Humble Yourself

“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 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. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen”

1 Peter 5:5-11

Whatever comes our way in life, never doubt God’s love. We confront hardships because it’s God’s way of making us complete. Whatever situations we face, let’s humble ourselves and do these five things.

One. Cast all your anxieties on Him.

Believe in God’s love, power, and promise and cast all your anxieties on Him. Whatever situation you find yourself in, cast all your anxieties on God. Entrust God with matters concerning your family, your marriage, your children’s education, and your job. Cast your anxieties regarding all issues and obey His command at every turn. Then God will lead you on the right path. It’s easy for God to bless a farmer with a good harvest. He makes it rain at the right time. He makes it sunny when necessary. He controls all conditions to give the farmer a great harvest. We must believe in His promise, His love, and His power! If we entrust Him with everything, God resolves all those matters about which we fret and toil.

Two. Humble yourself before God.

How do we approach and prepare for life? Do we prepare through knowledge, money, or science? What should be our demeanor when approaching life? We should be humble and show humility to others. Being humble and showing humility means knowing God and knowing yourself. It means having the proper relationship to God, people, material things, and life events. It means fixing what is wrong between you and God, you and others, you and material items, you and the situations you face. Therefore, being humble means knowing who God is, appeasing Him when He is angry, and obeying His commands. Practicing humility and being humble should be our only approach to life. God fosters and nurtures us, and at the right time, he raises us high. It took Joseph thirteen years to become the governor of Egypt, but when it was time, God lifted him at once.

Three. Be of sober spirit and alert.

We must never be careless or lose self-control. Being of sober spirit and alert means allowing our regenerated self to be in control of our lives. We are constantly in a state of conflict; the evil spirit (akryeong), evil nature (akseong), and evil habits (akseub) work hard to influence and conquer our minds and bodies. We must stay alert and fight off these evil inclinations. We must govern ourselves by killing our Old Selves and allowing our New Selves to thrive. We may be doing well, living according to the truth and filled with the Holy Spirit, when we confront situations that attempt to stymie all the good we have done. We must stay alert and prevent this from happening. We must always reflect, look inward, and check our minds and bodies.

Four. Resist the devil.

The Bible says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Not only should we be cautious of things we can see, but also we must be equally wary of things unseen, things that stir in the hearts and minds of people. The devil moves in our hearts, the hearts of others, and all things in this universe with the sole purpose of devouring us. We must fight unceasingly to resist and defeat the devil. It’s a constant struggle, and the fight is never over.

Five. All good things come through hardship.

Nothing good can come without hardship. We eliminate all that is harmful and self-destructive through hardship. We cure all our illnesses through hardships. God gives us everything we need through hardship. When we confront unforeseen adversity, we must immediately recognize what we’re facing. “Ah, God loves me and is chastising me so that I can fix something!” When God chastises us, we must not complain or grumble: we must focus on His love, and we must accept with open arms whatever God give us because it’s His way of curing us of all our ills. We become stronger, more whole, capable, and tougher through hardships.

Let’s grasp these five points and never let go.

It’s the only way to receive God’s blessings!

It’s the only way to be successful at home or in the world!

Summary