GIF Escaping the Pride Trap

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.”
(Proverbs 18:12)

Escaping the Pride Trap
by Larry Burkett

I think Robert Burton said it best when he wrote, “They are proud in humility, proud in that they are not proud.” Does that sound like anyone you know?

How do you break out of the pride trap? First, vow to serve God and then make yourself accountable to others.

Too often Christian leaders are not accountable to anyone. Consequently, they have little or no feedback from those who can recognize the symptoms associated with pride.

First and foremost, a husband and wife must be accountable to each other. Major decisions should be discussed together and opinions and insights exchanged. If a wife has the liberty to be honest, she usually will detect (and expose) his pride (and vice versa).

Second, Christian businesspeople should be accountable to peers or people they respect who are strong enough to be totally honest. Those I know who practice accountability find they must meet regularly and learn each other’s basic flaws. They both must be studying God’s Word and be seeking to truly serve God or it won’t work.

One rule I use for those I have helped to get started: the criticism must be honest and based on God’s Word.

Also, the person pointing out the problem must suggest a way to change the attitude and must testify how the change helped in his or her own life.

Sophocles wrote, “Pride, when puffed up, vainly, with many things unseasonable, unfitting, mounts the wall, only to hurry to that fatal fall.”

Daily Scripture Reading:
Deuteronomy 11-13