Humble Yourself
I’ve been battling this thought for a while. What is it to truly humble yourself before God?
It’s so easy to get lost it what humility is meant to look like we spend more time acting humble as opposed to actually being humble.
One of the most jarring things I felt God tell me in recent times was “dead people feel nothing.”
”Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”
Luke 9: 23
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 NKJV
DEAD PEOPLE FEEL NOTHING
That statement rocked me. When it comes to true humility and ridding yourself of pride, you must truly be dead to self.
When someone offends you, what are they offending? You or the God in you? Because - dead people feel nothing.
When you take actions in response to hurt or offence, what is motivating it? Your ego? Because - dead people feel nothing.
When you get accolades for work well done, who do you give honour to? Yourself or God? Because - dead people feel nothing.
Pride is one of the biggest indicators of areas in your life still controlled by your flesh. Pride lets you know what you need to kill.
True humility is being able to honestly lower yourself, think of God first and make all decisions with Him at the centre and not self.
“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
I Peter 5:5-7 NKJV
Often we take humility as how we respond to a compliment, or saying, ‘na God o’ when someone asks just how we did it.
God is teaching that true humility is… humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God.
Recognising the authority of the Holy Spirit. Whenever the Bible refers to theHand of God, it is referring to the Holy Spirit. Humility is recognising the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:16-17, 26-27 NLT
When Jesus went to the cross He said He would send another, one who will guide us in all things, teach us all things which He hears only from the father, one with all power. The Holy Spirit is our access point to the wisdom and power of God. We enter pride once we begin to depend on ourselves more than we depend on the Holy Spirit. Once we think we don’t need His guidance or direction, once we get comfortable and believe we have authority independent of Him.
Humility is not being soft spoken, or feigning modesty. It is possible, like David to be bold and courageous and still be humble at the same time. We often mistaken confidence for pride or arrogance. So as Christians we start to think it is arrogant to speak with authority and decisively.
The real question is what do you have confidence in. David was humble because he recognised his authority was from God. His authority was not his own, he didn’t think he was better than anyone, he just knew his God was the ultimate authority. To humble yourself under the mighty Hand of God, is to be sure that you recognise His authority in your life and are doing His bidding and following His guidance and not your own.
We cannot go into warfare feigning modesty and acting soft, you humble yourself to God not to the enemy, you come against all things that are not of God with Godly authority and confidence. It is not prideful or arrogant to know the authority of God, it is prideful when you think the authority is your own.