By PJ Sorensen
When we have great success in the Lord, when we are learning so much at an accelerated pace and our faith is growing and we are reaching out with everything in us to excel in Yeshua, it’s very easy to get off track. One of the secrets of staying in God’s will is to not overestimate ourselves. None of us are so smart that we have it ALL figured out.
Humility is the state of being humble. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest; someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. Humility is not to be confused with “humiliation” which is the act of making someone else feel ashamed, and is something completely different.
It’s just too easy to become legends in our own minds when we are operating with great skill and seeing success in the Lord.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” How many times do we see Believers get into trouble because they get an overblown idea of themselves because God is moving mightily through them? Some begin to think they are so smart and have it ALL figured out. The next thing you see is that they have to straighten everyone else out. Instead of just allowing Yeshua to lead, they feel they must step in and do the leading. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time before they are flat on their faces in failure. Why? The Word of G-d says in 1 Peter 5:5 that God resists the proud.
If you’ve been putting yourself in a position where God has to resist you, adopt an attitude of humility. Rate your own abilities soberly. Keep a watch upon yourself and when you catch yourself getting puffed up with your own greatness, repent. All good things that you enjoy and all success you’ve had has come only by the GRACE of God and by His power.
Look back upon your life and take an inventory of how many times you would have been defeated had God not taken over. Remember the times you were making more mistakes than right decisions but God’s mercy pulled you through. Humble yourself beneath the hand of God and let God do the exalting. It will save some big falls and the hurt that attends them.
Without Yeshua leading us by His Spirit, we’re all nobodies. I’ve watched throughout my life, time and again, God raise up a nobody and take them to greatness.
So often it happens in that greatness that person becomes puffed up with pride and arrogance. It destroys the witness of Yeshua, but more importantly, it often leads to damnation of one’s soul. It reminds me of the old saying, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
I don’t think Believers set out to become proud. I think Believers just get caught up in the excitement of God’s work and before long…..they’ve heard enough compliments or received so many pats on the back, it just feeds that part of the human spirit that wants to dominate, manipulate and control.
I am writing to myself today more than anyone else. It’s so easy amid all the excitement of the privilege of watching the L-rd work to get puffed up. But then it’s also real easy to remember that without Him……I am nothing. He’s a much better Leader than me. I can promise anyone and everyone reading this that I do not have the answers, nor have I arrived in the fullness of what God has created me to be.
I pray you will join me in self-examination of the heart on this issue. Look back at your words, your treatment of others, your reactions, even the looks upon your face. Do we exalt Yeshua or ourselves? It’s a test all of us must run periodically on the human software.
Shalom
Right on! All of us need to get back here!