The Bible says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to those with humility.
Do you want to be on the receiving end of the Lord’s grace?
I know I do!
This is why you should humble yourself in the sight of God.
We should have humility because we know something of the Lord’s infinite greatness and our own lowliness before him.
We have come to understand that he is glorious, almighty, infinite, and omnipotent and that we are not.
Here are some IMPORTANT reasons why we should humble ourselves before God and some POWERFUL ways to do it.
What does it mean to humble yourself?
To humble yourself means to recognize that the Lord is high and exalted and you are not.
Humility is NOT devaluing or debasing yourself. Rather, it is joyfully recognizing that we are creatures who depend on our creator.
Why you should humble yourself before God
1. Because Christ was humble
In Philippians 2:5 it tells us that Christ did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but humbled himself to become like us. We also should humble ourselves just as Christ humbled himself.
2. So that God can exalt you
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). The good news is that when you embrace humility, the Lord promises that he will exalt you.
If you want to receive grace in a unique way, seek to consistently humble yourself in the sight of God.
3. Because “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
We shouldn’t need any more reasons than this. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want God resisting me and I need all the grace I can get.
I also want to receive as much grace as possible. How do I receive it? By humbling myself before the Lord.
4. Because there is safety in humility
Pride comes before a fall. The humble are less likely to fall, and if they do they don’t have as far to fall.
23 ways to humble yourself in God’s sight
1. Contemplate the greatness of God
He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord, the one the angels tremble before. He controls all things and sustains the universe by the power of his word. There is no one as great or glorious as him.
2. Consider your sins and God’s mercy
This unbelievable reality should cause you to instinctively humble yourself before the Lord. You are a sinner and have sinned time and time again against the King of Kings.
And yet he has been infinitely merciful to you. He put all your sins on Christ so that you could know him.
3. Contemplate your human frailty
Your every breath and heartbeat, your eyes, ears, strength, and mental health are all from God. He could remove them at any time.
Psalm 90 says that our lives are like dust, here today and gone tomorrow. Compare that to Jesus, who is infinite, never changing, and always full of strength.
4. Humble yourself by remembering your inability to control a single thing in this life
If you want to experience humbling, consider the fact that you can’t ultimately control:
- your heartbeat
- the blessings and challenges you encounter
- your health
- your finances
- or anything else
Yes, we take actions that have certain consequences, but ultimately, God controls every part of our lives.
5. Realize that every good thing you have is a gift from God
God is incredibly gracious and has given you so many strengths and talents. But if he so desired, he could take these gifts away. This reality should bring you to your knees before the Lord.
6. Thank God for keeping you from sin
The reason we are convicted of sin and kept from temptation is that the Holy Spirit lives within us. If the Spirit did not dwell in us, we would have no power to fight sin and no ability to see how destructive it truly is.
If God didn’t preserve us, we would quickly lose our salvation.
7. Confess your sins and temptations
Few things are more humbling than admitting that you are weak. When you confess sins and temptations to others, you’re acknowledging that you need the Lord, as well as the support of those around you.
8. Ask forgiveness of those you sin against
Even if they don’t ask your forgiveness in return. To ask forgiveness is to admit that you are wrong, which is a powerful way to embrace humility. It’s saying that you need something from someone else – forgiveness.
9. Be quick to listen and slow to speak
A proud person always wants to spout their ideas and opinions and thoughts. The humble person listens to what others say, recognizing that God has given everyone spiritual gifts.
10. Don’t be confident that you’re right all the time
The reality is, only God knows all things. In fact, you (and I) know very little compared to the staggering amount of knowledge in the universe.
To be convinced that we’re always right is both proud and stupid. Lower yourself before the Lord by admitting either that you don’t know or could be wrong.
11. Consider that there are others more gifted and godly than you
Make no mistake: God has given you unique gifts and is constantly shaping you into his image.
But there are also many people who are more gifted than you in specific ways. There are also many men and women who are more godly. Remembering this helps keep you humble.
12. Cultivate thankfulness
Thankfulness is an acknowledgment that you are the recipient of many gifts from God. You didn’t earn these gifts, and yet because God loves you so much, he gave them to you.
13. Contemplate areas of weakness
Weakness is different than sin. For example, maybe you don’t have the capacity to serve like some people. Or maybe you have a hard time opening up to people. When you consider your weaknesses, it’s a humbling reminder that you’re not perfect.
14. Realize you’re not indispensable
This isn’t meant to be a morbid meditation, but more along the lines of Psalm 90 which calls us to remember the brevity of our days.
Neither you (nor I) is indispensable when it comes to God’s plans. If you died today, things would go on just fine without you. People would miss you and grieve your loss, but the Lord would still be on the throne
15. Look at the splinter in your eye
Jesus spoke about trying to remove the splinter from someone else’s eye when you have a huge log hanging out of your own eye.
It’s quite possible that the things which annoy you about other people are the very things you do yourself.
Ouch.
16. Invite constructive criticism
It’s not particularly fun to invite criticism into your life, but it can be tremendously helpful when it comes to being humbled before the Lord. When others constructively criticize you, it helps you realize that you’re not perfect and that you have ways to grow.
17. Serve others
Jesus said that true greatness and serving others go hand in hand. If you want to be great in God’s eyes, pursue the low, humble road.
Instead of trying to fight your way to the top, pursue the road of humility. Wash others’ feet. Take on lowly jobs in your church.
18. Take an interest in others
A proud person is only interested in spouting their opinions and telling people about themselves. Humility involves taking a deep and sincere interest in the lives of others. As it says in Philippians, consider others more important than yourself.
19. Pray consistently
Prayer is an act of dependence and humility. When you pray, you’re saying to God, “I can’t make it without you. I need you to sustain me today. I need you to give me grace. I need you to help me overcome the challenges I’m facing.”
Prayer is a declaration of weakness and an acknowledgment that you need God’s sustaining grace.
20. Ask for help, wisdom, and prayer from others
When you admit to others that you need help and prayer, it is an act of humility. You are acknowledging that they have knowledge and insight that you don’t. You are
21. Turn compliments into praise
This is a simple way of taking a situation where you may be tempted to pride and turning it into an opportunity to glorify God. Instead of focusing on how awesome you are, it’s a way to give honor to God.
22. Rejoice when others are promoted, praised, or honored
This one is particularly challenging but especially powerful. Rejoicing when others are honored puts your focus on someone else instead of yourself.
23. Regularly contemplate the cross
Nothing should humble us more than the perfect, sinless, Son of God willingly pouring out his life to rescue those who rebelled against him. At the cross, Jesus humbled himself so that you could receive eternal life and joy in him. Isn’t that glorious, humbling news?
Why is it important to humble yourself?
Because it honors God. Because Christ humbled himself. Because God gives grace to you when you humble yourself.
