Empowered by Praise | Antidote to Pride: Empowered by Praise (Part 3)

The only people who do not have pride are those who have died.

Every human being is created with pride.

Now, we call it ego in the psychological world.

Whatever the name of it is, it is what it is.

So, the question is, Is my pride out of control, or is it under the control of God the Holy Spirit? That is the difference.

It's not that somebody has pride and the other one doesn't have pride.

We all have pride.

Is it an unbridled pride, or is it a controlled, sanctified pride under the Holy Spirit? You see, unbridled pride, listen carefully, manifests itself in anger, jealousy, envy, and being critical of others.

In fact, unbridled pride leads to lying, loneliness, and self-pity.

Unbridled pride can also lead to self-loathing, And constantly being self-conscious, pride that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is constantly asking, how do others perceive me? What impression am I making on others? How can I get people to take notice of me? And on and on and on and on.

Listen to me.

Pride at its deepest root is wanting to be accepted by others, but the godly sanctified pride recognizing the fact that I owe everything to God, that I am filled with gratitude and thanksgiving for the one who gave me everything.

I give God the full credit for every gift I have, for every achievement, for every accomplishment.

And this is not something you do once and you move on.

This is something you do every day.

And as I've been suggesting, first thing in the morning, day after day after day.

And, beloved, that's where the praise-filled life comes in.

Please hear me right.

Praising God is the greatest antidote to a runaway pride.

Praising God is the best medicine for an out of control pride.

Praising God is the best answer to all of the grief and the sorrow that can be created by an injured pride.

Beloved, listen to me.

The Scripture is filled with examples of unsanctified pride, and that unsanctified pride had led to a disaster, not only for the person, but sometimes for everybody around, including nations.