Symptoms Of Pride

That is one sign of pride. My opinion must be heard and I will defend it to the death. And I need to be seen as right. I was recently with a group of people who had a culture of challenging the details of anything anybody said. It was absolutely exhausting. You got where you measured your words very carefully, even on mundane subjects because you knew something is going to be challenged and then debated. I was just trying to have friendly conversation; but it got to where it wasn’t worth the effort. Some things really don’t matter that much. If they pronounce it “creek” instead of “creek”, I can live with the difference without a twenty minute discussion about which pronunciation is correct. I’m talking about opinionated and argumentative.

Do you have to have the last word in a debate?

How do you handle blame? If something goes wrong, do you have to fix blame just to make sure everybody knows it’s not your fault? When confronted with a mistake you have made, do you have to defend your actions? Do you have an excuse or do you simply say, “My bad; I missed it on that one.”

Confident people, humble people can accept blame and move on because they have bigger fish to fry. Little people, prideful people have to make sure the blame goes somewhere else. How easy is it to draw you into an argument? Another symptom of pride:

4. Disrespect toward AUTHORITY

Rom. 13:7 says we are to give honor to whom honor is due. Before God can ever trust a person to be in authority, that person must first learn how to be under authority. That’s relatively easy when the authority over you respects you and seeks your best interest. The real test comes when you get under an authority that doesn’t have those qualities. Pride will excuse its own rebellion in those circumstances. Pride will criticize and talk behind the bosses’ back. Peter addresses this subject in his epistle. 1 Peter 2:18-19 “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.” In the next chapter (3:1) he writes, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives.”

The point of both those directives is this. The fact that there are flaws in the authority over you, does not exempt you from having a submissive spirit. Pride doesn’t even like the word “submissive.” But there it is in the Bible. David found himself under the worst possible authority in King Saul. Saul lied to him, was trying to kill him, and ruined his reputation. David kept a respect for that place of authority through it all. And in doing that he was equipped to be the kind of king God wanted him to be.

Let me talk about that side for a moment. When you are in authority, how do you treat those under you? As a boss are you respectful toward employees and do you decide matters with their best interest in mind. Col 4:1 says, “Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.”