In case you’re expecting to become party to secret intel about God, think again. There is nothing new apart from what has been revealed in Scripture. Some of it just bears highlighting and illuminating si it seems like something new.
Such as this.
The power of God at work in us in all its facets – mercy, grace, sanctification, spiritual gifts, strength, comfort, wisdom, insight, and much more – can either be quenched or released to the full. That’s because He doesn’t force it on us.
It all depends on our receptivity to Him. And our receptivity to Him is unlocked by a single key: humility. That may surprise you. How about prayer? Reading the Word? Obedience? All of those are important, of course, but they, too, stand or fall in their effectiveness by the condition of our hearts.
It all begins with humility. Look at these three verses and you’ll see the picture:
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5-7)
Do you see it? If you want forgiveness of sins, healing in the land, grace, God’s praise, peace, and provision, you have to humble yourself. If you want God’s work in you to will and act according to His pleasure, you have to follow the example of Christ and consider others more significant than you. Even that jerk you can’t stand or that slob who doesn;t have his life together like you do.
It’s important to know why humility is the key that unlocks God’s power.
Humbling ourselves is an action we decide on with our will. It makes us receptive to the actions, will, and input of someone who is greater than we are. That receptivity welcomes God’s work in us and He can only respond to thirsty hearts. Reluctant hearts cut themselves off from Him.
Humility is a command. We have to choose to obey it, which is an act of our will. We can only do that wholeheartedly if we are convinced that no good indwells us and that we are therefore completely dependent on God to build His life in us. So it’s a decision you make, not a feeling you have. No one “feels” humble. Only the deep conviction that we occupy a lowly place in comparison to our almighty and all-knowing Creator will drive us to that decision and make it wholeheartedly. Reluctant humility is of no use here – it will not make your heart receptive to His grace. Neither does false humility – feigning to exalt God because you want Him to do something for you that benefits your flesh in some way.
God designed it this way because HIs power can only be poured out in hungry and willing hearts – like seed that can only grow in fertile soil and water that can only be absorbed by parched land.
Humility is also an equalizer. Pride divides because we compare ourselves to others so we can feel better about ourselves and then act toward others accordingly. Humility considers others better than ourselves prompting us to serve and bless them.
The opposite of humility is pride, which often expresses itself in wanting to be self-sufficient rather than dependent on God. God opposes pride because it is self-worship: wanting to have control and do things ourselves so we can praise ourselves and garner praise from others. It is sinful man trying to be his own god.
A humble heart expresses itself in prayer by desiring that God’s will come to pass. It brings all its requests under the heading the Lord Jesus taught us: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is a complete surrender to God’s will in the knowledge that His ways and thoughts are superior to ours.
A humble heart reads the Word of God with a voracious hunger to know Him, to find out what He wants, and to put it into practice so we live in a manner that pleases Him. It seeks the Holy Spirit’s help in understanding Scripture because we know we cannot by ourselves.
A humble heart also seeks to unite with others of like mind and does not look down on people who may perhaps be of a lowlier estate than we are. That opens the veins of the Body of Christ for His love to flow toward its members, and from its members to the world.
That is why “humble yourselves” is such a frequent command in the Scriptures. It is the key that unlocks the power of God because it opens wide the door of our hearts to Him and all He wants to give us and do in us, for us, and through us.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come without a fight.
Our flesh constantly pulls us the other way because it wants us to pursue strength in self-realization, rather than dependence on God for the realization of His life in us.
The world blares this message at us all day long, too. It tells you to take control of your life (rather than yielding it to God), to chase your dreams (rather than following God’s plan), to tell yourself that you have the inner strength to do anything (rather than drawing your strength from God) and to be proud of your accomplishments (rather than glorifying God).
And stirring it all up is Satan, who keeps whispering lies into our ears – that we could be like God, that God helps those who help themselves, that leaning on God is weak, and that we deserve to be proud of ourselves. To name a few.
All three will conspire to tell you that the key to unlocking power is within yourself. God created you to surrender your life to Him so that He can fill it with His. It doesn’t happen without the humble acknowledgment all day and every day that we need Him in all things that matter. We are born again to do kingdom things. We can’t do kingdom things in our own strength.
To admit to yourself and then to God that no good indwells you and that you need His mercy and grace is not waving a white flag of defeat. It is rolling out a red carpet welcoming the fullness of His life into yours. You have to decide that anew every morning – will I live this day for me so I can be proud of myself, or will I present myself as empty and in need of Him so I can live for the joy of giving Him glory. Doing the latter opens your life wide to all He is longing to give you and it’s the best decision you’ll ever make – again and again and again.