Pumping Up Balloon - Watch What ...

Illustration: Pumping up balloon - watch what happens when pride is in control of ones life.

Kapteyn helps us see what happens with pride along with some of my observations: Pride is what hurts us in our relationships - in church, in families, (at work, at school), with friends. Pride makes us stubborn - I’m right, she’s wrong - (I know all more about this than they do-they need to listen to me!). Pride stops us from forgiving "I was right she needs to apologize to me not visa versa! Pride makes us put up false fronts "I’m not letting anyone else know my sins and weaknesses" ("I don’t have any problems only those kind of people do! My life is perfect! I don’t make mistakes!) It creates walls of pretension. Pride makes us think we are better or know more than the other. We become proud of what we do, read (or achieve). I am so smart! Nobody could do my job! Look at their picture and mine -no comparison! I have education therefore, I am smarter than you! You cannot speak into my life you don’t have a BS degree. I have more money than most others! I can preach better than he can! I can teach better than he can! I do not need leadership classes "I’m a self made leader!" Look at my success! It makes me work for salvation rather than to receive it freely. It removes grace from God from us, as far as we see it, (We earned our salvation - just look at my works!), and makes us less gracious toward others. We become more judgmental. Pride makes us put others down. We look down on another because he is black or oriental. (Educated or not educated, wealthy or not wealthy, dresses in a suit or not a suit, of a certain denomination or not part of a denomination).

Pride- how is it affecting you? Are you afraid to serve because you may fail? Afraid to share your faith because of what others will think? Afraid to pray out loud because of how you might sound? (Afraid to step out in your spiritual gift because of what others may think?) Afraid to reach out to someone because they might reject you? Afraid to be vulnerable because you might get hurt? Afraid to sing because you might make a mistake? Afraid to?????

If you answered yes to any one of these then you have a problem with pride --- Pride is the sin of placing more importance on self than you do on God or others!