AVOID PRIDE

1Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

We see that the God factor, takes our mind away from pride, when we understand that we have one master and king the less likely are we to look down on others.

It is always said that what brought Satan down and made him loose all his glory was that sting called pride.

Proverbs 15:25

The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow.

James 4:6

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Pride could mean you forgetting who is in charge, God, then placing yourself in His place. The Lord may not act immediately but when He does the result is not pleasant.

Isaiah 42:8

I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.

Playing God has it's dangerous repercussion, hello, your place of authority is a privilege, the legitimacy of it is your ability to take care of those under you.

Many leaders today have forgotten this truth, even in democratic systems in Africa, we see politicians appeal to people to place them in positions of authority. When they get these positions they tend to place themselves as gods over those whom they ought to serve - the believer should never be this way. But are they not?

When we place ourself in God's place we find it easy to find faults in others, we always feel offended and rarely see ourselves offending others. Hello, always search yourself first. Ask, "what am I doing wrong?", before you search out the fault of others.

Pride will make one always see oneself above others, always the one needed to be apologized to, wanting to be reverenced, always desiring to intimidate and love to be given, never thinking of giving.

Pride would make your prayer more of a monologue, not patient enough to hear from God. Even the prayer pattern of a proud person is affected by the sting, a believer has no business with pride. For truly, love contrasts pride. Selah

Pride will not allow spouses express full love to themselves always cautious never wanting to be stepped on. We see unnecessary ego and selfishness.

It is important not to confuse Pride with good

*Leadership

*Discipline

*Correction

*Self Respect

and other virtous characters.

May the Holy Spirit grant us grace to see when pride would want to overtake us and by His helping hand keep us in check that we may not derail.

1Corinthians 13:4-5

 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

May we be known of God as "the humble" for the Lord Himself will lift us up.

Remember:

Proverbs 10:22

The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

He calls us blessed.

Love

@the watcher