Pride or Humility?
Your choice will determine
where you will spend eternity
Dear Daisy,
Is it just me or has the world truly become full of pride and evilness? I was taught growing up that God loves humility, and that our country in America was built on Biblical foundations. The current days we are living in look like the former rather than the latter. Where are the humble Christians? How is it that pride seems to be spreading like wildfire while humility is quickly melting away? Pride now seems to be more focused on being defined by self-centered rebellion. Can you help me understand what God says about pride and humility? ~ Signed, overwhelmed by the pride and evilness
Dear overwhelmed by the pride and evilness,
Thanks for writing in. I can assure you that it is not your imagination that only a remnant of people are clinging tightly to humility and obedience to Jesus. Let’s dig deeper and search for scriptures that teach and remind us of what God says about humility and pride. One cannot possess both of these behaviors at the same time; everyone gets to choose which one they want to cling too. Let’s find out why we want to choose humility.
What is pride according to the world?
Let’s see what The American Heritage Dictionary says:
pride /prīd/
noun
1. A sense of one’s own proper dignity or value; self-respect.
2. Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association.
“parental pride.”
3. Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness.
4. A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class.
“These soldiers were their country’s pride.”
5. The most successful or thriving condition; prime.
“the pride of youth.”
6. An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit.
Mettle or spirit in horses.
7. A group of lions, usually consisting of several related females and their offspring and a small number of unrelated adult males.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
According to this dictionary, this word can mean whatever you want it to mean. Care to add an 8th option? Kidding. Funny, not funny. However, it does look like #6 shot up to the #1 spot in recent years.
Our world has decided over time to change the definition of many words to suit their wants and desires to give a name to an ideology that they created. Because of this habit – the dictionary is ever-changing.
The Holy Bible that God breathed;
IT NEVER CHANGES!!!
“The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8
“Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away.”
Matthew 24:35
God breathed the Holy Bible from beginning to the end and back. He said it, it will be. His Word never changes and neither does He change His mind. It is written.
“I am the LORD, and I do not change.
That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.”
Malachi 3:6
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11
What is pride according to God?
When does God repeat Himself in the Holy Bible? When it’s IMPORTANT!!! Throughout the Holy Bible God speaks about pride, and is very clear of His feelings against it. What is the opposite of pride? Humility – humbleness. What does God love? Humility. There are many scriptures about that as well. Why? Because it’s what God loves, and it’s important to Him. He blesses those who are humble. He judges those who are prideful.
Is it really any surprise that the devil works hard to make all people self-centered and full of pride? Of course not; he wants them to suffer and spend eternity in hell with him. The masses have chosen pride over humility; some chose out of rebellion to God, others chose out of ignorance – lack of knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. Regardless of why they choose a prideful life over being humble before God, if they don’t repent before it’s too late, they are doomed for eternity.
Let’s look at scripture and see what God’s Word says about pride.
“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil:
pride,and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth,
do I hate.”
Proverbs 8:13
“When pride cometh, then cometh shame:
but with the lowly is wisdom.”
Proverbs 11:2
“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD:
though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”
Proverbs 16:5
“18 Pride goeth before destruction,
and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly,
than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
Proverbs 16:18-19
“A man’s pride shall bring him low:
but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.”
Proverbs 29:23
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance,
will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
Psalms 10:4
“And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them,
as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim:
and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.”
Isaiah 25:11
“5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace.
Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:5-7
“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
1 John 2:15-17
Pride comes before the fall
Here is a great example that God gives us in His Word. In the book of Daniel in the Holy Bible, God performed a number of recorded miracles in Babylon through Daniel, and through his three buddies in the fire. The purpose was to show the people, especially the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, God’s mighty power. The king was wise, but full of pride. God brought him low; breaking his pride and humbling him in a very unique way. You can read about this story in the book of Daniel in the Holy Bible. This story will show you God’s power and why you don’t want to rebel against Him. Even though God had revealed Himself and His power to the king already through other miracles, his pride was not yet broken. Just because God hasn’t humbled him yet, doesn’t mean He forgot or is running late. On the contrary, God will humble him at the appointed time; and God will get the glory He deserves. Observe:
Now, it’s time for another valuable lesson from God Almighty. This one is going to show God’s power over “pride.”
The king has a second recorded dream where God told him that if he didn’t humble himself before the Lord, that he would fall from his throne. Even though the king had already witnessed God’s almighty power, his pride was bigger than his belief in God’s power. You can literally see and feel the pride in the kings words here before his immediate humbling season.
“30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon,
that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power,
and for the honor of my majesty?
31 While the word was in the king’s mouth,
there fell a voice from heaven, saying,
O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken;
The kingdom is departed from thee.”
Daniel 4:30-31
You can read the story of what happened to the king and how God’s prophetic words through Daniel happened just as he said. Even though the king’s son witnessed the words and power of God Almighty, he did not learn from his father’s mistakes. As the saying goes: like father, like son. Here the pride of the son comes before his great fall as well, but his puffed up pride brings about his death.
In his case though, rather than send the king a dream like God did with his father, He does something very unusual. While everyone was heavily intoxicated partying with the stolen articles of gold from God’s Temple, God has a floating body-less hand suddenly appear and begin writing on the wall (thus the term: “the writing is on the wall” was born from this story). The king was frightened beyond belief and needed someone to interpret the message written. His sorcerers, soothsayers, and magicians could not interpret; his wife then suggests he summon Daniel to provide the message. God created Daniel for another moment such as this to be his vessel for teaching.
Here comes “the pride before the fall” again…
“22 You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.
23 For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!
24 So God has sent this hand to write this message.
25 “This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.
26 This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
27 Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.
28 Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.” Daniel 5:22-30
His father’s life was spared by God as He taught him the importance of trusting that God’s promises will come true in His perfect timing. However, his son, didn’t get a chance for redemption; his stubborn boastful pride brought about his death.
Don’t test God. He will not be mocked.
Repent today and allow Him to humble you, and care for you.
Why is humility important to God?
We have learned that scripture breathed by God clearly states He hates prideful hearts. The opposite of prideful is humble. When you give your heart to Jesus, He replaces your heart of stone with a new humble heart.
“A new heart also will I give you,
and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36
(Read full chapter to see how God will bless you.)
When we wholeheartedly follow Jesus, we are choosing to obey Him and follow Him in all His ways. With a humble heart, we are able to live and walk in His perfect peace; it gives us hope and joy as we rest in His arms and in His promises. By staying in a mindset of humility, you learn how to trust Jesus completely and cling to Him as He walks through life with you. He is your constant companion that you can talk to about anything and remain in a state of indescribable peace while surrounded by your enemies (Psalms 23). Keeping your eyes on Jesus helps you to remain humble, and from that place you are able to trust Him to fight your battles for you. If you don’t know this peace, there is information at the end of this blog to help you find it.
Let’s look at scripture to learn more about how God feels about humility.
“The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom;
and before honour is humility.”
Proverbs 15:33
“18 Pride goeth before destruction,
and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly,
than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
Proverbs 16:18-19
“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,
and before honour is humility.”
Proverbs 18:12
“A man’s pride shall bring him low:
but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”
Proverbs 29:23
“2 And thou shalt remember all the way
which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,
to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger,
and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not,
neither did thy fathers know;
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
“15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness,
wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought,
where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna,
which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee,
and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
17 And thou say in thine heart,
My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.”
Deuteronomy 8:15-17
“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.”
2Chronicles 7:14
“Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God,
when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof,
and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me;
I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 34:27
“When men are cast down, then thou shalt say,
There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.”
Job 22:29
“When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them:
he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.”
Psalms 9:12
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is Holy;
I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Isaiah 57:15
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:4
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased;
and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
Matthew 23:12
“But he giveth more grace.
Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.”
James 4:6
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and he shall lift you up.”
James 4:10
“5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
1Peter 5:6-7
These are just a handful of scripture promises about the importance of being, and remaining humble at all times. If this was not an important personal quality to have, it would not be taught from the beginning of time throughout God’s Holy Word.
Repent and pray for the Holy Spirit to help you lay down your pride.
How to enter into a humble state of mind
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you in this area. Because we live in a broken and fallen world full of sin, all of us begin life with a prideful heart; no one is exempt. Satan has worked very hard to keep everyone focused on self and continue in a growing prideful heart of rebellion.
When you give your heart to Jesus, He gives you a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). It is then that the Holy Spirit invites you to keep following Him as He leads you through the pruning process and through the refining fires to break off your pridefulness and bring you to a humble state of mind. This process is painful, but necessary for your healing. There is no need to be afraid because Jesus is with you always, even as He walks you through the fires. (See Daniel 3 also)
“7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow,
saith the LORD of hosts:
smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered:
and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass,
that in all the land, saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and die;
but the third shall be left therein.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire,
and will refine them as silver is refined,
and will try them as gold is tried:
they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, It is my people: and they shall say,
The LORD is my God.”
Zechariah 13:7-9
Don’t be afraid of the refining fires with Jesus. It is much easier to walk through the fires with Jesus and allow Him to break off your pride and humble you thereby filling you with His indescribable peace, than the alternative: burning in hell for eternity without Him. God encourages you here: (hold on to His promises)
“1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob,
and he that formed thee, O Israel,
Fear not: for I have redeemed thee,
I have called thee by thy name;
thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the LORD thy God,
the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:
I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.”
Isaiah 43:1-3
Choose Jesus today.
Heart check time
Jesus is coming back soon to get His Bride. Let’s make sure your heart is right with Him. Don’t complicate the process for salvation. Keep it simple. Whether you have prayed this before, rededicate your life today and go “all in” with Him. It’s time for a deeper relationship with your Creator, Adonai.
Do the ABC’s and repent today.
- A: Admit that you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8-9)
- B: Believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God and that He died for your sins and rose from the dead for you. (John 3:16-18, 1Corinthians 15:1-4)
- C: Call on Jesus and repent of your sins and turn back to Him and ask Jesus to show you the way. (Romans 10:9-13, John 14:6)
In closing,
Always ask Jesus what you should do in every situation. The Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you. If it’s not okay with Him, He will check your spirit and you will have an uneasy feeling and doubt about going forward. Always follow Jesus; NOT your heart; our hearts are fickle and can’t be trusted. Listen to the Holy Spirit; He is trying to protect you. You have a choice to obey or ignore. Choose to obey and stay under His protection.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;
who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.“
Proverbs 3:5
“When you know you grow!”
Take note:
“I am not your teacher, the Holy Spirit is.
I’m just the messenger leading you back to Jesus and His truth.”
Daisy Hawkins ~ 1John 2:27, Jeremiah 33:3