"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” - Jane AustenI have a high opinion of myself and the things I do; I want everyone around me to think highly of me too.
“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” - C.S. Lewis
I'm very critical. I'm always picking out the bad things about other people to show how I am superior.
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.” - C.S. Lewis
I do get a sense of pleasure of being "better" than other people. I think to myself "I don't do that... I would NEVER do that... I'm better than this person because I do this..." It makes me feel good about myself.
“The proud wish God would agree with them. They are not interested in changing their opinions to agree with God's.” - Ezra Taft Benson
I have a hard time changing myself because I can't imagine my ideas being wrong. I think that what I'm doing is just fine and God must think so too.
Then I started reading through Isaiah and found verses that seemed to point out my pride again and again.
"They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties--lyre and harp, tambourine and flute--but they never think about the LORD or notice what he is doing" (Isaiah 5:12, NLT).
I live my life like this. I visit with my friends, I go shopping, I watch movies, I play the piano--I do most of my daily activities without thinking about God or His plan.
"What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever" (Isaiah 5:21, NLT).
Shame on me for even thinking I know things or have something that no one else does. Shame on me for thinking myself to be better or more talented than others.
"Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble" (Isaiah 8:12-13, NLT).
I value what the world values more than what God values. I think the way the world thinks and not the way God thinks.
"He will delight in obeying the LORD, He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked" (Isaiah 11:3-4, NLT).
These verses are prophesying about Jesus, but it gave me a pretty clear description of what a person without pride would look like. 1) Delighting in obeying God, 2) Not judging based on looks, 3) Not making a decision based on what someone not directly connected with a situation may say, 4) Treat the poor with justice, and 5) Be fair to those who are mistreated.
"See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory" (Isaiah 12:2, NLT).
I am overwhelmed by pride. I feel like changing my heart will be so difficult and so painful. But God can give me victory!
"Before you can be delivered from pride and be a humble child of God, you must face this inner conviction that you believe that you are superior to others and you must come to an absolute certainty that there is no merit or goodness in you of yourself. Only inasmuch as God is present within you are you good, and then it is not your goodness, but His (James 1:17)." - Timeless Truths
To rid myself of pride, a starting point would be to follow these steps: 1) Face the fact that I AM filled with pride, 2) Realize that I think I'm better than everyone else around me, 3) Understand that I am completely void of goodness, 4) Realize that my heart is deceitful, wicked, and sick, 5) Hold on to the truth that I was born with a sin nature and am still plagued by it and, because of that nature, I can do NOTHING good on my own.
"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow" (James 1:17, NLT).
