The 50 Fruits Of Pride
FiveThingstoKnowAboutPride&Humility
1.PrideIstheRootofAllEvil(Genesis3:5;1Timothy3:6;1John2:15-17).
2.GodHatesPride(Proverbs8:13;16:5;Isaiah23:9;Daniel4:29-37;James4:6;1Peter5:5).
3.GodLovesHumility(Proverbs11:2,15:33,18:12,29:23;Isaiah57:15,66:2;Micah6:8;Luke
14:11;1Peter5:6).
4.WhatIsNotPride:
a.AcknowledgingandappreciaVngthegiWsandabiliVesGodhasgivenyou.
b.Thepresenceofgodlydesire,ambiVonandpurposefuldirecVoninyourlife(1Timothy3:1).
c.AcknowledgingtheworkofGodwithinyou.
d.Thepursuitofexcellence.
e.DefendingandproclaimingthetruthofScripture.
5.PrideIsDecepVve(John8:31-36;Jeremiah49:16;Proverbs16:2,21:2).
TheFi:yFruitsofPride
1. WanttobeWellKnownorImportant(Isaiah14:13-15;James3:13-16;Romans12:6).“Iamselfishly
ambiVous.Ireallywanttogetaheadandmakeanameformyself.Iwanttobesomeoneimportantinlife.Ilike
havingaposiVonorVtle.Ifarpreferleadingtofollowing.”
2. SinfullyCompeVVve.“IamoverlycompeVVve.IalwayswanttowinorcomeoutontopanditbothersmewhenI
don’t.”
3. WanttoImpressPeople(Luke10:38-42).“Iwantpeopletobeimpressedwithme.Iliketomakemy
accomplishmentsknown.”
a.Clothesorjewelryyouwear.
b.Vehicleyoudrive.
c.Furnitureyouown.
d.Houseyoulivein.
e.Placeyoulive.
f.Companyyouworkfor.
g.Amountofmoneyyouearn.
h.Foodyoueat.
i.Howspiritualyouare.
j.Whatyoulooklike(physicalappearance).
k.Whatyouhaveaccomplished.
l.Whatyouknow.
m.WhereyouwenttoSchool.
n.Whoyouknow.
o.Whatyourbackgroundis.
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4. DrawAdenVontoMyself(Proverbs27:2).“IliketobethecenterofadenVonandwillsayordothingstodraw
adenVontomyself.”
5. LiketoTalkAboutMyself.“Iliketotalk,especiallyaboutmyselforpersonsorthingsIaminvolvedwith.Iwant
peopletoknowwhatIamdoingorthinking.Iwouldratherspeakthanlisten.IhaveahardVmebeingsuccinct.”
6. DeceieulandPretenVous(Psalm24:3-4,26:2-4;Jeremiah48:10;Proverbs26:20-26).“ItendtobedecepVve
aboutmyself.IfindmyselflyingtopreservemyreputaVon.Ifindmyselfhidingthetruthaboutmyself,especially
aboutsins,weaknesses,etc.Idon'twantpeopletoknowwhoIreallyam.”
7. DesireRecogniVonandPraise(John5:41-44;Madhew6:1,23:5-7).“IdesiretoreceiverecogniVonandcreditfor
whatIdo.IlikepeopletoseewhatIdoandletmeknowthattheynoVced.Ifeelhurtoroffendedwhenthey
don't.IamoverlyconcernedaboutmyreputaVonandhatebeingmisunderstood.”
8. NotFulfilledServingOthers(John3:30).“Iamnotveryexcitedaboutseeingormakingotherssuccessful.Itendto
feelenvious,jealousorcriVcaltowardsthosewhoaredoingwellorbeinghonoured.”
9. SelfSufficient(Madhew4:4;John15:5;Acts17:25;2Corinthians12:7-10).“ItendtobeselfsufficientinthewayI
livemylife.Idon’tlivewithaconstantawarenessthatmyeverybreathisdependentuponthewillofGod.Itend
tothinkIhaveenoughstrength,abilityandwisdomtoliveandmanagemylife.MypracVceofthespiritual
disciplinesisinconsistentandsuperficial.Idon’tliketoaskothersforhelp.”
10.Anxious(Psalm4:8;Philippians4:6-7;1Peter5:6-7).“IamoWenanxiousaboutmylifeandthefuture.Itendnot
totrustGodandrarelyexperiencehisabidingandtranscendentpeaceinmysoul.IhaveahardVmesleepingat
nightbecauseoffearfulthoughtsandburdensIcarry.”
11.SelfFocused(Exodus4:11;Job10:8-11;Psalm139:13-16;Isaiah53:2;Jeremiah1:5).“Iamoverlyself-conscious.I
tendtoreplayinmymindhowIdid,whatIsaid,andhowIcameacrosstoothers.Iamveryconcernedaboutmy
appearanceandwhatpeoplethinkofme.Ithinkaboutthesethingsconstantly.”
12.FearMan(Proverbs29:25).“IfearmanmorethanGod.IamafraidofothersandmakedecisionsaboutwhatI
willsayordobaseduponthisfear.Iamafraidtotakeastandforthingsthatareright.Iamconcernedwithhow
peoplewillreacttomeorperceivemyacVonsorwords.Idon’toWenthinkaboutGod’sopinioninamaderand
rarelythinktherecouldbeconsequencesfordisobeyinghim.Iprimarilyseektheapprovalofmanandnotof
God.”
13.Insecure.“IoWenfeelinsecure.Idon'twanttotrynewthingsorstepoutintouncomfortablesituaVonsbecause
I'mafraidI'llfailorlookfoolish.Iameasilyembarrassed.”
14.CompareMyself.“Iregularlycomparemyselftoothers.Iam“performanceoriented.”IfeelthatIhavegreater
worthifIdowell.”
15.PerfecVonist.“Iamself-criVcal.ItendtobeaperfecVonist.Ican'tstandforlidlethingstobewrongbecausethey
reflectpoorlyonme.IhaveahardVmepulngmymistakesbehindme.”
16.SelfServing(Philippians2:19-22).“Iamself-serving.Whenaskedtodosomething,Ifindmyselfasking,‘Howwill
doingthishelpme?’or‘WillIbeinconvenienced?’Iamnotfocusedontheneedsandinterestsofothers.”
17.FeelBederorSuperior.“IfeelspecialorsuperiorbecauseofwhatIhaveordo.”
18.ThinkHighlyofMyself(Romans12:3,16;James2:1-4).“Ithinkhighlyofmyself.InrelaVontoothersItypically
seemyselfasmorematureandmoregiWed.InmostsituaVons,IhavemoretoofferthanotherseventhoughI
maynotsayso.Idon’tconsidermyselfaverageorordinary.”
19.CreditMyself(1Corinthians4:6-7;15:10).“ItendtogivemyselfcreditforwhoIamandwhatIaccomplish.Ionly
occasionallythinkaboutorrecognizethatallthatIamorhavecomesfromGod.Idon’tconsciouslytransferall
glorytoGodforanygoodIhaveoranygoodIdo.”
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20.SelfRighteous(Luke18:9-14).“Itendtobeself-righteous.IcanthinkthatIreallyhavesomethingtoofferGod.I
wouldneversayso,butIthinkGoddidwelltosaveme.Iseldomthinkaboutorrecognizemytotaldepravityand
helplessnessapartfromGod.Iregularlyfocusonthesinsofothers.Idon’tcreditGodforanydegreeofholiness
inmylife.”
21.FeelDeserving.“Ifeeldeserving.IthinkIdeservewhatIhave.Infact,IthinkIoughttohavemoreconsidering
howwellIhavelivedorinlightofallIhavedone.”
22.Ungrateful(Luke17:11-19;Ephesians5:19-20;1Thessalonians5:16-18;Colossians3:15-17;Philippians2:14)·“I
oWenfeelungrateful.ItendtogrumbleaboutwhatIhaveormylotinlife.Iamnotamazedbygraceonaregular
basis.”
23.CapVvetoSelfPity.“Ifindmyselfwallowinginself-pity.IamconsumedwithhowIamtreatedbyGodandothers.
Itendtofeelmistreatedandhatebeingmisunderstood.Iseldomrecognizeorsympathizewithwhat'sgoingon
withothersaroundmebecauseIfeelthatIhaveitworsethantheydo.”
24.JealousandEnvious(James3:13-16).“IcanbejealousorenviousofothersabiliVes,possessions,posiVons,
accomplishmentsorfriends.Iwanttobewhatothersareorwanttohavewhatothershave.IthinkIdeserveor
shouldhavethegoodthingsotherpeopledo.IfindithardtorejoicewhenothersareblessedbyGod.”
25.UnkindandHarsh(Ezekiel16:49;Psalm17:10;Proverbs24:17-18;Luke10:25-37).“IampredyinsensiVveto
others.Ifeelsomepeoplejustaren'tworthcaringabout.IhaveahardVmeshowingcompassionorextending
mercytoothers.Somepeoplearen’tworthmyVmeandadenVon.”
26.LovetoRevealMyMind(Proverbs18:2).“Iliketorevealmyownmind.IhaveananswerforpracVcallyevery
situaVonandanopiniononeverysubject.Ifeelcompelledtobalanceeveryoneelseoutandletthemknowmy
thoughts.”
27.KnowItAll(1Corinthians8:1).“Ihaveaknow-it-allaltude.Iamimpressedbymyownknowledgeand
understandingofthings.Ifeellikethereisn'tmuchIcanlearnfromotherpeople,especiallythoselessmature
thanme.”
28.LikePeopletoKnowIKnow.“IfeelcompelledtostoppeoplewhentheystarttosharesomethingwithmeI
alreadyknow.”
29.HardtoAdmitIDon’tKnow.“IfindithardtoadmititwhenIdon’tknowsomething.Whensomeoneasksme
somethingIdon'tknow,IwillmakeupananswerratherthanadmitIdon'tknow.”
30.Don’tListentoOrdinaryPeople.“IhaveahardVmelisteningtoordinarypeople.IlistenbedertothoseIrespect
orpeopleIamwanVngtoleavewithagoodimpression.Idon’thonestlylistenwhensomeoneelseisspeaking
becauseIamusuallyplanningwhatIamgoingtosaynext.”
31.InterrupVve.“Iinterruptpeopleregularly.Idon’tletpeoplefinishwhattheyaresaying.”
32.Don’tGetMuchOutofTeaching.“Idon’tgetmuchoutoftheteaching.Itendtoevaluatethespeakerrather
thanmyownlife.IgrumbleabouthearingsomethingasecondVme.”
33.ThinkingofOthersDuringTeaching.“Ilistentoteachingwithotherpeopleinmind.Iconstantlythinkofthose
folkswhoneedtohearandapplythisteachingandwishtheywerehere.”
34.NotTeachable(Proverbs12:1).“I’mnotveryopentoinput.Idon’tpursuecorrecVonformylife.Itendtobe
unteachableandslowtorepentwhencorrected.Idon'treallyseecorrecVonasaposiVvething.Iamoffended
whenpeopleprobethemoVvaVonsofmyheartorseektoadjustme.”
35.Don’tAdmitWrongDoing(Proverbs28:13;James5:16).“IhaveahardVmeadmilngthatIamwrong.Ifind
myselfcoveringuporexcusingmysins.Itishardformetoconfessmysinstoothersortoaskforforgiveness.”
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36.DoNotWelcomeCorrecVon(Proverbs15:12).“IviewcorrecVonasanintrusionintomyprivacyratherthanan
instrumentofGodformywelfare.Ican’tidenVfyanyonewhowouldfeelwelcometocorrectme.”
37.ResentPeopleWhoCorrectMe(Proverbs9:7-9).“Iresentpeoplewhoadempttocorrectme.Idon’trespond
withgratefulnessandsincereappreciaVonfortheirinput.InsteadIamtemptedtoaccusethemanddwellon
theirfaults.Igetbiderandwithdraw.”
38.ContenVousandArgumentaVve(James1:19-20).“Whencorrected,IbecomecontenVousandargumentaVve.I
don’ttakepeople’sobservaVonsseriously.IminimizeandmakeexcusesorgiveexplanaVons.”
39.GetAngryorOffendedWithOthers(1Corinthians6:7).“Iameasilyangeredandoffended.Idon'tlikebeing
crossedordisagreedwith.Ifindmyselfthinking,“Ican'tbelievetheydidthattome.”IoWenfeelwronged.Ihate
tobemisunderstoodbyothersespeciallythoseIrespectanddesiretothinkhighlyofme.”
40.ConstantlyinConflicts(Proverbs13:10).“Ihave“personalityconflicts”withothers.IhaveahardVmegelng
alongwithcertainkindsofpeople.Peopleregularlytellmetheystrugglewithme.”
41.HaveLidleEsteemorRespectforOthers(Numbers16:1-3).“Ilackrespectforotherpeople.Idon'tthinkvery
highlyofmostpeople.IhaveahardVmeencouragingandhonouringothersunlesstheyreallydosomething
great.”
42.DoViolencewithMyMouth(Psalm101:5;Romans3:13-14;3John1:9-10).“Iamaslanderer.Ifindmyselfeither
givingorreceivingevilreportsaboutothers.Iamnotconcernedabouttheeffectofslanderonmebecauseofmy
maturitylevel.IthinkIcanhandleit.IonlysharewithothersthethingsIthinktheyreallyneedtoknow.Idon’t
tellall.Anyway,thethingsIsayorhearaboutpeopleareusuallytrue.”
43.SowDiscord(Proverbs28:25).“Iamdivisive.MyacVonsandaltudesseparatepeopleratherthanunitepeople.
Mywordsfrequentlyunderminedtheconfidenceandtrustpeoplehaveinoneanother.Ialsotendtoresistor
resentauthority.Idon'tlikeotherpeopletogivemeordersordirecVons.”
44.DemeanorBelidleOthers.“WithamoVvaVontoputpeopleintheirplaceorlookgoodmyself,Iliketodemean
orputothersdown.Theyneedmyadjustment.Thisincludesleaders.Otherpeopleneedtobehumbleandhavea
“sober”assessmentofthemselves.”
45.CriVcal.“ItendtobecriVcalofothers.IfindmyselffeelingortalkingnegaVvelyaboutpeople.Isubtlyfeelbeder
aboutmyselfwhenIseehowbadsomeoneelseis.Ifinditfareasiertoevaluatethantoencouragesomeone
else.”
46.SelfWilledandStubborn.“Iamself-willedandstubborn.IhaveahardVmecooperaVngwithothers.Ireallyprefer
myownwayandoWeninsistongelngit.”
47.Independent(Proverbs18:1;Luke1:51-52).“Iamindependentanduncommided.Idon'treallyseewhyIneed
otherpeople.Icaneasilyseparatemyselffromothers.Idon’tgetmuchoutofthesmallgroupmeeVngs.”
48.Unaccountable(Acts2:42;Hebrews10:25).“Iamunaccountable.Idon’taskotherstoholdmeresponsibleto
followthroughonmycommitments.Idon’treallyneedaccountabilityformywordsandacVons.”
49.Un-submissive(Hebrews13:17;1Peter5:5).“Iamun-submissive.Idon’tlikebeingundertheauthorityof
anotherperson.Idon’tseesubmissionasagoodandnecessaryprovisionfromGodformylife.IhaveahardVme
supporVngandservingthoseoverme.Idon’t“lookup”topeopleandIliketobeincharge.Otherpeoplemay
needleadersbutIdon’t.Itisimportantthatmyvoiceisalwaysheard.”
50.FeelMature.“IreallyappreciatesomebodytakingtheVmetoputthispapertogether.Itwillreallybeabighelp
tomyfriendsandfamily.However,Idon'treallyneedthisbecauseIthinkI'mpredyhumblealready.”
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HowtoDealwithPrideinYourLife
1. AskGodtoilluminateyourheartsoyoucanbegintoseethefruitsofprideinyourlife.Askfriendstopointout
thefruitsofprideinyourliferealizingyourheartisexceedinglydeceieul.Beself-suspicious.
2. AskGodtoconvictyoupointbypoint(Psalm139:23-24)andtrustthathewill.Youdon’twantorneedgeneral
condemnaVon,onlyspecific,godlyconvicVon.
3. ConfessyourpridetoGodpointbypointandaskforhisforgiveness.Justasimportantly,askhimtocleanseyouof
allunrighteousness(1John1:9).
4. Don'taskGodtohumbleyou–theScripturesaystohumbleyourself(1Peter5:6).Humilityisn'tanemoVon;it'sa
decisionofthewilltothinkandactdifferently.
5. Confessyoursinsofpridetothoseyouhaveaffectedandtoyourfriends.Theycanhelptoholdyouaccountable
andbringtheon-goingencouragementandcorrecVonyouwillneed.
6. AskGodtogiveyouaholyhatredforprideanditsfruitsinyourlife.BeconVnuallyonthealert.Don’tallowpride
togrowinyourheart.
7. AskGodtogiveyoualoveforanonymity.Encourageandserveotherseachandeveryday.Associatewiththe
lowly.
8. ThinkmuchaboutGodandlidleaboutyourself.RegularlystudythegoodnessandgreatnessofGod.
9. LivetopromotethereputaVonofGodandnotyourown.BeimpressedwithGod-don’tbeimpressedwith
yourself.FindyoursaVsfacVoninhimandnotinyourvainaccomplishments.
10.Rememberyourwaragainstprideislife-long.Itisnotabadlewoninaday.Butasyoufaithfullyputprideto
deathandputonhumility,youwillexperiencegreaterfreedomandmoreimportantlygreaterconformityto
imageandlikenessofChrist.Insodoing,Godwillbeglorifiedinyourlife!
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