond a doubt, that God hates pride. Pride may seem a bit benign to us, because if we are honest, we have all exhibited this attitude. However, the Bible tells us it’s a wicked attitude and it leads to destruction:

“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall.”(Prov 16:18)

God is not responsible for the destruction in a person’s life- He gave us His Word, and it’s up to us to obey it or not. If we choose to ignore God’s Word, we are acting in pride and this opens the door for Satan to destroy us.

Notice I said that if we choose to ignore God’s instruction, we are acting prideful. In the past I thought a prideful person boasted about themselves and acted superior, but God actually defines pride in reference to His word.

“Humble yourself then under God’s mighty hand so that He will lift you up in His good time.”(1 Peter 5)

To humble ourselves is to be completely submitted to God. And when we are completely submitted and dependent upon God, He will be the one to expose what is worthy in our life, in other words to exhalt us.

The Bible goes on to reveal that pride- aka a haughty spirit- is considered as wicked as murder!

There are six things the Lord hates—
    no, seven things he detests:
 haughty eyes,
    a lying tongue,
    hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
    feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
    a person who sows discord in a family. (Prov 6:16-19)

Humbling Ourselves Under God Is The Best Choice

Humbling ourselves under God is the best choice because He is the best Father in the world, desiring to give us an abundant life.

“I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.”(John 10:10)

God attempts to guide us with HIs shepherds staff (the Bible) and He uses His rod to beat off the enemy, but when we leave His shepherds staff of guidance we are also leaving the rod of protection that He was using to beat off the enemy. Picture a soldier assigned to guide us to a destination. When we stay on course towards the desired destination, the soldier stays with us. If we decide to walk off course, the soldier will not veer off the straight road- he has no authority to protect us outside of his jurisdiction- therefore we have put ourselves in enemy territory and luck is our only hope.

All God asks of us is to heed His guidance so that our life is safe, protected and leads to joy. He isn’t an authoritative father figure who has rules simply to show he is in charge – no! Everything God shows us in His Word is there to protect and guide us and lead us to His purpose for us.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”(Romans 8:28)

Loving God Pushes Out Pride

Loving God will push out pride. We show our love of the Lord by spending time with Him in daily bible study, gleaning His wisdom and asking the Holy Spirit to empower us to heed what we have learned. Some of the most important teachings are those found in God’s top 10 list: The Ten Commandments. By loving the Lord we soon realize that the Commandments from the Old Testament are for our benefit and we show our loving devotion to God by following them.“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome…”(1 John 5:3)

As the Holy Spirit guides our lives, we realize that we really have no clue how to effectively navigate life on our own without destroying something. We might be successful at our job but we work our bodies to death- literally. We may take pride in a strong work ethic at the expense of our family. Or we may choose a job that God completely abhors.

In order to stay pride free and humble we must live our lives under the guidance of our heavenly Father so that our lives stay in balance and nothing is idolized at the expense of something else.

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”(James 4:6)

Humility Can Affect A Whole Nation

Humility can affect a whole nation for its benefit. If the citizens of a nation humble themselves under God’s Word, He promises to take care of the problems of that nation. This means those who identify themselves as Christians and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior need to do be followers of Jesus and not simply believers, in order for the nation to be repaired.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chron 7:14)

Key Components Of Humility

The key components of humility are:

A strong prayer life

Learning from God through His Word

Turning from evil and wickedness to follow Jesus

Prayer And Submission Are Key Components Of Humility

How many of us have had seasons of attending church but diminished the importance of prayer and submission to the teachings? These two components- prayer and submission- are the very heart and soul of a relationship with Jesus. Without these two components, we are doing life on our own, using our mind, will and emotions to figure out the best path for our life and this is in opposition to God. We are either lead by the Spirit or lead by the self.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”(Romans 12:2)

I went to church for years and never considered whether or not my behavior was within the will of God. I mean, I never set out to be a evil person or engage in any behavior that would be labeled wicked and yet according to God’s Word, if I wasn’t submitted to His way, my behavior would qualify as wicked.

“Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.”(Prov 3:34)

I have come to understand that God’s best blessings seem to have a condition attached to them. Submission is the condition for receiving the good life through the promises of God.

“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will.”(John 9:31)

Jesus Lived A Life Of Humility

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:29)

Jesus would never ask us to do something He hasn’t done. He had to live in humility under the direction of His Father in order to accomplish His purpose in life, which was to die for our sins. If we call ourselves Christians and desire to accomplish our true purpose in life, we too must submit to God.

“Jesus said to His disciples: If any man will come after me, they must deny themselves, take up his cross and follow me.”(Matt 16:24)

This verse tells us that those who choose to be a follower, must deny themselves-letting go of pride, self centeredness and any personal ambition that conflicts with God’s will.

In today’s society, an example of a follower may be a mother who is willing to take on the traditional homemaker role and either forgo her money making job or work in a limited capacity in order to care of her husband and children. (see Prov 31)

A home functions best if there is someone who keeps things organized and well stocked. A mother in the home gives children peace of mind knowing she is there if they need her. She can prep healthy meals so that grabbing fast food on the way to a sport practice is not necessary. She has the time to keep everyones schedule straight, wash clothes and keep the house neat- all things that benefit the mental, physical and emotional health of the family. And best of all, a stay at home mom or part time worker has time to study God’s Word and incorporate teaching moments into everyday life so as to help her children learn and follow the Lord. A woman who follows the Lord is a powerful tool in God’s hand. Actually, a mother’s first ministry assignment is in the home, and it is up to her if she takes the yolk of humility and forgo being defined by her career.

For the father of the family, being a follower of Jesus may require him to pass up the job advancement that would require him to travel and leave his wife and family fending for themselves. God is not interested in our job title or how much we make, He can very easily lead us to a job that requires less hours and increases our income. Our goal should be to align our life with God’s goals, working heartily at work as if Jesus were our boss, but Jesus would never ask us to compromise anything for our job. Being the hero in our home instead of the hero at work, will ensure a smooth running family life with children that later bless, rather than curse our lives.

Our First Example of Pride

In the very first book of the Bible with the very first human beings- Adam and Eve, a choice was offered-they could follow God’s instruction or live pridefully and follow their own way. It was only a small choice- to eat the apple or not. But God looks at whether we are faithful in the little things, and if so He can trust us with bigger assignments.

Adam and Eve were commanded:
“you shall not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for on the day that you eat from it, you will certainly die.” (Gen 2:17)

God is essentially saying the same thing to us. Follow His direction or die- spiritually. To die spiritually means we have severed our relationship with Him and have decided to proceed through life as we think best. This is pride, and destruction will follow if we don’t correct course.

“The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low”(Is 2:11)

Any time we follow the Lord, we will find it leads to an abundance of blessings. Women who have a high power career with a good income, who are willing to set it aside to raise children will never have to worry about her future. God sees all and He rewards those who follow His plans.

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”(Jer 29:11)

When we choose to humble ourselves under the Word of God we are protected, guided and given blessings we didn’t even ask for. From my experience, allowing God to take the reins of life leads to exceedingly above and beyond blessings.

Let’s humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that our families and our nation can heal and function at their highest capacity- through the loving guidance of our Lord and Savior- Jesus Christ.

Food For Thought,

Lisa