25 Subtle Manifestations of Pride

Pride. It's self-focus. It's self-worship.

It's believing that I deserve recognition. And what it will do is it will prevent me from going to God. It will prevent me from loving God supremely, loving others supremely, dealing with other people's sins in the right way, resolving conflict.

Brethren, pride is believing a lie. What's not true? And so detecting it. The question isn't do we have it? The reality is where is it? Now, I'm going to just go through some things.

Because sometimes there are very obvious demonstrations of pride, and then sometimes there are not so obvious demonstrations of it. And I'm not going to go through and explain how every one of these is exalting yourself, but I think a little bit of thought and you will recognize it is indeed that. And I warn you here, proud people are going to see others in this list.

Because you're going to think you're okay. And I know it hurts. You touch pride.

I say this, take this personally. So you've got pride that's expressed from the mouth. You know one of the great expressions of pride from the mouth? You talk too much.

You consume conversations. You don't let other people talk. Why? Because you think you are more important and what you have to say is more important.

You talk too much. Words are many, transgression not lacking. You give your opinion when you're not asked.

Now, there are times to get involved in situations when you're not asked. I understand. I always think you're right.

I mean, the way of the fool is right in his own eyes. You always interrupt. Or you answer roughly.

Remember the rich answer the poor roughly. That's a form of you can get away with it. Why do poor people not tend to act so roughly? You answer sarcastically.

You answer with superiority. Pretty. Always talking about self.

Boasting, bragging. The Proverbs says, let another declare your good things. You get defensive.

You get blame-shifting. Selfish prayer. You just pray about yourself.

Even when we're all gathered together, your prayers are just you. These are ways that we express this with our mouth. Endless talking about your own problems.

I mean, I know we have some people, we tend to get people in the church that do have problems that rise over and above others. And you know what's amazing sometimes is when people have massive problems and they ask you how you're doing. There's a self-forgetfulness there.

I'm sure people have been in the church before. And I mean, there's that person. It's like here they come.

And you already know. They're going to take the next 20 minutes and they're going to tell you all about their problems. And you don't want to be that person.

Count others more significant than self, somebody said. Slander, critical, ridicule others. Because it's always a superiority thing.

Pass judgment on others, you condemn yourself. But we do pass judgment on others. And yet we're guilty of the same stuff.

Demeaning, degrading, you're hurtful. You remember rash words are like sword thrusts, some wise man said. And complaining.

Do all things without grumbling is what Scripture says. The complainer, why? Because he thinks he deserves better. What pride does not do with the mouth? They're thankless.

There's a lack of gratitude in general. There's a deserving attitude. Don't ask for forgiveness.

Lack of admitting when wrong. Or not much prayer. Why? Because not very needy.

I don't see myself as needing to pray. I mean, folks, the decisions that go into your thought process that cause you to not come to prayer meetings, be careful. You know what? What is that? That may demonstrate as much as anything an attitude.

I don't really need God that bad. Well, I can pray somewhere else. But there's promises in Scripture about corporate prayer.

Desperate people are going to use opportunities to cry out to the Lord. So, what else? You know, there's a Psalm that says, in the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek God. It can also come out in not much praise.

And I'm not talking because you come here and the words get put up on the wall and you kind of join in singing with everybody. I'm talking heartfelt, spontaneous. Are there times when you just, Lord, thank You.

Because you just recognize, man, I get dealt with so far above what I deserve. And some other manifestations of pride. Outbursts, or you sulk.

You withdraw. Frustration, moodiness, impatience, irritability. You know, everything is okay as long as it's going your way.

Devastated by criticism. Oh, when somebody says something, you are so thin-skinned. You are unteachable.

Not interested in counsel. And you know, one of the ways, and this will hit you right between the eyes when we look at Romans 9, but you know, there's a lot of pride behind God-centered theology. The people that hate that.

Why do people hate a strong God-centered message? Because they want to exalt themselves. They want to think man has some point of eminence in all of this thing. And so, other ways.

How about put off by the righteousness of others? Other people excel you. And uses attention-getting tactics. Maybe the way you dress, or you flaunt your muscles, or people wanting to put themselves on display.

They view God at their beck and call. God should serve you. A low view of God's Word.

Anxiety. We're supposed to humble ourselves and cast all our cares. You see what anxiety says? I can't trust God.

I've got to worry about this myself. It's putting you again in the higher place. Difficult to ask others for help.

Easily insulted. Working with others is difficult. Lack of service.

Distrustful of others. Distrustful of God. Why? You don't trust others because the posture of trusting others is just too weak.

It's beneath you. Or there's this expecting God to... there's a lot of people that they already get their minds made up about what they want to do, and they want God to bless that, bless their venture, rather than to humble themselves under Him. Then you've got the category of pride of ability.

The things you do well, or where you've been benefited or blessed in your life, or things that you have success in. And you know what? We do. Undoubtedly, every one of you has areas in your life where you excel, where you've been blessed, where you've got some sort of ability.

But where pride breaks out is when there's jealousy. You don't like what somebody else has. Envy.

You have a hard time being glad for other people's success. You cannot tolerate other people's applause. You cover up your own lack of ability.

You try to make it seem like you have more ability or you have more than what you actually have. You cover up sin. You cover up faults.

You cover up mistakes. Minimize your own sin shortcomings. Maximize sin of others.

Legalism is a form. Why? Because it says, well, my list of rules is superior and I want to force it on other people. And I think I'm preeminent in all of this.

You make the less important more important like the Pharisees did. You don't like duties unless you're noticed. Giving to be seen.

Always think you get the raw deal. Like the guy that always doesn't get enough pay and he doesn't get enough recognition and he didn't get the right project at work and he didn't get the right kids and she didn't get the right spouse. And thinks just life is unfair.

Flaunting vehicles and home and degrees. You just think over much of your own ability. Self-absorbed with a sense of failure.

That's a way. That is not humility. Might speak openly about faults of your own, but don't dare let someone else say what you say about yourself.

Self-pity. Majorly put out by other people's pride. Leadership goes to your head.

You want to quit if you can't have your own way. In certain pride in relationships, you use other people. Remember the golden rule.

We're supposed to do to others what we want them to do. Few close relationship. You resist authority.

Disrespectful. Consumed with what others think. Fear of man.

It's a snare. You seek independence. You seek control.

You don't like to be bothered. You see yourself as better. Always on top looking down at others.

Assumes ulterior motives in others. Brethren, these are just some. Obviously, you could think there's probably pride behind every single sin.

Just like there's unbelief behind every single sin. Brethren, what we want to do if we're going to self-humble when you've got to design, you've got to be mentally deliberate and thinking about how you're going to kill pride. How are we going to get to this? And the thing is, how are you going to kill pride so that you're not proud that you're killing pride? Because seriously, the moment you want to try to be humble and humble yourself, there's something about humbling self if it's done wrong that it produces pride.

It produces you thinking more highly of yourself somehow. And so, brethren, the thing about pride too is it's not the kind of thing, well, oh yeah, I did that. Brethren, this is a daily thing.

You've got to die daily. You've got to fight this daily. Pride has to be... We've got to declare war here.

Pride's a lie. So one of the things you've got to do obviously is saturate it with truth. Brethren, don't tell me you're serious about this battle if you're not in this book every day.

Because this is truth. And you don't know that anything else is. You don't know that it's coming from Washington or from the media.

You don't know that that's truth. But you know that what's in here is truth. And brethren, if you're going to really seek to kill pride, you've got to saturate with truth.

And this is truth. We've got to be in the Word. Brethren, the thing is, some fight better.

I mean, every Christian must fight against the passions that wage war against the soul. All have to fight pride. All who would see eternal life must put the deeds of the body to death, including the prideful deeds that are produced.

We've got to be there. But practically, some do it better than others. Brethren, that can't even be debated.

So why is that? Practically, what makes the difference? Because here's the thing, if you put to death haughty tones in your voice, you do it. And if you do that better than I do, then you do that better than I do. It's because you do it.

Definitely, you do it in the strength of Christ, but the reality is you do it. And if you fail, it's your fault. It's your problem.

It's your failure. Humble yourselves. And brethren, humble people come from somewhere.