Humility-A Biblical Study and Proposed Action of Humility........Part 2 of 7
This posting will cover the following topics in phase I of humility:
● Introduction to humility
● What is humility? - Definition
● Nature of humility
If you want to go to the beginning of this study click here.
Part 2 Phase 1: Introduction to Humility, What is Humility?, Definition, Nature of Humility
The full table of contents for phase I subjects is listed below for your information.
Table of
Contents
● Introduction
to humility
● What is
humility? - Definition
● Nature of
humility
● Process
and action of humility
● Examples
of humility
● Results of
humility
● False
humility
● Hindrances
Introduction to Humility
Jan 2, 2003, 7:15 AM. ‘Hello
Michael, I’m here for ‘Take a Stand’.
Michael, ‘Praise God’. Well that
is the first time I went on radio.
Michael, the station master, was kind to me. We talked on the show about prayer and
humility. Michael interviewed me in
depth making sure his listeners understood us.
For my first time on radio, I was nervous. Some listeners who I knew heard me,
encouraged me with kind comments. Later
as I thought on what had been covered, I realized that I could not define or
explain humility in terms that an average person could understand. II Chronicles 7:14 is a key verse to humility. "If
my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray...". If I could not explain it as a layman, how
could I expect others to understand.
Later, I shared this with Pastor Ambush at a ministerial fellowship. He would not let me rest and wanted me to
come and explain the concept of humility on his program 'Lifetalk' at a later
date. "Now---LORD, What have I
gotten into? Do I really have to study
this subject deeper? Can’t I just stop
now? I am only a layman." That argument did not hold any weight with
God. You cannot argue with God and
win. This left one obvious answer which
was from the Lord. "No, you cannot
stop. You must study this subject so you
can teach it!" I probably would not
have had that challenge if had not been for my brother in the Lord, Pastor
Ambush, who asked me, “What is Humility?”
I decided to study humility. I was also prompted by the Lord after the
'Upper Room' prayer vigil, held in February of 2003, to study humility as this
was what the Lord was showing would be a format of revival in the region. I found
that humility can not be easily defined. In my search of the scriptures, I did find some important aspects about
humility that deepened my understanding.
I do believe that the Spirit of God guided me and helped to clarify what
humility is, and related areas such as acts of humility, results of humility,
the process of humility, nature of humility, related issues, and examples of
humility. Probably a most important
aspect of genuine humility is that it is of true heart action. I might not have understood this principle
except that my wife has worked hard teaching me that for some time. Heart actions reflect our inner being. Ps 51:6 says: Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts.
As we study humility in the Bible and feed on the
Word, our understanding of it should continually grow and our lives will begin
to reflect God's love.
Past revivals often have fallen short because we
limit the Spirit of God by acting on our own understanding rather than on the
leading of the Holy Spirit. What should
we do to see revival? We should set our hearts to return to our first love for
Christ. We accomplish this by seeking the Lord, confessing sin in our lives,
and correcting our ways in humility to the Lord. Daniel the prophet was an example. See Daniel chapter 10 vs 12: Then
said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set
thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words
were heard, and I am come for thy words.
Key words/phrases are 'set thine heart', 'to understand', and 'to
chasten (or correct) thyself'. These are a part of the
humbling process stated in II Chronicles 7:14.
Humility is foundational for Christian growth. Too often we try to work around true humility. When we do, we allow for limited humility and
may try to move ahead, thinking that we are in God's plan. It is true that God
gives us spiritual gifts, knowledge, and other resources to help us in our
spiritual growth, but they will eventually come crumbling down without true
humility in our lives. True humility is
needed so we can become what God wants us to be, and so we can have abundant
life.
It is sad that our understanding of humility is so
narrow that we are afraid to humble ourselves.
We are afraid of humiliation. You
could liken our perception to a man given the title of being humble, then
taking the title away from him because he posted it in a prominent spot. Attitudes like that, discourage a genuine
humbling which the scriptures call for.
Even when one understands the essentials of humility, the process of
humbling is a difficult one for all.
True humility starts in the heart and we need godly
men and women who will be willing to truly humble themselves before God. These
will be God's examples to those around them, encouraging others to do likewise. We also need pastors who are willing to lead
their churches into Biblical understanding and practice of humility?
II Chronicles 7:14
states 'humble yourselves'. It is a command that should be obeyed from
the heart. To receive God's instruction
involves a change of heart. As we do, God
will prepare our hearts to truly hear Him, enabling us to move forward in His
love. We will also discover the
importance of genuine waiting on the Lord, the place of prayer (individually,
husband and wife, and corporate). If, we
try to humble ourselves without understanding all that is involved, then our
efforts are not complete, and we limit what God can do. If we take time to come before the Lord, and
humble ourselves from the heart, then we allow God to do His complete work in
us, allowing us to come into a close relationship with God developing our love
for Him. Proverbs 2:1-5 says we need to
apply our heart to understanding and search for understanding as silver and
hidden treasure. Then we will find the
knowledge of God, which is a process that involves submission and action.
In II Chronicles 7:14 we have an outline of Christ's
life. Let's briefly examine this:
If
my people...shall humble themselves
Christ humbled Himself
and
pray and seek my face Christ
spent time in prayer
and
came into close communication
with
God
and turn from
their wicked ways Christ
enables us to turn from sin to
be His righteousness
then
He will hear from heaven We
know that God heard Christ
Do we do all this on our own? Christ is praying for us: Hebrews 7:25 says Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
We too, will be heard of God, if we humble ourselves from the heart, turn from our wicked ways, and set our
love on Him. Now some would still ask, if humbling ourselves before
God is really needed? To answer that let's
ask ourselves a deep question. How many prayers go unanswered because we have
allowed things to be in the way or have unconfessed
sin in our lives? Christ had close
communication with God, and His prayers were heard by God. The humbling process can restore close
communication with Christ and we can have answered prayer.
Finally, the verse says that He will heal their land. I
believe that we will see many wonderful blessings come our way and returns to
us. I know there are some that say that
this promise specifically relates for a set period in time and directed for Israel. I would not argue that it was written for a
specific reason, but I believe it is applicable today. II Corinthians 1:20 says “For all the promises of God in him are yea,
and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 'All' means 'all' in this verse, nothing less, concerning the
promises of God. The verse, II
Chronicles 7:14, does not mean that we will not have tribulation; however, it
does mean that we can experience God's healing in our land. In order to heal
the land, hearts need to be turned to the Lord.
If people do not turn to the Lord, we may not see the full blessing of
this part of the verse.
I challenge you to let the Lord work in your heart
as you study each of the steps and apply the Word in your life. Prayerfully humble yourself before the Lord
as He gives you understanding, allowing Christ to be formed in you. Then you will experience a true revival of
God's love in your heart.
There is a song which says 'it only takes a spark to
set a fire glowing'. Will you allow the
Spirit of God to revive you with the fire of His pure love?
Matthew
5:6. Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Are you one who thirsts after righteousness? Then let the Lord lead you through this time
of humbling from the heart. I would
encourage you to pray this prayer.
Father,
You are the one who changes
hearts. There are many things in my
heart that may stand in the way of allowing your love to operate in me, and in
my heart. I ask you to search me and
cleanse my heart. I choose to follow you
and ask that Your love will grow in my heart.
I choose to listen to the Holy Spirit.
I choose to hide Your word in my heart and obey it. I come to you in Jesus name. Amen.
Now
every morning, remind yourself afresh of your need for God’s help in your life
so that the life of Christ (Christ's heart of love) may be in you).
What is Humility?
What is Humility?
As we start the humbling process we need to
understand what humility is. We can do
this by defining it, examining it’s nature,
its process and action, and results. To further aid in our understanding we need
to look at examples of humility. We will also look at what humility is not.
Many Bible scholars, noted Christians, writers, and
dictionaries have tried to define humility.
One could look for a common thread between them or realize the diversity
indicates that humility is deep and broad.
It is a word that we need to explore.
To give an idea of the diversity of definitions, I have taken the definitions from sources and
listed them here. After you read them I
believe you will agree that it is very difficult to explain humility in a word
or even a single thought.
Andrew Murray-Humility is the
displacement of self by the enthronement of God where God is all and self is
nothing; is attempting to see ourselves through God’s eyes rather than our own[1].
Webster: Dictionary:
Freedom from pride and arrogance[2]
Neil Anderson-Putting no confidence in
the flesh, that is – in ourselves—but rather being strong in the Lord and the
strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10,
humility is confidence properly place in God.
See James 4:5-10, I Peter 5:1-10[3]
More definitions could be used, but because of the
depth of the subject, they, too, would be diverse. Each would have a matter of correctness, but
we would still be asking what humility means.
The challenge given to me by a preacher friend in the Lord, led me to
search out the question- What is humility?
After looking at what others wrote and still not understanding humility,
I then went to the source – God’s Word, the Bible. With the help of the Lord, I concluded that
defining humility could not be done in a word or a phrase. I discovered that humility entails the
following:
● A
nature
● A
process and an action.
● Results
Before
we go into these, let's look at what the scriptures showed about humility and
see a definition based on scripture.
Humility
is recognizing your need for:
- Christ by
*focusing on Him Matthew
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness
*allowing Him to search your
heart Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart
*giving your heart to Him Revelations
3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will
sup with him, and he with me.
- (1) He wants us to open and be transparent and willing to confess sin
I Timothey 1:15 ..that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of hom I am chief
Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me,
and know my thoughts:
Jeremaih
17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins
Proverbs
1:23 ...turn you at my reproof
II Chronicles 7:14 .. turn
from their wicked ways
James
5:16 Confess
your faults one to another
I
John 1:9 If we confess our sins
Luke
5:8 ..for
I am a sinful man, O Lord
- (2) and be willing forgive.
Matthew 6:12, 14-15 forgive..
- (3) It is agreement with the truth
James
4:7 Submit
yourselves therefore to God
Matthew
6:10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven
Romans
6:13 Yield
yourselves unto God
Romans
12:1 & 2 ..that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice
II
Chronicles 7:14 ..turn from their wicked ways
- (4) and adopting the ways of the Lord as one’s own
Romans 12:2 Be ye
transformed
- (5) When you submit to the Lord, you will submit to one another
Ephesians
5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another
in the fear of God.
- (6) We will let the Lord be our strength
Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD, my
strength, and my fortress,
- (7) It involves obedience from the heart
II
Samuel 22:33 God is my strength and power
Psalms
18:2 The
Lord..is my strength
Psalms
28:7 The
Lord is my strength
Psalms 118:14 The
Lord is my strength
Isaiah
12:2 ..for the Lord Jehovah is my strength
- (8) casting our care on Jesus rather than carrying it ourselves
I
Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon
him; for he careth for you.
- (9) listening to the Spirit of God; obedience from the heart and daily dying to self so Christ is free to live in us; and
Romans15:31 ..I die daily.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins
- (10) serving others
Matthew 20:27-28 ..let
him be your servant..to minister.
See
also:
Ephesians 3:8 ..Unto
me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given
I Timothy 1:13,15 ..I
obtained mercy
II Corinthians 1:12 ..but by the grace of God
Note to Leaders: Explore listening aspect of humility.
With out humility we cannot
hear or see
Humility
involves hearing see Jeremiah 7:23. This verse implies hearing.
Note: these need to be explained further-possibly
as inferred results of humility, and action of humility.
Nature of Humility
Nature of Humility
In studying humility closely, one finds definable
characteristics about it that reflect the nature, or essence, of humility. Some of these are identified in scripture,
others are implied.
Many of the characteristics of humility may be foreign to some of us, but as we look toward God, and allow Him to help us, we will see these characteristics become a part of our nature. This is seen as we conform to the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 ..to be conformed to the image of his Son. Let's look at them:
● Meek
and lowly of heart Matthew 11:29 for I am meek and lowly in heart,
● Issue
of submission:
I
Pet 2:13 Submit
to every ordinance
James
4:7 Submit
yourselves to God
Eph
5:21 Submit
yourselves to one another
Rom
10:3 Submission
to righteousness of God
● Matthew 11:29 Learn
from me for I am gentle and humble in heart-to learn involves listening which is an implied action.
● Secret of humility—the position of dependence upon the
Grace of God Rom 8:2 For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death.
● Faith and humility at the root are one (Andrew Murray). True humility involves letting the Word of
God guide us, and faith involves action on the Word of God. Both are possible when the Word gets into our
hearts.
If a word has a nature, then it is not dead. It is representative of character, and I
believe true humility reflects the character of Christ. If you made a statement about the nature of
humility, it might be 'Christ is alive in
us' 1 Corinthians 15:22.
[1] Murray, Andrew, Humility,
Bethany House Publisher
[2]
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language
Unabridged, Merrian Webster, 1993
[3]
Anderson, Neil T, Bondage Breaker, Harvest House Publishers, 2000
Part 3 will cover the following:
Process and Action of humility,
Examples of humility,
Results of humility
To go to part 3 click here
No comments:
Post a Comment