Here are seven of these forces that work against humility:

1. Our ego
We are born self-centered and, unless something intervenes (like a spanking or
discipline or instruction), we grow up full of ourselves, thinking the world revolves
around us. That may be the essence of original sin, that we are all about us.
My friend Jerry Clower used to say, "People say I have an ego. Listen, friend--if you
don't have an ego, go get you one. Because you're going to be needing one in this
life!" He meant the kind of self-awareness and confidence that accompany success
in life. That's the good ego; the bad ego is pride, self-centeredness.
2. Our successes
No one wants to fail; everyone wants to succeed in life. And yet we learn far more
from our failures than from successes and accomplishments. Let a young writer
publish an early book and receive great acclaim and he/she automatically thinks of
themselves as a great author. However, if the aspiring writer receives a series of
rejection slips that drive him to work at his craft and perfect his manuscript, he can
become far more than otherwise.
In the ministry, few people are as full of themselves as young pastors who have
achieved acclaim early. After watching them preen and listening to them prate, one
finds himself hoping they will be humbled in order to be of genuine service in the
Lord's work. My opinion is that no one in the ministry ever amounts to anything
without being broken at some point.
3. Our underlings
Our groupies, our fans, our employees, our admirers--call them what you please.
Sycophants. Many of these attempt to curry favor in order to use us for their
purposes.
4. Our forgetfulness
God sent us failure and humbled us, but we quickly forgot the lesson and soon were
back to speed with our ego running the show.
The Apostle Peter wrote of various Christlike virtues, then added, He who lacks
these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was
cleansed from his old sins (II Peter 1:9).
5. Our enemy, Satan himself
Jesus told Peter that the devil wanted to sift you like wheat. For one called "The
Rock" (Matthew 16:18), we get a picture of Peter being turned into sand. Satan is
forever trying that approach with us today, in two primary ways: by running us down,
destroying our confidence and faith, and by puffing us up, making us believe in our
self-sufficiency.
6. Our blindness
Even without successes to puff us up, we still find ourselves carrying inflated ideas of
who we are. Where does this come from? We are clearly turning blind eyes toward
reality. The Old Testament prophets and our Lord Jesus spoke of those who have
eyes but will not see (Matthew 13:13ff).
I've noticed a little quirk of mine which I'm willing to bet is a widespread human
frailty: when we look into the mirror, we do not see "truth" but we see what we want
to see. When I was carrying 30 pounds more than I do now, I did not see that in
mirrors. When someone handed me a photo they had just taken, there it was and
there was no denying it. But the mirror was my buddy. As with the wicked queen, the
"mirror mirror on the wall" showed her what she wanted to see, told her what she
wanted to hear.
7. Flattery
"You are so wonderful." "You are the best pastor we've ever had." "I read everything
you write." "How did you learn to draw so well?" "You are so handsome."
Groan.
My friend Frank Pollard, wonderful pastor now in Heaven, had a good line that fits
here. After receiving a glowing introduction before he preached, Frank approached
the pulpit and said, "I'm going to ask the Lord to forgive my brother for that
introduction. And to forgive me for enjoying it so much."
The ugliest trait in all the world--bar none, no debate about it--is conceit. An actor
can take home more Oscars than anyone in movie history and adorn the covers of
all the fan mags and we are fine with that. However, let him or her begin to act like
they are (ahem) hot stuff and we're outa there. Few things adorn accomplishment
like humility.
Okay, third and maybe the most basic question of all: Why? Why does the
Lord want us humble? Why is this an important topic? What is the point?
For that, we turn to Scripture. Here are some reasons God's Word identifies for our
being humble.
1. That He may exalt us in due time
"Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you
in due time" (I Peter 5:6).
2. So that we may learn. Only the humble are teachable
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart"
(Matthew 11:29).
3. That God can use us in His service. He cannot use the prideful
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--These, O
God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).
4. To receive more grace
"He gives more grace. Therefore He says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to
the humble" (James 4:6).
5. To enter His presence
"Thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I
dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit...."
(Isaiah 57:15).
"The Lord is near those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite
spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
6. To be saved and enter the Kingdom
"Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter
the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4).
7. That our prayers may be heard
"He does not forget the cry of the humble" (Psalm 9:12).
Does this exhaust the subject? What a question! Never. This one is as deep as the
ocean, as unlikely to be nailed down and summed up as the mysteries of the future.
The human heart is a mess. The human animal is a rebel. As puny and flawed as we
are, the fact that we accomplish a few things and then decide we can live without
God is all the proof anyone should ever need of our precarious condition in this
universe.
The war to remain humble must be fought on many fronts every day of our lives.
Even then, pride will slip up on us and enter from our blind side. Before we know it,
we will start sounding as though we deserve more from God and others than we are
getting, like we have been mistreated in life, as though the universe was built for our
comfort and our being deprived of anything ranks as a great injustice.
Every day of our lives, the wise among us will join with the publican who stood afar
off and unwilling to even lift up his head, prayed, O God, be merciful to me the
sinner (Luke 18:13).