PRIDE: ME, MYSELF AND I (PART 2)


Please visit this page to read part one of my sermon notes on pride.  Today I would like to share part two on how to break free from the chain of pride by operating in humility.

Combat Pride by Operating in humility.

Humility is not about being a doormat.  It is also not about the outward appearance or saying the right words to make you appear humble.  It cannot be fabricated. Humility is a posture of the heart. You are confident in who you are in Christ and can operate in boldness.  However you are aware that you are totally inadequate without God.

  • I must be willing to imitate Christ’s humility and not think of myself as better than others, or think of myself too much.
  • I can’t imitate Jesus unless I have spent time with Him in prayer and studied Him through His word. I must also incorporate fasting to bring my flesh under subjection to the will and ways of God.
    • Praying: In prayer, Jesus shines the light on areas of pride in my life and the transformation process can begin as I surrender. The more I come to the light the more the darkness of my heart is revealed.  This is not meant to turn me away or make me feel bad.  It is intended to make me cry out to the Lord  in prayer asking to be cleansed.  Lack of a prayer life is a sign of pride.  When I don’t take the time to pray or don’t think it is important, I am indirectly saying I don’t see a need for God. “I can do life all by myself, I don’t need His guidance, His protection, His wisdom, I GOT THIS!”
    •  STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD: the word is a template of how we should be, it shows us ourselves. It shows us how we should respond.  Reading the word gives us examples of how to operate in humility.  Read the story of John the Baptist in John chapter 3. Read of how he  (John the Baptist) tells his jealous disciples that his joy is made full because the spotlight is taken off of Him and put on Jesus, which was the entire point of his existence…a forerunner for Jesus.  Read of John’s humility and his willingness to decrease that Jesus could increase. When I read this, I am challenged to cry out for my flesh to be put to death so that Jesus can increase in me.
    • FASTING-kills the flesh. We must incorporate fasting into our lives.  Perhaps you are not able to fast for an entire week or a day.  How about starting with just one meal?

Humility in Action

  • Humility is being ok with the spotlight being on someone else. I don’t have to be the center of attention.
  • I am confident in who God has called me to be so I can encourage you to move forward in your gifts. I don’t feel the need to compete with anyone.
  • I am able to build others up from a sincere heart.
  • I am thinking about others, looking out for their best interest.  I am willing to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ, not EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN!
  • I am actively looking for ways to use my gift to build up the body of Christ and not my name. I spend time to perfect the gifts that God has given me and I use them with great confidence and boldness.  My number one mission is to bring glory to God.
  • I am freed from people pleasing. I am able to say NO when necessary without feeling bad about it or worrying about what you think of me.  With humility, my focus is on pleasing Jesus, not man.
  • I don’t make others feel bad about saying no to my requests. I respect the boundaries of others.
  • I am willing to sincerely apologize when I know I am wrong, regardless of who I have offended.
  • I do not show partiality. I treat the homeless and the rich with the same amount of love and respect.

 

Benefits of Operating in Humility

The scripture tells us that God gives grace to the humble.  Grace is simply favor that I don’t deserve or didn’t earn.

Closing Thoughts: The victory over pride is not as easy as saying a prayer once and being done with it.   It is a continuous battle, pride is always a temptation because of our human frailty.    Don’t try to fight pride on your own.  There is a great level of humility required to admit and expose pride.  That’s the starting point.

If you are struggling in a particular area, pray and ask the Lord to connect you with a brother or sister in the Lord that you can share your struggle with.  The scriptures tells us that we are to confess our faults to one another and it also tells us that we are to pray for each other (James 5:16).  Be willing to let your guards down and be held accountable by someone that loves the Lord.

BREAK FREE FROM THE PRISON OF PRIDE AND WALK THE ROAD TO HUMILITY, GRACE AWAITS YOU AS YOU TAKE THE JOURNEY!

 

 

 

 

Anika Jones

About the Author

Anika Jones

Anika Jones is a speaker and author of the book Lessons Learned Along The Way: A 40 Day Devotional. She blogs about faith and family at LivingForLater.com and posts weekly videos on her YouTube channels, Living For Later (@livingforlater) and Living Life Now (@livinglifenow). Anika loves speaking about developing intimacy with God and understanding who we are in Christ. She serves alongside her husband in ministry. They live in Illinois with their 6 children.