“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life."

John 3:31-36 NLT

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

ego’s mortal enemy—humility—is one of the traits most likely to guarantee success

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Every act of self-love is rebellion against the authority of God. Self-centeredness is rooted in one’s fleshly desire to please self more than God. In essence, it is the act of supplanting God’s authority with one’s own ego.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10

No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

1 Corinthians 10:24

The pride of your heart has deceived you

Humility and fear of the Lord establish us securely on God’s path, where our feet won’t stumble, nor will we fall

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Matthew 4:7-11

Greed is a strong and selfish desire to have more of something, most often money or power. There are many warnings in the Bible about giving in to greed and longing for riches. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

Mark 10:43–45

Greed and a desire for riches are traps that bring ruin and destruction.

But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:9-10

When we place our confidence in wealth or are consumed by an insatiable desire for more, we are failing to give God the glory and worship He deserves. We are to serve God, not waste our time trying to become rich. Our heart’s desire should be to store up riches in heaven.

The man could not follow Christ because he was following money. His love of this world interfered with his love for God.

We don’t need to look out for ourselves as number one because God is looking out for us. He alone is fully capable to meet all of our needs, and we can trust that He will.

By God’s grace and through the work of the Holy Spirit, we become more like Christ and therefore filled with virtue.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17

You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.

Galatians 3:2

Our salvation was begun by the Holy Spirit, and the process of sanctification will be completed by Him as well.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8