The Difference Between Proud & Broken People

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

“THE SACRIFICES OF God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

Proud People . . .

1. focus on the failures of others.

2. are self-righteous; have a critical, faultfinding spirit; look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope, but their own with a telescope; look down on others.

3. have an independent, self-sufficient spirit.

4. have to prove that they are right.

5. claim rights; have a demanding spirit.

6. are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation.

7. desire to be served.

8. desire to be a success.

9. desire self-advancement.

10. have a drive to be recognized, to he appreciated; are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.

11. have a subconscious feeling, “This ministry is privileged to have me and my gifts;” think of what they can do for God.

12. feel confident in how much they know.

13. are self-conscious.

14. keep others at arms’ length.

15. are quick to blame others.

16. are unapproachable.

17. are defensive when criticized.

18. are concerned with being respectable, with what others think; work to protect their own image and reputation.

19. find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others.

20. want to be sure that no one finds out when they have sinned; instinct is to cover up.

21. have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?”

22. tend to deal in generalities when confessing sin.

23. are concerned about the consequences of their sin.

24. are remorseful over their sin; sorry that they got found out or caught.

25. wait for the other to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or conflict in relationships.

26. compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor.

27. are blind to their true heart condition.

28. don’t think they have anything to repent of.

29. don’t think they need revival; but are sure that everyone else does.

Broken People. .

1. are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.

2. are compassionate; can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven; esteem all others better than themselves.

3. have a dependent spirit; recognize their need for others.

4. are willing to yield the right to be right.

5. yield their rights; have a meek spirit.

6. are self-denying.

7. are motivated to serve others.

8. are motivated to be faithful and make others a success.

9. desire to promote others.

10. have a sense of their own unworthiness; are thrilled that God would use them at all in any ministry; are eager for others to get the credit and rejoice when others are lifted up.

11. have a heart attitude that says, “I don’t deserve to have any part in this ministry;” know that they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives.

12. are humbled by how very much they have to learn.

13. are not concerned with self at all.

14. are willing to risk getting close to others and to take risks of loving intimately.

15. accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation.

16. are easy to be entreated.

17. receive criticism with a humble, open spirit.

18. are concerned with being real; what they care about and what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; are willing to die to their own reputation.

19. are willing to be open and transparent with others as God directs.

20. once broken, don’t care who knows or who finds out; are willing to be exposed because they have nothing to lose.

21. are quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary.

22. under the conviction of God’s Spirit, are able to acknowledge specifics when confessing their sin.

23. are grieved over the cause, the root of their sin.

24. are truly, genuinely repentant over their sin; which is evidenced in the fact that they forsake that sin.

25. take the initiative to be reconciled when there is a misunderstanding or a conflict in relationships; they race to the cross; they see if they can get there first, no matter how wrong the other may have been.

26. compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel desperate need for His mercy.

27. walk in the light.

28. realize they have a need of a continual heart attitude of repentance.

29. continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.

THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY APOSTOLIC WRITERS’ DIGEST, OCTOBER 1998, PAGES 7,8. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.