Faith and Humility

"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV)

Prayer to the Holy Spirit, by St. Augustine of Hippo

Breath in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work to maybe holy. 

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. 

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. 

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. 

Amen. 

Prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo

DEPEND ON GOD COMPLETELY!

DEPEND ON GOD COMPLETELY!

FOR ALL THINGS!

AT ALL TIMES!

Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NKJV)

PLACE YOUR TRUST IN GOD ALONE!

Then, you will find that you are sustained and blessed by Him continuously.

Trusting in people will only leave you dry in difficult times. 

GOD'S STRENGTH NEVER CHANGES!

GOD'S PROVISION NEVER CHANGES!

GOD'S COMFORT NEVER CHANGES!

GOD'S WISDOM NEVER CHANGES!

GOD IS THE STREAM THAT NEVER RUNS DRY!!!

 GOD WILL SUSTAIN US AT ALL TIMES!

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,...

From the Strong's Concordance:

H982: בטח (baw-takh')

a primitive root; properly, to hie for refuge (but not so precipitately as 2620); figuratively, to trust, be confident or sure:--be bold (confident, secure, sure), careless (one, woman), put confidence, (make to) hope, (put, make to) trust.

AHLex2013) Bet, Thet, Heht  (בטח BThHh) ac: Cling co: ? ab: Security: A holding onto something or someone by clinging or confiding.

V) Bet-Thet,Heht (בטח B-ThHh) — Cling: [freq. 120] (vf: Paal, Hiphil) |kjv: trust, confidence, secure {str: 982}

AHLang031) Bet, Thet (BTh) house surrounded -- Refuge: The home as a refuge. The home is the place for safe idle talk with the family.

... And whose hope is the LORD.

From the Strong's Concordance:

H4009: מבטח (mib-tawkh')

from 982; properly, a refuge, i.e. (objective) security, or (subjective) assurance:--confidence, hope, sure, trust.

AHLex2013) Bet, Thet, Heht (בטח BThHh) ac: Cling co: ? ab: Security: A holding onto something or someone by clinging or confiding.

hm) Mem, Bet, Thet, Heht ( MB-ThHh) — Confidence: Clinging onto someone or something else for support or safety. [freq. 15] |kjv: confidence, trust, sure, hope {str: 4009}

The Humble Attitude of Unworthiness

The Humble Attitude of Unworthiness

And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:22-28 NKJV)

Instead of lashing back in pride when Jesus called her a dog she admitted humbly that she was indeed unworthy and continued to beg, in Faith, for Jesus' mercy.

                                                  What an example of "True Humility"!

Personal Note: I noticed from this interaction, of Jesus with the Canaanite woman, that the opposite of Faith is not fear, like it is commonly said, but...

...the Opposite of Faith is Pride!!!

I'm not worthy of God, my wife, my daughter, my biological family, my family in Christ, my neighbors, my friends, my employers, my coworkers, of life itself...

...I'm just a "privileged dog" surrounded by God's Mercy, Goodness, and Love.

Holy Spirit, Continue to make me aware of my great unworthiness and my great need of the Heavenly Father, of everyone around me, and of everything in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Thank you, Amen!

Luke 14:11

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, 

and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

(‭Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭11‬ NKJV)

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35 NKJV)

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for showing us through your Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, how to be a servant of all. Holy Spirit, continue to help us to live out our calling as the servants of all in Christ Jesus. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen!

Personal Evaluation

Once again,

The book is...

"Humility, The Forgotten Virtue" 

by Wayne A. Mack

Humility Book Link

Personal Note:

I asked the Holy Spirit to help me to truly understand what He wanted me to learn from this book. It took me a week just to get through this first chapter. There was so much in it that the Holy Spirit used to convict me and show me how much pride I truly have in my heart. I love the simple way that this author expressed the deep truth of what biblical humility is. Not only the definition of biblical humility, but the way that it set a fire within me to get rid of the pride in my heart and to embrace humility as God defines it in scripture. 

I am posting the "Personal Evaluation" section at the end of chapter one to give you a taste of this great chapter. 

Personal Evaluation, (by Wayne A. Mack)

If we truly desire to grow in this quality of Humility, we must be willing to take the time to honestly examine and evaluate ourselves in terms of this definition.

Ask yourself these questions 

Is my heart overwhelmed by the truth of my natural insignificance before Almighty God?

Am I painfully aware of my sinfulness and unworthiness before a Holy God?

Is God the constant center around which my thoughts, desires, words, and actions revolve?

Do I give Him alone my worship, praise, devotion, and obedience?

Do I frequently think of myself as a person whom others should serve, respect, and please?

Do I criticize, judge, or punish other people that fail to treat me with the respect that I believe I deserve? 

An honest appraisal of our hearts will reveal that we fall far short in all of these ways. Every Christian needs to encounter the Valley of Humiliation! God is willing to humiliate us in order to rid us of our awful pride!

Application/Discussion Exercises

What biblical reasons are there for believing that humility is an important aspect of the Christian life?

How is humility defined in this chapter?

How does this chapter describes a truly humble person?

Are you a person who has a self centered outlook on life? How frequently do you think of your self as a person others should serve respect and please? 

[ ] Often [ ] Sometimes [ ] Seldom [ ] Never 

When other people do not respect or please you, how frequently do you criticize, judge, or punish them for not treating you as you deserve to be treated? 

[ ] Often [ ] Sometimes [ ] Seldom [ ] Never

How frequently do you have a God centered outlook on life? 

[ ] Often [ ] Sometimes [ ] Seldom [ ] Never

How frequently do you think about how you can serve, please, and encourage other people? 

[ ] Often [ ] Sometimes [ ] Seldom [ ] Never

How frequently do you deny your desires, pleasures, or needs for the sake of others? 

[ ] Often [ ] Sometimes [ ] Seldom [ ] Never

List some illustrations of times when you have served, sought to please, and encouraged people without having any thought of getting anything in return."

Humility

I hate it when the pressures of everyday life make me lose patience and I begin to act rudely to the people that I love dearly. I always ask God, and those that I offend for forgiveness, but that is not enough for me anymore. I still feel that something more productive and effective needs to be done, so that I won't act that way again.

I came across a book that our small group teachers let us borrow that talks on the subject of Biblical Humility. I began reading it and knew that it was exactly what I needed to read and to apply to my daily walk.

The book is,

"Humility, The Forgotten Virtue" 

by Wayne A. Mack

Humility Book Link

"Show me Holy Spirit, What True Biblical Humility is 

and give me the ability to be humble. 

In Jesus name I ask, Amen."