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I heard a Christian leader once say, “The signature mark of my ministry is humility.” I disagreed with him. I thought he was one of the proudest men that I had ever met.
How do you become humble? How do you know when you are humble? Declaring that you are humble is pride.
It is important to be humble. Peter writes that we need humility to release anxiety.
Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NASB)
The original Greek word for “humble” has the image of lowering yourself as in “bowing down”. “Pride” in the Greek is the opposite as it means “puffing yourself up.” Bowing down illustrates humility while standing with your chest stuck out indicates pride.
In the Old Testament you bowed to the King, you did not stand! When Jesus comes back, the Book of Revelation says that the 24 elders fall down and throw their crowns at His feet.
Let’s get practical.
If you are humble you will have less fear and more confidence. How do you become humble? Remember “humble” is an action word. You can’t declare yourself humble without it sounding prideful, but you can do something that is humble!
Examples:
- Jesus died on the cross. Humble!!!!
- You exalting your ideas to the detriment of others on social media. Humility or pride?
- Walking across the street to give someone five dollars who has a sign indicating the need for food. You have $1,000 in the bank and you give five dollars as an offering in church. Consider: Humility or Pride?
- I’m rude, it’s just the way that I am. Pride!!!
- God, please help me, I can’t seem to get over this stronghold. Humble!
You become humble by action, not by convincing yourself. As Peter says, “Cast your anxieties upon the Lord.” Often the fearful will not even admit that they are anxious.
Humility works because lowering yourself means that you stop puffing yourself up. In this moment of lowering, God is exalted. If you stand confidently before life, sooner or later life will overwhelm.
If you bow before your Father, He will stand with you.
Peter describes the result of you lowering yourself:
And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up. And he has all the power needed to do this—forever! Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11 (TPT)