SATAN’S TRAPS: PRIDE (4 of 5)

Satan’s trap of “Pride” (4 of 5)

There are some things we can see in ourselves,
and in others, that are evidences of pride.
We may choose to justify them, or deny them,
but in our hearts, we know when they are there.
We also know that God hates pride.

EVIDENCES OF PRIDE
1. A desire to be number one.
    Question:
    What is number one; to be better than others?
    – If someone is ahead of us, then the standard
       may be higher, but we should not…
          – Strive to be better than them.
          – Strive to get more praise.
          – Strive to get more honor.

    – Our goal should be to be the best we can be
       (regardless of how we “rank” with others).

2. Continually referring to ourselves.
     – My goals, my opportunities, my privileges,
        my achievements, my experiences, my talents,
        my possessions, my knowledge, etc.

3. Must be the center of attention.
     – Some people just can’t be second place (or third, etc.)
        (again, our goal is to do the best we can with what
        God has given us and not to “outdo” others).

     – An obsession to be number one.

     – Obsessed with being the center of attention.

     – When they walk into a room,
        they want everybody to notice them.

     – In conversations they want to dominate;
        to be the center of attention.
        They will interrupt or talk over others.
        If someone has a different opinion, they
        will emphatically tell them they are wrong.

     – The whole world revolves around them.
        Note:
        The truth is, the whole world
        should revolve around Jesus.

     – There is evidence of pride in our life when…
            – We have to be the center of attention.
            – We have to do all the talking.
            – Everybody has to listen to us.
            – We want recognition above everything else.
            Note:
            Some will stretch a story into something
            that is untrue, just to get more attention.
            Example:
                I know someone who has told the same story
                many times; it has changed so much each time
                that its not even close to what really happened.
                The story changes depending on the reaction
                and attention of the listeners.
                Note:
                    Think about the impact this has on his credibility.

4. Seeking praise and compliments.
     – All of us have the ability
        to get praise from others if we want it.

     – When we have pride, we know how
        to manipulate others to get praise.

     – We can ask the “right” questions or say the right
        things to get someone to compliment us.

     – We can say things like, “I don’t look very good today” ;
        so that others will say, “You look fine”.
            – We thank them, AND, we got what we wanted.

5. Dressing to draw attention.
     – A Godly person knows how to dress up their
        countenance (which is a reflection of their heart).

     – We should; be our best; do our best; look our best.

     – All of us want to look nice, but when we dress to be seen
        and admired, pride can be involved (and God hates that).

     – Sometimes we do things and think that God
        is not paying any attention – but He is!
        He notices because He knows that whatever we do
        and say, is an indication of the condition of our heart.

     – When we ‘have to have’ someone else’s approval
        in order to feel good about ourselves,
        there is something missing in our hearts.

     – When we recognize who we are in Christ,
        we don’t need the world’s approval
        (we are His servant, and He is our life).

     – When we have God’s approval, we have the best
        approval possible; we don’t need the approval of
        others (when we do, it can be a sign of pride in our life).

6. Love of the prominent places and people.
     – Wanting to be seen with the most prominent people;
        to sit in the most prominent places;
        to get their identity through their association with others,
        instead of their relationship with Jesus Christ.

     – God sees us just the way we are.
          – He loves us just the way we are.
          – He loves us no matter who we know.

     – People with pride are frequently “name droppers”
        (“I’ve seen so and so”, “I’ve been with so and so”,
        “So and so called me”, “So and so is a good friend
        of mine” (truth is they might only know each other)).
            – This is an indication of a void in our life
               (only God can fill the voids in our lives).
        Note:
        Most of the hearers may not even know
        (or care) about the person named;
        others often get distracted by wondering
        “what name is he/she going to bring up next?”

7. Ignoring people who are less fortunate.
     – Wanting to sit by the most prominent and best dressed.

     – Ignoring those who are not as prominent
        (may even ignore or mistreat them).

     – Willing to help only those who can help them in return.

     – Question:
        How did Jesus treat people in His day?
           – When He addressed the woman who had been caught
              in the act of adultery (which she didn’t deny)…with
              love He said, “I forgive you, go and sin no more”.

           – The man who beat his chest and said,
              “Lord forgive me”
               …Jesus said he would be in the kingdom of God.

           – The Pharisee who said,
              “I’m thankful I am not like the publican over there”
              (and talked about how much he had tithed)
              …God said he would not make it into the kingdom.

     – God hates pride, because He sees it for what it is;
        He treats everyone the same, without favoritism.

8. A rebellious spirit.
     – When God leads us to do something
        and we refuse, it is an indication of pride.
        We are saying…
              “God I know better than You do”
              “I’m going to do it my way God”
              “I’m not going to do it Your way”
        …that’s an evidence of pride.

     – Rebellion is why prideful people become prayer-less.
            – They don’t feel the need for God.
            – They have it all under control.
            – They can tackle anything.
            – They don’t need direction from God.
           Note:
           God honors us when we begin the day on our knees.
                – Asking Him for His guidance.
                – Asking Him for His direction.
                – Acknowledging the fact that we need Him.
           Note:
           When we leave Him out of our lives,
           He allows things to happen.
           Question:
           Why?
                 – Because He wants to get our attention.

9. Taking credit for what others have done.
     – We know its true in the business world,
        but it can also happen in Christian circles.

     – Godly people should:
            – Always recognize others for their efforts.
            – Give credit where credit is due.

     – No matter how smart or gifted we are,
        if others are not completing tasks ‘with us’,
        we are not going to be successful.

     – Question:
        When others do not receive credit for what they did…
            – How much effort will they be likely to give next time?
            – How will they feel toward the one grabbing all the credit?

     – Some people not only grab the credit, but will also
        put down the efforts of others (criticize them openly).

     – Pride forgets the efforts of others.

10. Refuse to perform menial tasks
       – In the church, some are willing to serve as deacons,
          or in other visible positions, but are not willing
          to serve in the parking lot, or behind the scenes.

       – Thank goodness for those who serve in areas like that.
              – They don’t get much recognition,
                 but God sees what they are doing,
                 just as He sees the ones behind the pulpit.

       – When we reach a point in our life where a task is beneath
          us, we may be developing pride in our hearts (we are
          saying we are too big, or too important for that task).

       – Question:
          What task is beneath us?
                – Jesus washed the dirty, sandy feet of His disciples
                  (He wasn’t too big or too important to “wash feet”).

       – Question:
          What are we too big for?
              – We are just children of the living God.
              – We are no better than anyone else.
              – We have not moved above performing menial tasks.

11. Difficult to be pleased (and happy)
       about the success of others.
       Example:
           Whenever we start to praise someone’s efforts
           to another person, “Didn’t they do a great job?”
           their response may be, “Yeah, they did a good job,
           but….” (whatever they say next will probably be a putdown).

12. Cannot apologize.
       – They struggle with saying…
              – “I’m sorry”.
              – “I was wrong”.
              – “Please forgive me”.
         Note:
         An insincere apology is just words.
         To be fair, there are times when a person can struggle
         with apologizing because he or she cannot understand
         why someone else has been offended, or hurt.
         Some want an apology, but are not willing to
         forgive others for their mistakes, consequently
         they may not accept a sincere apology.

13. Attitude of self-sufficiency.
       – “I can handle it”.
       – “I don’t need God’s help”.
       – They are saying, there is a big gap in their life
          and somehow they have to fill it themselves.

14. Can’t stand criticism.
       – All of us need a little criticism at times.

       – Some say, “I don’t mind righteous criticism”
          (whatever that means).

       – We don’t want someone saying,
          “You did an outstanding job,
            but could I point out this one thing?”.
                – A prideful person doesn’t want to hear that.

       – Sometimes we need someone to come up to us and say,
         “You messed up and you could have
          handled that situation in a different way”.
          Note:
          When we struggle with that, either the other person
           might be being judgmental, or might not be speaking
           in a loving and caring way, or may not be forgiving,
           or….we may be developing pride.