Humility in the Bible comes from the Greek word tapeinoo which means to depress; figuratively, to humiliate in condition or heart. Jesus used this word when He told us that whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven . You see, Jesus wasn’t telling us to behave like a child but rather that we should have the heart attitude of a child. That we should believe as easily as a child does. That we should trust as easily as a child does and that we should live as simply as a child does. I am sure there is much more to that verse but in a nutshell that is what He is saying. It is when we humble our hearts as a little child that we can truly see things as they really are and understand kingdom principles.
Humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
- C.S. Lewis
Jesus also told us that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted . Humbling yourself is a win/win situation whereas pride only leads to sure destruction. It’s not worth holding onto pride but it is always worth being humble. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Some people seem naturally humble and never seen to need to work on it at all but other’s need to work hard at the character flaws that prevent them from being humble. I can assure you that none of us are born humble, we are all born sinners. However, some of us do have disadvantages that cause pride to grow and other’s are raised in such a way that humility is encouraged to grow. Let’s take a look at some of the causes and cures for pride (the opposite of humility):
Cause:
Poor upbringing sadly means that some children are taught that what is wrong is right. Many suffer with poor character as adults because they were not raised with God’s word as the standard for their life.
Cure:
Renew your mind because no matter what your upbringing, you can always choose to change your mind. It’s never too late to learn God’s ways. As we study His words in the Bible we will find true humility. When we realise what He has done for us, we will find it easier and easier to humble ourselves before God and before mankind.
Cause:
Insecurity stems from all sorts of things and everyone suffers with some sort of insecurity and varying degrees of insecurity. An insecure person is usually uses pride or arrogance to mask their insecurity. Some insecure people seem humble but they are actually broken and weak. Both forms of insecurity are not healthy.
Cure:
Security comes from knowing and fully embracing who you are in Christ. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. No matter what the cause of insecurity, through Jesus death on the cross and through His resurrection, we can all find freedom and security in every area of life.
Cause:
Satan is the originator of pride and all evil which means that many of us are deceived into pride, even spiritual pride, by him. He is sneaky and too often we don’t even realise that he is influencing us.
Cure:
Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Staying ‘in touch’ with God will free you from any of Satan’s plans for your life.
Cause:
Rebellion can be towards God but it can also be more subtle than that. It could be attitude towards an employer, the government or your husband. Rebellion is as witchcraft the Bible says , which is a frightening thought!
Cure:
Cure:
Choose to submit to any and all authority in your life. It’s a simple choice that you make and this choice will transform you. Submission is a form of humility and we are told over and over again how important this is in the Bible.
There is so much more that can cause and cure pride so ask God to highlight your problem areas to you so you can grow in humility. So what has being humble got to do with being a friend? Everything! A humble friend will serve a friend well. A humble friend will think of their friend more highly than themselves. A humble friend will draw the best out of their friends. As we said in the previous session, humility and wisdom are very closely linked and we know that he who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. We need to be wise, humble friends and we need to have wise, humble friends. You cannot choose your family but you can choose your friends so choose wisely. Most importantly, ask God to help you be a truly humble person so that you can serve your friends well.
Find out more about Being a Friend here or about using our material to host your own Girl's Night here.
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