A Week of Humility

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” (Proverbs 25:9)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossions 3:12)

“But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:”God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

This past week I fasted in a way that God put on my heart.

Prayer. Studying Scripture while reading through the entire New Testament. Natural and simple appearance. I’m not wearing makeup or styling my hair; just being natural and real, and I’m just wearing basic clothes, like jeans and plain tees. I want to be clothed in humility instead. Silence (no posting or being on social media except for checking and replying to messages). Fasting (the Daniel fast from Daniel 1:8-14). And looking for at least one special way to love and selflessly serve someone else each day. Worship.

It wasn’t a drastic change from normal, but yet then again, even just one small change can be a huge difference. Basically this was just placing myself in means of grace to allow God to work in that.

I didn’t do this fast for self-righteous reasons but rather to be humbled; I’m did it for no reason other than to strip away all else so I can seek Him more, to decrease myself so He may increase. Conviction set in with John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This is what God’s put on my heart. I’m removed these things to see what would happen when I was more vulnerable and transparent and humbled. I did and still do need more humility. I also hadn’t fasted anything in a month and that is a discipline I wanted to do more often, again. One of the main reasons I felt led to do the fast was I really want to be able to love others and I know I can’t in myself do this unless I put myself before God to do a work in me. Other things needed to decrease (as well as completely cease), so that the one thing my heart is after would greatly increase- and that is to seek after more of God’s heart.

I needed to step back from everything and spend some serious time allowing God to search my heart. He did.

1 Peter 5:6-7 was really close to my heart all week: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” I’ve had a lot of things on my heart and God is teaching me to bring it all to Him, as many times as my heart and mind needs to, and worship Him instead.

Also, I want to let you know about a dangerous but effective prayer God has used a lot in my life. If you sincerely pray Psalm 139:23, God will answer and you better be ready to be humbled. He will examine your heart, and reveal your thoughts. He’ll test them. And when (not if) you fail being tested (patience, forgiveness, whatever it might be) and realize, “Crap, I suck…” or, “I need to work on that so much...” (or maybe that is just me…;]) it may be discouraging at first. But you can’t keep your eyes on yourself; God will redirect your focus to Him and remind you He is able and by His power, He can change those things that have been brought out of darkness into light. In ourselves we fall short so much, but God is more than enough and all we need.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

A week of humility is not enough. I must live a life of humility. God is going to continue to teach me and show me how to live that out, and enable me to do it. May He be glorified.