I’ve got it! I know the secret to abundant life, and the key that opens God’s heart. In fact, it’s the only way to obtain Gods favor upon your life. Are you interested? It’s HUMILITY. Do you have it? Do you display it? More importantly, does God see and recognize it in your life? In my last post I exposed the issue of pride and said that it is one of the deadliest (spiritually speaking) issues of life. Well, the converse of pride is humility. Humility, however, cannot simply be passed-off as the opposite of pride. Humility is the secret to an abundant blessed life here on planet earth and is also the secret to obtaining eternal life. Humility is absolutely essential. You utterly cannot obtain Gods favor in your life in the absence of humility. That said, it is something we all battle with from time to time and also in varying degrees. What’s more, humility is a word or concept that is vastly misunderstood.
Two men were walking out of church after the paster had shared a message on humility. One guy said, “Humility is the ability to act ashamed when you tell people how wonderful you are.” The other guy replied, “Yeah, well, I think I’m good. If I had any more humility, I’d be perfect.”
Humor aside, many have mistakenly believed that being humble is a sign of weakness. In many cultures, humility has a negative connotation that is associated with false meekness and not being assertive. This is clearly NOT what the Bible teaches about Humility. It is actually a fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal 6:22,23 *The word gentleness is actually translated as humility.
Humility is NOT a bad word. We must change the way we think about it. As you read on, you will see that humility is truly something we should aspire to obtain and display in our life. It is honoring God and putting Him first in our lives. We should never think of it as a negative action; No, humility is possibly the greatest attribute we can have because it creates a pathway to God’s heart and therefore allows Him to work in and through our lives.
Humility is one of the most difficult lessons to learn in life, particularly difficult because it is contrary to the principles of this world, and even our very nature. 1 John 2:16 states “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.” The Bible tags these three issues as “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” At the root of these evils is self-gratification. The world teaches us to gratify the desires of our flesh so that we can enjoy every second in life by doing only what WE want to do.
God opposes the Proud but Gives Grace to the Humble
One verse that illuminates God’s principle on this topic is James 4:6: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Yet somehow, we tend to diminish the reality of what this verse says. Let this sink in: God actively fights against the proud person. Can you imagine anything worse than fighting God? Similarly, in another example the Bible sates that when a man doesn’t honor his wife, his prayers are hindered (see 1 Peter 3:7). It continues on into the next paragraph where Peter addresses all believers about being brotherly, kindhearted, and humble. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want my prayers to be shut down or hindered in any way. Contrastingly, God fights for the humble. He pours His grace out upon the humble. Nothing could be better than having God’s grace, and nothing could be worse than the opposite.
It is imperative that we be able to see the contrasting thoughts of humility and pridefulness. Every day, the world bombards us with messages of power, independence, and control. Jesus tells you the opposite: Die to yourself. As Galatians 2:20 tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
There are many well-meaning, good people who have at one time called upon the name of Jesus for salvation, but yet the continue to struggle through their life seemingly disconnected to the transforming power of God that is available to them. Yet, Gods will is that they would experience a continual flow of his powerful presence in their lives. For example, let’s look at the sacrament or the act of baptism. Baptism is meant to symbolically convey our death and burial with Christ. A Christian rises from the water in a picture of resurrection—brought up from the grave with a new life, a new identity (see Romans 6:1-10). The problem could be that you’re not dead. You have never truly died to yourself.
Others have come to the foot of the cross in true humility, but then walk away leaving that time of humbling themselves before God as a one-time event. They continue to walk through life under their own power and desires. They may want God and His blessings, but they continue to handle things under their own power. Many of those same individuals will then even blame God when there is turmoil in their lives. Walking in true humility says, “God, I put myself under your direction and authority. I want my words, my thought, and my deeds to glorify you as I am an extension of Jesus to those around me.
The Power of Humility
Humility is so beautiful when we see it. But why is it so difficult to embrace at times? The hard truth is that we love ourselves too much. It’s a struggle to consider others more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). The constant affirmation of the world and the pull of our own hearts make it so easy to believe that we deserve to be treated in a certain way. We should not have to listen to anyone telling us what to do; after all, we are strong and independent.
It scares me how easy it is to start thinking like the world without realizing it. It troubles me that the so much of the worlds thinking is absorbed into my own life. Our thinking can stray so far from biblical truth! Think about the amount of time and influence that is based upon what we watch from television and movies, scrolling through the internet, and engaging in social media. Now compare that with the amount of time spent in the Word of God and in prayer. Scary? Some may be thinking, “that’s old school.”. Actually, it’s more contemporary and practical than what you realize. We just need to choose to be wise and take the higher road while admitting that we will struggle with a worldly mindset if we aren’t careful to guard against it. That’s just wisdom. As Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty conceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Living Offended
Over 20 years ago author and speaker John Bevere wrote a book called The Bait of Satan, which has sold over a million copies. That bait, as he describes, is being offended by others, and allowing these offenses to control certain areas of your life. The bait is most often very subtle and can even come from total strangers. You know the feeling you get when someone cuts you off, takes too long, doesn’t say “excuse me” or “thank you,” or is rude in some other way. When these things happen there is instantly a fight flaring up inside. The bait may vary and consequences of taking the bait is multiplied many times over when the one who offends you is someone close to you. We must be consciously aware that satan is behind these offenses and ultimately trying to bind us up and render us ineffective. It is a fight to choose humility, to actually be clothed in humility (1 Peter 5:5).
Humility is a choice, every time we are confronted with being offended. Satan knows that God stands actively against us (James 4:6) when we are prideful—after all, pride was satans downfall. You may think you are digging your heels in against your spouse for example, but it’s ultimately God you’re opposing, and satan that you are inviting. (See also Eph. 6:12). This is the hard truth.
God has always loved humility. Always. And He generously pours out His grace on those who are humble. View your arguments in this light. Is it more important for you to be right? Or to do what’s right? Prideful people are defensive, angry, blame-shifting, and focused on self. They consistently see that the problem lies not with them, but with everyone else. Following God’s Word is not the focus; it is not the goal. Humble people are broken over their own sin, more concerned with honoring God than arguing about what they deserve and try—by the grace of God—to stay focused on the gospel and the goal.
Oh, I realize this is radically different from the world’s way of thinking. You’re not going to find many media platforms to encouraging you to show humility. Instead, you will find the worlds view of power, independence, and control. Their advice tells us to listen to our own hearts, to do whatever we feel like doing. The constant affirmation of the world and the pull of our own hearts make it so easy to believe that we deserve to be treated in a certain way. We should not have to listen to anyone telling us what to do; after all, we are strong and independent. But, void of the Holy Spirit, the Bible says that “The heart is deceitful” (See Jer 17:9).
I’m certainly not trying to make anyone feel guilty—incase you are already feeling offended 😊. Seriously, the last thing I want is for anyone to feel defeated. But I do want us all to make choices that not only honor God, but that will also allow His blessing to flow in and through our lives. To do this we have to be alert and aware of the devils’ schemes. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty conceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Humility is not justification. It is an act of submission to Gods will and His ways. His ways teach us how we are to be like Jesus. If and when someone does or says something hurtful to us, humility does not justify or accept that wrongful act. It does however keep our heart pure by not using reactive words and actions. Therefore, we can remain fruitful by staying in alignment with Gods plans and purposes. We have to understand that God is always working behind the scenes. Our job is true keep that path open and staying humble is the key.
Humility lays down self—to lift up God
Perhaps you are thinking, “Yeah, I agree that those are all good principles, but you don’t know the reality of my situation.” It’s true that I don’t know, but the fact remains however, that God’s Word and His laws are at work in a supernatural realm that we cannot see. Regardless of your specifics, it does not change God’s ways. If we truly want to see results, we must be diligent to seek and carry out our side of Gods plans. All too often we tend to think God will somehow intervene without us doing what He calls us to do.
I get it, humility (especially when you feel like you have been mistreated) does not make sense, but it works. Humility does not make you a doormat for others to trample all over, it actually puts you higher so that you can see the situation from God’s perspective. You need not be afraid that you will be taken advantage of while you are returning blessing to those who may be hurting you (See Matt 5:44, Luke 6:28). If you accept pridefulness rather than humility, your heart will demand revenge. It will justify you while nominalizing your self-righteous actions. Your heart will want your enemies to be slammed by God’s wrath, rather than to be drawn by His love. (See Prov 15:1, Rom 2:4) Humility is indeed the higher road and the only road you want to be on. The fruit of humility is righteousness, peace, joy, and power. What a great trade-off!
I Need Help
Admitting that you need help is the first step of humility. This is very difficult, especially for those who have strong personalities and are very goal driven. Additionally, when someone has addictive behavior or habits, they are not likely to be open to ask for help from others, especially when that person may be a family member. No, they already feel deflated and often times gunned down from that individual. Nobody will invite being humiliated—they will likely automate to self-protect themselves from humiliation and the disappointment of others. It’s simply easier to hide their actions and their feelings.
Addictions throw pride and the absence of humility into another realm where often physical, spiritual, and relational devastation takes place. The addict is rarely, if ever, just the victim. Marriages, families, and other relationships get destroyed. Years ago, I worked professionally in a recovery program, I saw and heard many devastating stories and the one commonality of them all was the issue of humility. It’s the biggest hurdle—Humility makes it possible not only to admit that we have a problem and ask for help solving it, but also to admit that we don’t know everything about how to live. All addictions are “Me focused.” There is a typical progression: The “want” then says, “This is what I need.” And when it is exposed, they “expect” others to be sensitive to the addiction. There is no humility involved. Additionally, an addict will rarely ever stop their addiction because of others wishes or ultimatums. No, they will hide it, and even lie, cheat, or even steal etc. to support their addiction. Humility before God and truly wanting Him to be honored and in complete control of one’s life is the only effective way to remove this huge boulder in their life. The hope with all forms of addiction is total abandonment to self and total reliance on Jesus Christ. I have seen countless success stories. Jesus is the way!
There is Hope
Jesus made a way for all of us to have full and complete access to God the Father by way of His sacrificial death on the cross. Let us not forget that He chose to humble Himself in order to become the ultimate sacrifice for us. In the same way, we must make the choice to humble ourselves (put ourselves under) in order to receive Him and His help. Here a few steps to help in your journey:
1. You must die (to self, that is) and let God be in control of your life. This is imperative. There was a time in my life where I thought giving myself up to Christ would somehow make me less of an individual. Only the contrary is true. Giving myself up to Christ actually allowed me to be who He created me to be. It is the most liberating feeling ever! Invite Jesus into your life today. Tell Him you are 100% in. He has already paid the penalty for your sins; all you have to do is choose to accept that forgiveness. Trust Him!
2. You must spend time…quality time, with Jesus. To be close in any relationship takes devoted time. Developing an intimate relationship with the Lord will not only keep you humble, but it will also totally impower your life. You and your other relationships will be filled with lasting purpose. Talk to Him, read His Word, grab a good devotional book, explore ways to grow and worship. Grow and keep growing. Christianity is not an outfit that you put on or take off. Get this…Jesus loves you! We all have struggles from time to time, but we can be confident in our relationship with Jesus that He will never leave or forsake us (See Heb 13:5).
3. Take time, make time, to grow and hang out with other believers who will help you, encourage you, and will also receive the same from you. We need each other. Find a good church home and stay connected. We all need a solid foundation and need to be connected and thus better equipped to reach out and represent Jesus to our families and communities (See Matthew 28:18-20).
Blessings to you all!
Blessed by the Best,
Mark
See You in the River 