Dealing With Pride - An Obstacle To Maturity
Part I - Causes of Pride

There is an interesting story in the life of Jesus that reveals the heart felt desire of a loving Mother. It is found in Matthew chapter 20. The mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons and asked Jesus if her two sons could sit on his right and left side when his Kingdom was revealed. While Mom here is sincere, she is sincerely wrong. When the other ten disciples heard all this, they were less than pleased.

Pride is such a blinding handicap. Pride makes us believe we are where we aren't and keeps us where we are rather than where we could be. Jesus asked the boys if they were able to drink of the drink he would be require to drink and they said, no problem! What ignorant arrogance!

Causes of pride:

1. Believing "what Mama said". Your Mama sees you differently than anyone else. I hate to tell you this but you can't count on what she says about you. Oh, she's not lying, she's just seeing it from her perspective, through her filter. You can't view yourself in the light of what others think of you. There's good and bad here. You have to build your view of yourself on what God's Word says about you. You won't be disappointed but God's word balances who you are with how you should handle who you are.

2. Past Accomplishments. What a deadly pattern. We cry out to God for help, he answers our prayers and then we sit back and think, "Boy, did I do a great job there".

3. Faith in personal knowledge and opinion. Herein lies a character flaw. It says, "my opinion is the only opinion."

4. Insecurity. Insecurity is one of the greatest causes of pride. It is an "anti-God" answer to insecurity and inferiority.

5. Beauty. Lucifer was cast from heaven because his beauty eventually turned to pride that made him think he was in competition with God.

6. The sinful nature. We are all born with this and pride is at the heart of the sinful nature.

Pride is the sickness and Jesus is the cure. True humility only comes from the inside as sin is seen, Jesus is embraced and a new creation is manifested in the power of the Holy Spirit.