Daily Bible Study – Immanuel experience…

LEARN and PRACTICE the WORD of GOD

How to overcome Pride?

(Continuation from yesterday)

VI. Restrict the growth of pride and it is a temptation, so flee from this temptation

You will never fully be able to escape temptations to be proud. But you can significantly reduce these temptations—and thus improve your chances of remaining free of pride—if you will take specific steps to avoid temptation.

• Focus on your relationship with God.

Strengthen your devotional life. In particular, focus on giving God glory and humbling yourself before Him.

• Latch on to God’s promises.

Search the Scriptures for truths about pride and humility, then memorize the verses that you think can best help you to resist pride. Recall these verses whenever temptation arises. The following are a couple of verses you might want to memorize.

Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:4)

Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. (1 Peter 5:6)

• Establish safeguards.

Make changes in your lifestyle that will reduce your temptation to be prideful. Be bold here! Be creative! These are a few possibilities to get your thinking going:

•  If you tend to look down on people of a lower social class than your own, volunteer to serve some of society’s down-and-outers.

•  If you are proud of your looks, get rid of the clothes or makeup that you think flatter your looks the most.

•  If you like to show off by driving up in a flashy car, trade it in for a vehicle that is more modest and practical.

•  Ask a trusted Christian friend to hold you accountable in your commitment to not be prideful.

• Expect victory.

Do not focus on your failures of the past but rather on God’s ability to give you lasting victory over pride. Believe that He will implant a more humble attitude in your heart—for good. And give Him the praise in advance!

Express your gratitude

“A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”

There is something about saying “thank you” that takes our eyes off ourselves and puts them back on the blessings we’ve received and the people who’ve blessed us.

Practice servanthood

A person who is truly great is always willing to be little. But pride fights against servanthood, because a proud person demands to be served. Serving others requires us to focus on their needs rather than our own, and this also reminds us of how we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Laugh at yourself

There’s an old saying, “Blessed are they that laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be entertained.”

Once you begin to look for the humour in your behaviour and situation, you find it everywhere. Prideful people take themselves way too seriously. By laughing at yourself, you begin to see how absurd we can all be sometimes.

Bringing it together

If your pride pushes you toward performing with excellence, doing your best, and finding joy in the accomplishments of others, it’s probably helping you become a better leader.

But if there’s even a hit of competition or self-promotion in it, it’s probably having a negative effect on your relationships. That can hurt both your life and your leadership. If that’s true, do what I try to do: shift my focus onto others and follow the tips above.