insecurity | MaryAnn Diorio

Do you have a prideful heart? The challenge with this kind of heart is that pride, by its very nature, is unaware of itself. This lack of awareness results in many life problems.

Before we explore these problems, let’s define what we mean by a prideful heart. To be “prideful” is to have.”a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority.” To be prideful is to think that one is better than others in one or more ways. To be prideful is to treat others as lesser than oneself in value, ability, or social status.

Surprisingly, pride is rooted in insecurity. While pride people may think they are not insecure, they are extremely so. A secure person rarely struggles with pride because he knows that his worth derives from God alone. A prideful person, on the contrary, usually struggles with insecurity because he thinks that his worth stems from his own performance, pedigree, or economic/social status.

So, what are some of the problems faced by a prideful person?

The main problem area occurs in his relationships. Prideful people rarely enjoy deep, intimate relationships because they feel superior to most people. This sense of superiority drives people away.

Prideful people also are self-sufficient and think they don’t need anyone. So they do not humble themselves to seek help. All the while, they are the ones who need help the most.

Pride is a stench in the nostrils of God. Scripture tells us that “He hates the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34). Scripture slao warns us that pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). Many are those who have thought themselves great only to discover, through some calamity, that only God is great.

If Holy Spirit has graciously shown you that you have a prideful heart, repent. Humble yourself before God and, as Scripture promises, He will lift you up (I Peter 5:6). And when God lifts you up, there is no falling down.

Source Cited: http://dictionary.reference.com/browdse/prieful