As we prepare to humble ourselves before the Lord, we need to understand that the opposite of humility is pride and willfulness. At the root of pride is an unwillingness to bend to God without reservation. Pride causes us to prefer our own way to God’s way. In some respect pride is the root of all sins. The famous theologian, Thomas Aquinas, defined pride as “inordinate self-love [and] is the cause of every sin.”
Our sinful nature is bent toward self-centeredness, self-indulgence, and self-love. Affluence and abundance intensify this condition; the enticements of demonic spirits make it worse. Self-love attracts demons like a picnic draws flies.
Selfishness, carnal ambition, jealousy and envy all have their origin in the condition of our heart called pride. Pride keeps us from honestly confessing our sin, acknowledging our failure before God and man, and manifests itself many times in a stubborn insistence about our own way.
Our carnal nature loves and protects its “self”. Our carnal nature is essentially selfish, proud, arrogant, haughty, vain, narcissistic, manipulative, controlling, dominating, impatient, stubborn, insensitive, resentful, angry, unteachable, rebellious, fearful, anxious, complaining, disagreeable, judgmental, negative, critical, cynical, indifferent, greedy, lustful, sensual, envious, covetous, jealous, faultfinding, dishonest and deceitful. Rather than being concerned for God or others, our self-nature always wonders: ‘What’s in it for me?’
Pride is also a master of self-defense! It hates to acknowledge it is wrong and if it does it usually rationalizes its behavior without real sorrow being expressed. If not repented for, pride will produce a hardness of heart, increased isolation and independence from healthy relationships.
Pride is concerned with winning arguments and rarely if ever says, “I’m sorry” or “I am wrong, will you forgive me?”
Pride intensifies our insecurity and self-defense leading to gossip, slander, and delighting in the weakness and failure of others so it feels more secure. Pride manifests itself in bitterness and resentment. Pride protects itself in a perverse form of self-righteousness and not in the cross of Jesus Christ.
Day 1 - The Step of Humility
“How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?”
(Exodus 10:3)
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Humility is the reality of our entire dependence on God for life and all of its dimensions. Pride, the very root of all sin, is the loss of the sense of who God is and the exaggerated belief about who we are. Until we humble ourselves before God, we cannot truly abide in God’s presence or experience His favor. Our failure or unwillingness to humble ourselves explains why God so often seems distant.
Humbling ourselves is acknowledging our position as God’s creatures and yielding to His rightful place over our lives. Nothing is as dangerous as pride and self assertion; nothing is more advantageous than the grace of humility.
Often we make a pretense of humbling ourselves that is both shallow and feeble in its consequence. True humility requires us to empty ourselves and be filled with Him. This is where we discover the reality of God’s presence and power.
Prayer Points:
Jesus, I repent for the pride in my heart! Would you reveal the hidden areas of pride and self-love in my heart?
Jesus, forgive me for the love of my “self.” Forgive me for my independence and help me to be totally dependent on You for everything in my life.
Day 2 – “Poor In Spirit”
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Mt. 5:3)
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Humbling ourselves is being “poor in spirit” and meek. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by blessing the humble. To the poor, who have nothing in themselves, the kingdom of heaven comes. To the meek, who seek nothing for themselves, the earth will become their inheritance. The blessings of both heaven and earth are for the humble of heart!
Humility is the first step in submitting to who God is. It’s a right response to His Lordship, leadership, and the authority of His Word and ways.
When we choose to humble ourselves, we deal with the very core of our sinful nature. Then, we are in a place where God’s grace and mercy can be poured out on us. Very little spiritual progress will occur until we humble ourselves.
Prayer Points:
God, help me to understand that your strength is perfected when I choose to humble myself. Forgive me for depending upon my own strength and not Yours.
Help me to understand, that I must decrease so that You can increase in me!
Day 3 – Jesus: Our Example
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus….He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
(Phil. 2:5-8)
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Jesus was the incarnation of humility. Apart from humility, redemption never would have occurred. Jesus voluntarily humbled himself. The incarnation is an eternal testimony of His heavenly humility and His humble life on earth.
Apart from us experiencing and implementing Jesus’ humility in our lives, our life in God and ministries will be feeble and mostly fruitless. Therefore, we must be conformed to His image and be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Rom. 12:2).
Jesus humbled himself before men and before the Father. He never sought his own honor before men, nor did He seek vindication before men. Jesus was willing to be rejected and misunderstood by men for the sake of redemption. Are we willing to do the same?
Prayer Points:
Jesus, forgive me for seeking ungodly favor and honor from men. I repent for trusting in the favor of man more than the favor of God.
I repent for having the fear of man and not the fear of the Lord. Give me the confidence that Your favor, approval, understanding, and acceptance is all I need.
Day 4 - A Life Surrendered
“I have not come to do my own will but that of the Father.”
(John 6:38)
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Jesus lived a life of humility before the Father. He knew that He could do nothing of himself (John 5:19). “I can of my own self do nothing … I seek not my own will” (John 5:30). Jesus said “I do not receive glory from men” (John 5:41). He said “I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28). “I seek not my own glory” (John 8:50). “The words that I speak are not from myself” (John 14:10).
Jesus emptied Himself of His divine prerogatives as eternal deity and became a servant so that God might be all. His life was one of absolute submission, trust, and dependence on the Father. In the end, Jesus lost nothing by giving everything to God. He humbled himself, and God exalted Him. Jesus’ humility was surrendering Himself entirely to God. He allowed the Father to do in Him and with Him what He pleased.
Prayer Points:
Forgive me for not trusting You with my life. I repent for trying to control my own life.
Teach me how to surrender myself, my family, my ministry, my finances, and the most important things in my heart to You.
I repent for my own personal ambitions, agendas, motives, fears, anxieties, self-protection and human wisdom!
Day 5 – Pride: Enemy of God
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)
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Selfishness, carnal ambition, jealousy, and envy all have their origin in the condition of our heart called pride. Pride keeps us from honestly confessing our sin before God and man, and often manifests itself in a stubborn insistence about our own way.
Jesus clarifies that the origin of our sin comes from within: “out of the hearts of men come evil thoughts,…wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness…All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).
Pride comes naturally to us from Adam; the grace to humble ourselves comes from Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and awakens desire and hope within us that is holy and heavenly. Carnal desires are our nature from Adam. Holy desires are our new nature from Christ. We inherit pride and self-preoccupation from Adam; we inherit humility and holiness in Christ!
Prayer Points:
O God, help me to honestly confess my sin before You & others. Forgive me for my stubbornness & insistence in having my own way.
Reveal to me the true condition of my heart so I can see the hidden areas of pride, sin & compromise in my life.
Day 6 – Before God and Men
Therefore, walk with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love.
(Eph. 4:2)
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Humbling ourselves before God requires bringing our self and ego into submission to God and His Spirit. Humbling ourselves before God displaces self by enthroning God in our heart. Humbling ourselves is to behold the beauty and majesty of God.
We must walk out humility daily before men. Humbling ourselves before others is the best evidence that we have humbled ourselves before God. We reveal who we really are in the unguarded moments.
It is infinitely better for us to choose to humble ourselves before God than to wait until God humbles us before men. God will remain distant and aloof until we choose to humble ourselves.
Prayer Points:
God, forgive me for focusing on myself & feeding my ego. Help me bring myself and ego into submission to You.
Forgive me for being fascinated with myself instead of You. Would You show me Your beauty, majesty, & glory?
Conform me into Your image and teach me to walk in meekness and humility before You and others.
Day 7 – He Will Lift Us Up!
Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)
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God promises He will exalt us if we will humble ourselves under His mighty hand. Jesus’ path to the glory of God was His humble submission to the cross and the grave; they are our path as well.
Just as God gives grace to the humble, He also gives grace for us to humble ourselves in His sight. See that you do this one thing that God asks: humble yourself. God will see that He does the one thing He has promised: give you more grace and lift you up in due season.
In everyday life humble and self-effacing person eventually prospers and wins the respect of others far more than the arrogant, proud and powerful person.
Prayer Points:
God, would You give me grace to live a lifestyle of humility?
Would You give me faith to see that You reward those who chose the path of humility?
Forgive me for not valuing humility and meekness but choosing pride and power and living according to spirit of the world and its value system!
