There are many in the church who want to go higher in their faith, but there are only a few willing to do what it takes to get there. In the kingdom, the lower you go, the higher that God will lift you. Conversely, the higher you go on your own to lower God will place you.
God won’t take you higher until you go lower. The Lord Jesus taught, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12 NASB).
The reason so few are willing to be humble before God is that they are not willing to be humble before men. But just as light and darkness cannot be together, so it is that humility and pride cannot occupy the same space.
Humility is the path that leads to God. “Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar” (Psalm 138:6 NKJV).
You cannot stand proud and walk with God because the two cannot go together. The greater your pride, the further you’ll be from the Lord in everything you’re doing. To walk with God, you must both be bowed down in your body and bowed down in your heart.
The more humbly you walk with the Lord, the less you need to impress those around you. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), and to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]” (Micah 6:8 AMP).
There are some who walk in humility and, in so doing, walk with God. Everything about them speaks of their humility without a word ever being spoken. The world will count them as weak, but the Lord is the strength within them.
Humility sets you free from the opinions of others. “…Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion” (Romans 12:16 NKJV).
If you want to be humble, then you must be humbled by the circumstances around you. You have to crush the grape to make the wine. God uses worldly people to shape godly saints, and we usually complain about it while it’s happening.
God will only humble you if He has to. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled [before others], and he who habitually humbles himself (keeps a realistic self-view) will be exalted” (Luke 14:11 AMP).
Becoming humble is a journey that runs counter to our flesh but leads straight to the Holy Spirit. It is not a height to be climbed, but a depth one must fall into. Pride strives and humility yields, and the difference will always matter.
The higher faith is a lower posture before God in heaven and people on earth. “…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV).
Whatever you lift up as a sign of your humility, it is actually the banner of your pride. Pride seeks the attention of men, while humility is satisfied only by being seen by God. Pride speaks loudest, and pride stands tall, but the humble have the favor of God.
If people would seek a higher faith as much as they do a higher position, they would be giants in the kingdom. From the Song of Mary, “God’s arm is strong. He scatters the people who are proud and think great things about themselves. God brings down rulers from their thrones, and he raises up the humble.” (Luke 1:51-52 ICB).
Being humble is hard because people are always judging. We speak of honoring the humble, and then we walk all over them as soon as we can. But God is ever watching, and God is always in control. It is the lowly ones that God is helping and the prideful ones that are on their own.
If you’re truly humble, then nobody can hurt your pride. “A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, but he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor” (Proverbs 29:23 AMP).
To be humble, one must see their pride. We need the help of God to see ourselves as we truly are. And then it will be from there that, one by one, the pillars of pride must be taken down. The less pride that remains, the more humility can fill you.
God can rarely change a person who doesn’t think they need to. “God is high and lifted up. He lives forever. His name is holy. He says, ‘I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and sorry for their sins. I will give new life to those who are humble in spirit. I will give new life to those who are sorry for their sins’” (Isaiah 57:15 ERV).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius