Pride and Arrogance Go Hand in Hand

Do any of you know or at least know of someone who is arrogant? They are so proud of themselves that they themselves seem to be the main topic of their conversations. I will let you know right now I was guilty of this very thing. When I was a younger man, Judo was my favorite sport. After being involved in it for a few years I lived, breathed and slept Judo. I was fairly good at it. I dreamed about it in my sleep and day dreamed about it when I was awake. I let everyone know about it. I was passionate to the point where people started avoiding me because they were tired of hearing about it. Funny how everyone could see I was arrogant and proud, except for me. I didn't know I was arrogant. I thought I was fun loving and exciting. After all other people would be lucky to have me as a friend because I could protect them and show them how to protect themselves, so I thought. I couldn't understand why people quit coming around me. I found out later many people were purposely avoiding me because they knew that within 10 minutes or so the conversation would be about Judo. I won may trophies and medals, I displayed them promenantly and would not allow anyone to touch them except myself.
Now there is nothing wrong with Judo itself and it does help with self confidence to a degree, but the attitude I had about it had a hold on me. It basically took over many areas of my life without me realizing it. I was not only proud of what I was able to do, I was proud because it was me doing it. My attitude was wrong. I had allowed pride in and in that pride I became arrogant. I was not only confident that I was good at it, I crossed over the line of confidence into arrogance. A fine line between look at me and what I can do and a humble attitude being confident in what God can do in and through me.
According to the word of God, Proverbs 16:18, "Pride (goeth) before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Also, Proverbs 21:24, "The proud and haughty man, scoffer is his name, He worketh in the arrogance of pride. And again, Isaiah 16:6, "We have heard of the pride of Moab, (that) he is very proud; even of his arrogancy, and his pride, and his wrath; his boastings are nothing.
The first thing a person needs to do in order to change is like with any other problem, you first have to acknowledge you have the problem, then seek ways to overcome and get rid of it. How can we overcome pride and arrogancy in our lives? What steps can we take once we acknowledge we have a problem with pride and arrogancy? When we read, hear and speak the word of God, we feed our spirit being the seeds that will grow in us to overcome pride and arrogancy. Scripure teaches us that pride and arrogancy breeds contention and strife. How? Because a proud person will not admit they are wrong, they will blame others for any downfalls, and they refuse to humble themselves. They have a hard time acknowledging someone else is more qualified than themselves in certain areas. They put down others and get angry if you say something about them in a negative way, especially if its the truth. Scripture also teaches us that if we will humble ourselves he will lift us up and exalt us in due time. Luke 14:11 say,"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Submit yourself totally to God, repent for being prideful and arrogant, and mean it in your heart. When you voluntarily humble yourself, you will need Gods help to do this from the inside of you he will reward you. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. James 4:6

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I have wrongful pride and I have given place to arrogany. I ask your forgiveness for pride and arrogance. Help me Lord, to humble myself. I choose to be humble. Your word says, that if I will humble myself you will lift me up and exhalt me in due time. You resist the proud, but you give grace to those who humble themselves. I need your grace so I humble myself. Thank you for setting me free from pride and without pride arrogance will cease in my life. Thank you for loving me and doing this in me. In Jesus name. Amen