Pride - Hinderance To Prayer

The consistent biblical theme is that pride closes us off from God's grace and favor, while humility opens the way for our prayers to be heard and answered. God looks favorably on those with a humble, contrite spirit rather than the proud. Unchecked pride can make our prayers ineffective.

Job 35:12 – There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

1 John 2:16 – For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

James 4:16 – But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

This verse shows that pride is seen as evil and contrary to the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 8:13 – The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 6:16-19 – These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

God actively opposes the proud but extends grace to the humble.

James 4:6 – But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

God opposes pride but favors humility.

1 Peter 5:5-6 – Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

God looks favorably on those with a humble, contrite spirit rather than the proud.

Luke 18:14 – I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Isaiah 66:2 – For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Pride is listed alongside fleshly and materialistic desires as being anti-God and worldly.

Mark 7:20-23 – And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Proverbs 16:5 – Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

Psalms 59:12 – For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.

Pride leads to destruction.

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty (exaltation) spirit before a fall.

Isaiah 13:11 – And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Ezekiel 16:49 – Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Ezekiel 16:56-57 – For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.

Ezekiel 30:6 – Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.

Hosea 5:5 – And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.

Zephaniah 2:9-10 – Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.

This is only one thing that my be hindering your prayers, download my free book to find out the 16 other things that may be hindering your prayers: 17 Hinderances To Prayer.

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Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

- The Christian King