Remember when you became a Christian you turned over the steering wheel of your life to Christ. It is no longer you who lives but “Christ who lives in you” (Gal 2:20). To put it bluntly, you’re DEAD. What a victory!!! You can finally live out the destiny that God has for you by letting Jesus live through you. That means that your feelings are no longer yours, and you don’t get hurt as easily as you used to. In fact you don’t get angry, you don’t get bitter anymore, you don’t get jealous or envious, simply because your heart always prefers the happiness of others. That’s how we spell JOY: J = Jesus, O = Others, and Y = Yourself. JOY…That’s right, you come last.
Humility is the quality of putting the needs of another person before your own, and thinking of others first. Also it means not drawing attention to yourself and it can mean acknowledging that you are not always right. Humility doesn’t mean we think less of ourselves, but rather, we think of ourselves less.
So, ‘walking in humility’ would be making an effort to live by the Godly principles of putting other peoples’ needs, ideas and opinions before our own.
We usually tell newly Weds: “The secret to a happy marriage is simple: always make sure to make the other person happy. Don’t seek your own happiness, and then happiness will find you”. Remember, love was not put in our hearts to stay. Love is not love until you give it away.
The Word says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. The goal is for us to walk in humility. Humility is being “other people centered”, which is to fulfill the law of love. The humble receives grace. We are supposed to submit ourselves to God, humble ourselves before God, resist pride, not to lean to our own understanding. That’s the path of humility.
Any and all sins have some pride in it. Satan fell because of pride (Is 14:12-16). The proud puts himself first. Therefore he is selfish, stubborn, will not forgive, but will keep a grudge, which makes him judgmental. He will easily gossip and slander to boost his ego. He is his own legend. He values his own opinion more than others’ and therefore manipulates and even intimidates others.
The proud are easily angry. There are so many pitfalls to pride. The proud is the most insecure of all people. We think that pride makes us bigger, but in actual fact it diminishes us. It diminishes our capacity to give and to receive. The Bible says that “pride comes before a fall”.
Pride is often sneaky because it hides in false humility. He is proud to be humble; holy humble, and proud of it. And because he depends on his own strength, he cannot cast his burdens on the Lord and depend utterly on Him. Pride is very dangerous in the Lord’s kingdom.
Let’s COMMIT to make the following verses OURS.
Lk 14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’
Lk 16:15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Col 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.
Jam 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Mt 23:12b He who humbles himself will be exalted.
Ps 25:9 The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.
Ps 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Pr 15:33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.
Pr 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.
Mt 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Mt 18:4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Lk 1:52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
2Cor 10:17 But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.
Phil 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Jam 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Ps 138:6 Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
Mic 6:8 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?
1Sam 2:3 Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
Dan 4:37b Those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
Ps 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
Ps 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
Pr 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
Pr 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.
Pr 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
Pr 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Pr 26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Pr 27:2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.
Pr 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.
Mt 23:12a Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.
Jn 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Ro 12:3a To everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.
1Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
1Pt 5:5-7 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.
1Jn 2:16 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.
Phil 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Eph 6:6 Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.