Humility....Again

Subtitled - Humility, the Key to Exaltation  (Or, Achieving Well-being within the Kingdom of God)

"For God resists the proud (not so passive as it sounds I think), but give grace (not so ethereal, and non-substantial as we have made it) to the humble"

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that in due season He may exalt you."

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling (the KJV says "a fall"). It is better to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

These verses are pretty self explanatory, I am hearing God say to me that one of the MOST important characteristics in mankind is Humility. Humility is the most healthy mental and emotional state to be in, because it allows for positive thought patterns, such as gratitude, contentment, and general happiness. Those kinds of patterns are rarely seen in the prideful. People caught up in pride, tend to be focused on themselves, and in competition with all of life - this means that everything is constantly being analyzed and found wanting - this means that they usually fall into an attitude of entitlement that exempts gratitude and makes any real contentment impossible. I conclude then, that Pride is not only the root of all sin/evil, but the root of all mental illnesses.

Pride sometimes parades as ultra-extreme-humility - as "Low self-esteem", and can even manifest in radical self-loathing - because "self" didn't live up to the lofty expectations set by pride! But all of that is still rooted in pride. Pride can parade as Religious/Spiritual perfection - but that is always hypocrisy - there was only ONE who pulled off Spiritual perfection, and religion is inherently flawed anyway, so...no. Pride is full of a spirit of manipulation and control, which the Word of God considers to be "witch-craft". Pride is a manifestation of Satanic influence in our lives. The flesh is born under that influence and needs to be freed of it, if we are to live lives that are whole, and wholesome and free and happy.

Pride is the worst of task-masters and slavers, and the worst of friends. It is at once all about itself, and all against itself (being that it puts self in direct opposition to the creator and His standards). Pride is nothing but hot air, it never produces what it promises because it can not. That is largely because all it ever promises were lies to begin with. Pride does not count the cost, because it doesn't really believe there is one. Pride thinks itself to be above the law. Religious pride creates its own standards, believing their self-made or "adjusted" standards to be equal to or above those of Almighty God! Pride is a wretched state to be in, because it imprisons all who show it hospitality. Pride is to be avoided at all costs if one expects to be whole, holy, or bring God glory. Pride brings glory only to itself. Pride is at war with God. It can not win, but it does not take that into consideration before it conscripts us to its fight! We are altogether foolish to ever get caught up in that web, we will be cocooned and eaten!

God has a cocoon, and it does feel like death - yet it frees us to real and lasting life - as the cocoons of nature free the butterfly to its destiny! The cocoons of pride, however, feel surreal and comforting, and secure and safe, until the enemy appears to finish the job. We must not be deceived. We are facing dire times. If we would survive we must hold tightly to our God, and to do that we must stay in humility - because God does not even regard the prayers of the prideful. I am encouraged this morning as I begin another day to stay in humility, to cultivate gratitude, curb the complaining, and generate peace - that - being so emptied of "self" - I can be a conduit of His Love, a purveyor of His peace - and, as such, a recipient of His blessing!

Shabbot Shalom Chavarim!