Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:7–8, KJV).
Humility is missing in our culture today, and it’s mostly due to social media. Anything we do that’s slightly worthy of attention is projected to the masses. It has made us desire attention—to have the world’s eyes on us and what we’re doing.
Humility is difficult to define. It’s easier to measure by what it isn’t, the opposite of humility itself. Therefore, humility’s true measure is not how much you have, but how much pride you lack. Pride is the natural predator of humility and repentance it the natural predator of pride.
Most people are trying to have a relationship with God and walk with Him daily. But, there is a way in which God desires for us to walk with Him: humbly. We cannot walk humbly with God until we pinpoint what pride is in our life and eliminate it.
We have a tendency to think pride is arrogance—an outward manifestation of self-promotion, or haughtiness—thinking one is better that someone else. However, these are just results, merely outcomes. The true root is pride: it’s a cause and not a result.
Pride started with Satan. He wanted to exalt his throne above God’s and be like Him (Isaiah 14:13–14). Today, pride manifests itself in spiritual form, and is identified in us when we pursue self-will, a mentality of “I will.” God wants to attack our pride and remove it from us so we can truly walk humbly with Him.
While we’ve been striving to set God-goals in our life, our goals are prone to pride. To be humble means to be subdued and subjected. Our goals need to not only glorify God, but be subjected and submitted to God. We must take all of our plans and make sure the end result is about Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:24).
Everything is better when we walk humbly with God. Even if our flesh or the world tells us different, it’s better to submit ourselves to Him and let Him govern our lives (Proverbs 16:19).
We’re commanded in Scripture to be subject one to another and to be clothed with humility. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (I Peter 5:5). If we think the opposition of Satan is difficult, we haven’t seen anything yet if we walk in opposition to God. Some of the worse times in our life will be when we’re running away from God and opposing His will. When pride is ruling in our life, God will be against us.
If we have a contrite and humble spirit, God will revive us (Isaiah 57:15). God is looking for someone to deny themselves and follow Him. He will get us through any circumstance and will exalt us in due time. We need to focus on the purpose God has for our lives and surrender ourselves to Him.
If we don’t kill pride in our life, it can become louder than the truth of God’s Word. All of us have been guilty at one time or another in our life for letting pride have a dominant voice. In Scripture, a man named Nabal let pride overcome him. His own men aid that pride was so deeply rooted in his life that sound reason couldn’t get through (I Samuel 25:17). Don’t lose and ear to truth and humility. We must get rid of pride’s voice.
We need to pray and ask God to help us be honest about who we are and the need for pride to be removed from our lives. If we exalt ourselves, we will be put down, but if we’re humble, God will lift us up (Matthew 23:12). If we submit ourselves to God, He’ll up us in our condition and we won’t be disappointed in the end.