Exposing A Prideful Heart
LANDMINES IN THE PATH OF THE BELIEVER by Dr. Charles F. Stanley
Excerpts from Chapter 3 - Exposing a Prideful Heart
When you step on a landmine, it will explode, and usually it will do horrendous damage. Pride is landmine that cannot be ignored because it is linked to a series of other landmines, including jealousy, envy, laziness, fear, compromise, unforgiveness, and more...
The consequences of pride in the life of a believer:
Pride hinders our fellowship with God. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot be loyal to Him and be self-centered and self-serving...
Pride leads to broken relationships with others. It prevents us from loving and caring about those around us...
Pride blocks God's blessings and often causes us to lose our rewards. If you choose to follow your own path in your own strength, you will miss the blessing that God has for you to enjoy...
Pride lessens the fullness of relationship with Him. Pride darkens our hearts to the light of God's truth and keeps us from experiencing the joy and hope that comes from living fully free in Him...
Pride decreases our effectiveness as a leader. People want to follow someone they can trust--someone who has their best interest in mind. However, prideful leaders are focused on what they can gain. They fail to see objectives clearly because they are wrapped in their dreams, goals, and desires...
Pride entices us to favor people who build up our egos. Everyone wants to feel accepted and loved. The best way to rid your life of pride is to surround yourself with people who care for you for the right reasons and not just to stroke your ego. Pride is a stumbling block for many leaders because there is a tendency to be surrounded by those who say what they believe the leader wants to hear...
Pride sets the stage for us to make foolish mistakes. The enemy is waiting for the right opportunity to tempt us to venture away from God's principles with words of pride and self-reliance. The prideful person will cease to seek godly wisdom and advice. He will think that he is too smart to need someone else's help or insight; that he can handle everything alone; that he needs to be the one who does the project, completes the tasks, or achieves the goal because no one else can do it as well...
Pride shuts down the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we become prideful, God's discernment within our lives fades. We begin to make horrendous decisions because we no longer have His wisdom available...Discerning people know the difference between right and wrong. They can sense God saying, "Stop!" "Wait!" or "Slow down!" But the prideful person never gives an ear to God's instruction and runs headlong into trouble...
Pride breeds prayerlessness. The prideful person does not want to connect with God--through worship or prayer. She may attend church for appearances sake, but actual devotion is missing. Prayer keeps us in line with God's will.
Pride causes us to emphasize self more than God. We begin to view ourselves as being important. We hear comments like "you are fantastic!" and we begin to think we are. A little popularity, a few compliments, and we forget who has given us the ability to achieve our goals, be successful, or see our dreams become a reality. Often when this happens, God will step into our lives and, if necessary, place us on "the shelf" for a season. He is not going to honor our work when pride is involved.
The evidences of pride in one's life are obvious:
* the desire to be number one or first
* continual reference to oneself
* the longing to be the center of attention
* a need to seek the praise and compliment of others
* the desire to dress in such a way as to gain the attention of others
* a need to be seen in prominent places
* unwillingness to help people who are less fortunate
* a rebellious spirit
* a tendency to take credit for something someone else did
* refusal to do menial tasks
* refusal to apologize when wrong
* an attitude of self-sufficiency
Seven Steps to Successfully Dealing With Pride
1) Realize that pride is present in your life...
2) Ask God to forgive you for being prideful...
3) Pray that He will give you the ability to away from pride...
4) Pray that He will set a hedge of protection around your life...
5) Remember where you came from and how far God has brought you...
6) ask God to help you recall the good things that He has done in your life, and stop comparing yourself to someone else...
7) Being willing to experience adversity...
The landmine of pride is one of the most deadly weapons in Satan's arsenal. It is the very landmine that caused Satan's fall from heaven, and it can certainly wreck havoc in your life...
Excerpts from Chapter 3 - Exposing a Prideful Heart
When you step on a landmine, it will explode, and usually it will do horrendous damage. Pride is landmine that cannot be ignored because it is linked to a series of other landmines, including jealousy, envy, laziness, fear, compromise, unforgiveness, and more...
The consequences of pride in the life of a believer:
Pride hinders our fellowship with God. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot be loyal to Him and be self-centered and self-serving...
Pride leads to broken relationships with others. It prevents us from loving and caring about those around us...
Pride blocks God's blessings and often causes us to lose our rewards. If you choose to follow your own path in your own strength, you will miss the blessing that God has for you to enjoy...
Pride lessens the fullness of relationship with Him. Pride darkens our hearts to the light of God's truth and keeps us from experiencing the joy and hope that comes from living fully free in Him...
Pride decreases our effectiveness as a leader. People want to follow someone they can trust--someone who has their best interest in mind. However, prideful leaders are focused on what they can gain. They fail to see objectives clearly because they are wrapped in their dreams, goals, and desires...
Pride entices us to favor people who build up our egos. Everyone wants to feel accepted and loved. The best way to rid your life of pride is to surround yourself with people who care for you for the right reasons and not just to stroke your ego. Pride is a stumbling block for many leaders because there is a tendency to be surrounded by those who say what they believe the leader wants to hear...
Pride sets the stage for us to make foolish mistakes. The enemy is waiting for the right opportunity to tempt us to venture away from God's principles with words of pride and self-reliance. The prideful person will cease to seek godly wisdom and advice. He will think that he is too smart to need someone else's help or insight; that he can handle everything alone; that he needs to be the one who does the project, completes the tasks, or achieves the goal because no one else can do it as well...
Pride shuts down the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we become prideful, God's discernment within our lives fades. We begin to make horrendous decisions because we no longer have His wisdom available...Discerning people know the difference between right and wrong. They can sense God saying, "Stop!" "Wait!" or "Slow down!" But the prideful person never gives an ear to God's instruction and runs headlong into trouble...
Pride breeds prayerlessness. The prideful person does not want to connect with God--through worship or prayer. She may attend church for appearances sake, but actual devotion is missing. Prayer keeps us in line with God's will.
Pride causes us to emphasize self more than God. We begin to view ourselves as being important. We hear comments like "you are fantastic!" and we begin to think we are. A little popularity, a few compliments, and we forget who has given us the ability to achieve our goals, be successful, or see our dreams become a reality. Often when this happens, God will step into our lives and, if necessary, place us on "the shelf" for a season. He is not going to honor our work when pride is involved.
The evidences of pride in one's life are obvious:
* the desire to be number one or first
* continual reference to oneself
* the longing to be the center of attention
* a need to seek the praise and compliment of others
* the desire to dress in such a way as to gain the attention of others
* a need to be seen in prominent places
* unwillingness to help people who are less fortunate
* a rebellious spirit
* a tendency to take credit for something someone else did
* refusal to do menial tasks
* refusal to apologize when wrong
* an attitude of self-sufficiency
Seven Steps to Successfully Dealing With Pride
1) Realize that pride is present in your life...
2) Ask God to forgive you for being prideful...
3) Pray that He will give you the ability to away from pride...
4) Pray that He will set a hedge of protection around your life...
5) Remember where you came from and how far God has brought you...
6) ask God to help you recall the good things that He has done in your life, and stop comparing yourself to someone else...
7) Being willing to experience adversity...
The landmine of pride is one of the most deadly weapons in Satan's arsenal. It is the very landmine that caused Satan's fall from heaven, and it can certainly wreck havoc in your life...
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