Nancy Leigh DeMoss contrasts characteristics of proud, unbroken people who are resistant to the call of God on their lives with the qualities of broken, humble people who have experienced God’s revival. Read each item on the list as you ask God to reveal which characteristics of a proud spirit He finds in your life. Confess these to Him, then ask Him to restore the corresponding quality of a broken, humble spirit in you.
Proud, Unbroken People
- Focus on the failure of others
- Self-righteous; have a critical, fault finding spirit; look at own life/faults through a telescope but others with a microscope
- Look down on others
- Independent/Self-sufficient spirit
- Maintain control; must be my way
- Have to prove that they are right
- Claim rights
- Demanding spirit
- Desire to be served
- Desire for self-advancement
- Driven to be recognized and appreciated
- Wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked
- “The ministry is privileged to have me!”
- Think of what they can do for God
- Feel confident in how much they know
- Self-conscious
- Keep people at arm’s length
- Quick to blame others
- Unapproachable
- Defensive when criticized
- Concerned with being “respectable”
- Concerned about what others think
- Work to maintain image/protect reputation
- Find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others
- Want to be sure no one finds out about their sin
- Have a hard time saying “I was wrong. Would you forgive me?”
- When confessing sin, deal in generalities
- Concerned about the consequences of their sin
- Remorseful over their sin – got caught/found out
- When there is a misunderstanding, wait for the other to come and ask for forgiveness
- Compare themselves with others and feel deserving of honor
- Don’t think they have anything to repent of
- Don’t think they need revival (think everybody else does)
Broken People
- Overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need
- Compassionate; forgiving; look for best in others
- Esteem all others better than self
- Dependent spirit; recognize need of others
- Surrender control
- Willing to yield the right to be right
- Yield rights
- Giving spirit
- Motivated to serve others
- Desire to promote others
- Sense of unworthiness; thrilled to be used at all; eager for others to get the credit
- Rejoice when others are lifted up
- “I don’t deserve to serve in this ministry!”
- Know that they have nothing to offer God
- Humbled by how much they have to learn
- Not concerned with self at all
- Risk getting close to others; willing to take risks of loving intimately
- Accept personal responsibility; can see where they are wrong
- Easy to be entreated
- Receive criticism with a humble, open heart
- Concerned with being real
- All that matters is what God knows
- Die to own reputation
- Willing to be open and transparent with others
- Willing to be exposed (once broken, you don’t care who knows)
- Quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness
- Deal in specifics
- Grieved over the cause/root of their sins
- Repentant over sin (forsake it)
- Take the initiative to reconcile conflict; see if they can get to the cross first
- Compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel desperate need for mercy
- Continual heart attitude of repentance
- Continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with the filling of the Holy Spirit