Being Humble: Why It’s Important to God

We know that Jesus died for our sins and our human faults. This was done to reestablish our relationship with God. But there’s an important step each of us must still take to access the mercy and grace that His death affords us.

That step is to practice humility. Scripture says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

But what does it mean to be humble?

To be humble is to realize how weak we are, how helpless we are to change the course of our lives in our own power. It’s to ask God for His forgiveness and to trust Him for His guidance.  That’s what He wants to see abiding in our hearts.

He wants us to realize and confess our helplessness, our sinfulness, and our complete need for Him in our lives; and we can do exactly that, regardless of the depth of the flaw, since we know God will never reject those who come to Him with a humble spirit:

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Even if we believe we’re being humble, it’s often difficult in our current society to show as much humility as the Lord would like. Culturally, we’ve moved further away from God’s ways and instead placed focus on the world’s ways. Humility is not seen as a positive trait—it’s seen as a weakness—and in a lot of cases, humility is seen as a flaw that should be avoided at all costs.

Just think about your own social or professional life. How often do you hear someone around you admit they were wrong or made a mistake? When was the last time you admitted such things?

These days, people are afraid to admit wrong or unveil a weakness, and instead let themselves move to a position of pride. Once there, it’s easier to lie, make excuses, or ignore personal issues rather than face them in humility. And in God’s plan, pride becomes an obstacle that halts His mercy.

Removing Pride as an Obstacle

To put pride aside and receive God’s full blessings, we must come to God through Jesus, confess our need and weakness, and ask Christ to cleanse and receive us. We must ask Jesus to take control of our lives and guide us every step of the way.

It’s then that pride will be put aside and the doors opened to receive His full blessings. Remember this passage as you turn your back on your old ways:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

Even if you’ve already confessed your weaknesses and asked Christ to receive you, doing it is not a one-time thing. It’s ongoing, and should be a part of your daily prayer life.

If you’ve never acknowledged that you’re a sinner, confessed your sins, repented for your sins, and declared your belief that Jesus is God’s Son who died to save you, use the link below to pray for Him to come into your life.