Humble Yourself in Order to Love God Properly, Cultivate God’s Intimate Presence, Fight against the Enemy, and Walk in the Footsteps of the Savior
It has often been said that humility is the chief virtue of the Christian. While it may be hard to distinguish one fruit of the Spirit against the others as the greatest of all, it should be noted that humility is vitally important to a vibrant Christian life.
The value of humility
Why would someone value humility to such an extent? One of the reasons can be found in the fall of man and every subsequent sin that came after that devastating event. When Adam sinned in the garden, it was a result of pride. This may not be the pride which you are familiar with, but it was pride nonetheless. When Adam chose the fruit over God, he chose his own path, and in essence said his ways are better. This was pride. He elevated himself above God, which is actually the very sin that Satan fell into as well. Scripture says of Satan, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of congregation, in the sides of the north” (KJV, Is. 14:13). The devil sought to “ascend” into heaven and “exalt his throne.” Thus, it was pride that caused the fall of Satan. It was also pride that caused the fall of man.
Since the sins of both Satan and Adam were rooted in pride, it could rightly be said that humility would have prevented their fall. Humility, unlike pride, is lowering oneself. Humility can be thought of as the opposite of pride. If one wants to conquer pride in his own life, he must seek to be humble. Attempting to mortify the sin of pride, apart from walking in the humility of Spirit, will never work.
Fasting produces humility
At this point, the question must be asked, “How does someone cultivate humility?” The answers are plentiful, but one answer deserves careful mention here. Down through the ages, fasting has been noted as a way to produce humility. Scripture says, “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom” (Ps. 35:13). David clearly states that fasting was something that he did to humble his soul.
When someone fasts, he is depriving the flesh and weakening the body. This in turn should create a dependence upon God. A God-consciousness is developed during a fast in a unique manner. The one who is fasting is very aware of the fact that he is not eating and possibly has not eaten anything for a while. This awareness also draws his focus upon God. As his body feels weak, his mind is lifted to the Lord, and he finds himself often in prayer. As he grows to be more dependent upon God, his humility deepens.
A man who is habitually angry will find, at times, that when he fasts, he is better equipped to control his anger. The speech of one who fasts will often be minimalized, and thus sins of speech will diminish to a certain extent. David believed that it was important to fast in an attempt to humble his soul.
Humble yourself in order to love God properly
Scripture also says, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). Jesus made it very clear that the believer must love God with his entire being. One facet of man that was important to Christ, in giving this command, was that of loving God with all of one’s soul. If someone is to love God with all his soul, his soul must be humble before the Lord.
Humble yourself in order to cultivate God’s intimate presence
Another important aspect of humility, which sets it apart from all of the other fruits of the Spirit, is the way in which the Bible says that God interacts with the humble man. Look at the following Scriptures:
• “Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off” (Ps. 138.6).
• “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Is. 66:2).
• “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit , to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Is. 57:15).
If one desires an intimate relationship with the Lord, that person must humble himself before the Lord. The degree to which someone humbles himself will be the very measure in which God pours out His intimate companionship.
Humble yourself in order to fight against the enemy
It is interesting to note that one of the greatest defenses against the attacks of the one who fell into the sin of pride (Satan) is humility. James makes this clear in James chapter 4. He tells his readers that they must resist the devil and submit/draw near to God. Prior to his mention of the devil, James tells his readers that if they humble themselves, God will give them grace (4:7). After making this claim, James goes into a detailed description of how to engage in battle against the enemy. However, if the reader is not careful, he may conclude that what God said about humility in verse 7 does not carry through into verse 8.
The reality is that the passage at hand consists of a humility sandwich, with the devil in the middle. To crush the prideful one, the believer must respond with humility. Verse 7 tells the reader he will be given grace by God if he humbles himself, and verse 10 tells the believer that when he humbles himself before the Lord, God will exalt the believer.
Verse 7 and verse 10 are not to be isolated but rather form the context of verse 8, which tells us of the work of the devil. Thus, if someone would engage properly in spiritual warfare, he must also humble himself.
Humble yourself in order to walk in the footsteps of the Savior
Above all else, the Christian must seek to be like Christ. Christ is the example that has been set forth, and everything good that a believer could ever do comes from being conformed to the image of Christ. In Philippians chapter 2, Paul shares with his readers about the way to cultivate humility. He makes it clear that the path of the humble is the low path rather than the highway. Christ set an example for the believer, and as He did, the Father exalted Him.
Application
The value of humility cannot be overstated. It is a virtue that will ward off pride and separate the Christian from sin. But how can a Christian become humble? Once again, there are many ways to cultivate humility, but it should be noted that fasting is one of those ways. As someone seeks to cultivate humility through fasting, he will notice that his love for God will grow, he will be abiding in God’s presence, he will be fighting against the attacks of the enemy, and he will be walking in the footsteps of Christ.
With the far-reaching benefits of humility, the Christian would be wise in seeking out ways to cultivate such a virtue. While fasting may sound difficult at first, it can be learned like all the other disciplines. Spiritual disciplines are called disciplines for a reason: they require personal effort and their implementation requires an element of self-control. However, this does not mean that a person does not need the Lord’s help. Turn to the Lord today on the matter, and walk out the commands of God.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You that You have shown me ways in which I can grow in humility. I recognize pride in my life, and I pray that You would help me to overcome this sin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.