What personal actions can we take to avoid pride, as warned in Ezekiel 26:10? A Picture of Pride in Ezekiel 26:10 “His horses will be so numerous that their dust will cover you; the noise of the horsemen, wagons, and chariots will shake your walls when he enters your gates as men enter a breached city.” - Tyre’s towering self-confidence is pulverized by an army so vast its dust blots out the sun. - The once-secure walls quake; the proud city learns that earthly defenses crumble before God’s judgment. - Pride, left unchecked, invites a collision with the living God—just as surely today as in Ezekiel’s day. Why Pride Is So Dangerous - Proverbs 16:18 — “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” - James 4:6 — “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” - Matthew 23:12 — “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” God does not merely dislike pride; He stands in active opposition to it. Pride blinds, isolates, and ultimately destroys. Personal Actions to Guard Against Pride • Invite God’s Searchlight - Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God… see if there is any offensive way in me.” - Make regular, unhurried space for the Spirit to expose hidden arrogance. • Anchor Every Success in Gratitude - 1 Corinthians 4:7 reminds us everything good is received, not earned. - Verbally thank God—and those He used—whenever praise comes your way. • Keep a Philippians 2:3 Mind-set - “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.” - Consciously elevate others: highlight their gifts, celebrate their wins. • Serve in Ways That Stay Hidden - Matthew 6:3-4: give so “your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing.” - Anonymous acts of service starve the ego of applause. • Submit to God-given Accountability - Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” - Welcome honest feedback from mature believers who can spot subtle pride. • Practice Quick Repentance - The moment self-congratulation surfaces, confess it. - 1 John 1:9 assures cleansing that keeps the heart soft. • Cultivate a Lifestyle of Worship - Worship recenters attention on God’s greatness, shrinking self-importance. - Psalm 95:6: “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Daily Habits That Keep Pride at Bay - Begin each morning with a simple declaration: “Apart from You I can do nothing” (John 15:5). - Keep a gratitude journal; list three gifts God gave that day. - Speak one word of encouragement to someone before speaking about yourself. - End the day reviewing where God’s grace, not your effort, carried you. The Takeaway Tyre’s downfall in Ezekiel 26:10 is a sober warning: pride invites God’s opposition and inevitable collapse. By inviting His search, grounding every blessing in gratitude, serving quietly, submitting to accountability, and living a worship-saturated life, we build humility into the very rhythms of our days—and keep our gates from ever being breached. |
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