By Amanda Lawson // Biblical Wisdom // EEW Magazine Online

Being braggadocious, ostentatious—fancy words for boastful and flashy—seems to be the thing to do. Arrogance, if you let the world tell it, is the new fabulousness.

But in God’s Kingdom being arrogant is neither cute nor encouraged. In fact, Scripture teaches us that the way up is down, meaning, if you want to be and stay blessed, be humble.

If you don’t want to block the flow of your blessings, you need to keep these 5 Bible verses handy to keep your ego in check and your blessings on deck.

#1 “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12 NLT)

Social climbing, rubbing shoulders with the right people, and making a name for yourself by doing whatever you must do, by some standards, is simply the way things are done. But Scripture discourages the opportunistic, clout-chasing mentality and says self-exaltation efforts will amount to nothing in the end.

#2 “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, will not go unpunished.” (Proverbs 16:5 ESV)

It seems that the arrogant, ego-tripping, narcissistic types are winning these days, but that’s only temporary. God hates pride. He detests conceit. It is in fact characterized as abominable to the Lord which is some pretty strong language. Those that think they are high and mighty will be brought down by the Almighty in due season. Stay humble.

#3 “A person’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23 NASB)

Propping oneself up and stroking one’s own ego are attitudes and behaviors that seem built into the dominant culture of social media. This seems to earn the most likes, comments, shares, and approval. Even so, God’s word does not change just because the culture does. Therefore, keep your spirit humble and your heart and motives pure. This is how you can obtain blessings and honor from God. At the end of the day, it must be more important to you that the Lord be pleased than for man to be appeased.

#4 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” (1 Peter 5:6 KJV)

There is a divine promise attached to humility: if you resist the fleshly and worldly urge to make everything about you, and serve God instead, He will do the exalting. You won’t need to posture, bend over backward, or overcompensate to get what you want. The mighty hand of God will work in your favor and secure victories, breakthroughs, and more good things than you could have ever asked for!

#5 “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 CSB)

This is another promise in Scripture, only this one is too often ignored by the masses. Arrogance is not only something that God despises, but it also comes with a warning. Pride is guaranteed to destroy you. No matter how high you go, you cannot sustain that level of achievement, success, power, or privilege without being submitted to God and humble of heart. Pridefulness always eventually leads to a downward spiral.

These Bible verses clearly show you why you need to keep your ego in check. If you don’t, it will destroy you and limit your ability to enjoy the fulness of the blessings God intends to give you.

So, don’t let pride lead you to pursue the affection of man and set you up to suffer the rejection of God. Resist pridefulness in all its forms. Lift God’s name high and He will lift you high for His own purposes.