Humility — Humble Yourself Before The Lord
Humility is important in life. We live in a world full of proud, arrogant, and haughty people. Many people look down on others, consider themselves better, and treat others in very demeaning ways. There are many who associate humility with weakness, and in an effort to appear strong or confident, they end up becoming proud and arrogant.
Arrogance has been mistaken for confidence, yet it is not.
Being proud, arrogant, and haughty is easy; that is the wide path traveled by many and its end is destruction.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Philippians 2:3.
The narrow path is difficult and very few people find it. Humility requires denying yourself and crucifying the flesh. It requires saying no to the carnal nature that seeks to elevate oneself and realizing that you are nothing without God. Humility requires acknowledging that you are a fallen human being who needs God every moment of your life. It is difficult to be humble but it is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Pride is destructive. Do not be a proud person. It is very easy to become proud if you do not watch out.
Many people are proud and haughty, which they use to cover up deep insecurities and hurts. In an effort to prove to others that they are good enough or better off, many people put on masks of perfection. Underneath those masks is a proud and haughty heart that is not right with God. Do not use pride to mask your wounds and hurts. Acknowledge to God that you are hurting, that people have wounded you, that you have deep-seated insecurities, and ask Him to heal and restore you.
The Bible says that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. When you see a proud person, then know that person is on their way to downfall. Nothing good comes out of pride. God hates pride; it is sin. A haughty and proud heart is detestable in the sight of God.
As many people go up in life, they start becoming proud. They do not realize that that pride will be their downfall. Many great men have fallen to the ground because of pride. The things they were proud of disappear and they are reduced to nothing. Say no to pride.
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility. Proverbs 18:12.
Choose the way of humility. Being humble does not take away anything from you.
Humility is never a sign of weakness. It requires strength for a person to choose to humble themselves. Humility is an act of the will; it is something you choose to do. It is a heart posture whereby a person is gentle and lowly and does not seek attention to themselves. Humility arises from a person recognizing that there is nothing to be proud of in this life. We are all dust and we shall return to dust, and only what we do for God matters.
He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8.
Stop engaging in a war of words with people in an attempt to win arguments. Do not repay evil with evil. Stop being a tit-for-tat kind of person. Such behaviors are rooted in pride in an attempt to prove a point to other people. When you engage in arguments, you are attempting to show that you are not weak; do not be that kind of person.
Choose to live a quiet life in humility. You have nothing to prove to people. Let your life be lived for the honor and glory of God.
By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4.
Do not be rebellious. Choose to give honor to whom honor it is due. If is there any disagreement, you can express yourself gently in a way that honors the other person. If a person tells you to do not something that is sinful or that violates your conscience, respectfully decline. You do not have to shout, do not engage in arguments, do not be loud and unruly, do not speak in a haughty and arrogant manner, do not go around gossiping, do not be hostile; rather, gentle and respectfully state your stand. In instances when you are required to do something that is not sinful, humbly submit and do it cheerfully.
Therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:12–13.
Submission and humility go hand in hand. It is important to recognize and honor those who are in positions of authority. That does not mean you have to agree with everything they do or say, but you choose to honor and respect their position. Honor and submission does not mean that you are inferior, and you should not consider yourself lesser than. You give people honor and respect in obedience to the Word of God. Those people in positions of authority are accountable to God and He will judge them accordingly.
Fulfill your God-given role when it comes to relating with people in authority and leave the rest to God.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1–2.
Clothe yourself with humility. Life in this world is temporary. Do not give in to the pride of life.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15–17.
There is nothing to be proud of; who we are and all we have is because of God. Therefore, always give honor and glory to God. When you achieve something or hit a certain milestone in life, do not allow that to plant seeds of pride in your heart. The higher you go in life, the humbler you need to be if you want God to continue lifting you. Make the decision to be humble and let that be evident in your way of life. If you are willing to live a life of humility, God will empower you by His Spirit to do so.
Blessings.
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Originally published at https://www.vickysforum.com on March 8, 2022.