Humility Is Not Being A Doormat

Yield to Advance, Part Two.

So last time, we talked about Pride. We discussed how God sees the proud. We talked about the Scriptures tell us we should be humble. Many think that being humble, means being a doormat. Being someone that others can walk all over. Some even quote this Scripture..

Matthew 5:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Also found in....

Luke 6:

29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

We will discuss the Sermon on the Mount next time in depth. Then you will fully understand this saying. Jesus is telling you, you should be a living example of the Grace and unconditional Love of God. In many places, the Word tells us we should imitated Jesus himself. God also told us this...

Proverbs 25:

21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

23 The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

And in Romans 12 Paul writes this:

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Now is Jesus telling you that if someone comes to hurt you or your loved ones, that you should just lay down and let it happen? Of course not. What he is saying is that if someone strikes you unjustly, you should not fight them. You should forgive them, and allow God to repay their evil. Trust me, I understand that this is a hard concept, but to say I know this from experience, would be an understatement. Trust me, God can repay far better than you.

What Jesus and the Word is telling you, is that you should be humble. In...

Philippians 2:

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Do you remember what Jesus told Peter, after Peter cut off Malchus's ear, when Malchus reached out to seize Jesus?

Matthew 26:

52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

Then in...

John 10:

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

You see, Jesus, the same Jesus that cast out devils, healed the sick, and raised the dead, IS the ultimate example. He could have, with a word, cast those that sought to kill Him into an abyss. He could have at any time, shaken the very foundation of the Earth. Remember, Jesus IS Lord. He IS the flesh of God.

The Jews did not crucify Christ. He allowed Himself to be crucified. He allowed it to happen. He, although possessed the power to stop it at any point, was faithful to US enough, to allow it to happen. Think about that. He allowed those present to strip Him, beat Him within an inch of His life, and nail Him to the Cross.

I have news for you. You possess the same power. Yup. I said it. You possess the same power and authority as Jesus. It is few that come to this realization. Even fewer that are wise enough to know when to use it. It should never be about you. If it is, then you fall into the Sin of the devil himself. Pride.

I do not tell you these things to puff you up. I do not tell you that you are equal to Jesus, so that you go out there and attempt to raise the dead. I tell you this simply because it is true. You ARE equal to Jesus in all ways. The same Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is in you. He is in you and you are in Him. The things He did, you can do also. But it should never be about you. In...

James 4:

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

God is the source of the power. If you are serving Him. Doing what He asks you to do, then that unlimited power is at your finger tips. It is there. Ready. But you must rely on Him. Remember, the first time Jesus sent the Twelve out to Preach the Kingdom and heal the sick? First, it was He that gave them the ability to do these things. He send them on a mission, if you will, and equipped them to do it. In...

Luke 9:

1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

So God knows who you are. He sets up a plan and destiny for your life. He then calls you. Gives you the abilities to complete whatever it is He called you to do, and then He glorifies you. You need simply follow what God tells you to do. Rely on Him, not on other creatures or even on yourself. He is with you.

So many times, we think we are the best thing since sliced bread. We think we are cool. We think we are great. We receive praise among men and we want to continue to receive it. So we start relying solely on ourselves. We turn it to be about us. It is NEVER about us. It is ALWAYS about others.

This is what Jesus was talking about when He told us to "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added onto you." You must have faith that God will meet your needs. Remember, Jesus warned us, that there would be those here on earth that will hate us for His name sake. Again, He told us to rely solely on Him. In....

Mark 13:

11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

You see, you are the most powerful force in the universe. But it is not you, but He in you. Some examples....

Psalm 68:

35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

Acts 3:

12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

Romans 1:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Faith in God, understanding of His plan and purpose of your life, is key. Trust in Him is your strength. "With men it is impossible. But not with God, for with God, all things are possible." You are a blood bought Child of God. You are chosen by God for His purpose. So He is with you. If God is for you, who can be against you? As a Child of God, who should have no fear of anything.

However, God does not want you to be prideful or boastful. He wants you humble. He wants you meek. You can chose to do this, or God, can chose it for you. Remember when Moses came down from talking to God and the Jews were worshiping an Idol? Remember they forgot God and became all about themselves? In...

Deuteronomy 8:

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

Let me share with you a true story. When I first got saved, I was all puffed up with Pride. I will never forget this one day. This was, I believe, shortly after I lead my first person to Christ. I said to God, I give this day to you. I will get in my car, I will put the Bible on my seat, I will go wherever you say and do whatever you say for me to do.

I got in my car. Put the Bible on the seat, and drove off. I got to the next town over, and said. OK God. I'm going to stop here a get coffee. Then tell me where you want me to go. Then something else got my attention. Well, I will do this, then God, the rest of the day is yours. Then something else. Then my car broke down. I ended up walking three and a half miles home. I did not have a car for three days.

You see, I told God what I was going to do. I gave the day to God, then took it back. God in turn, took three days from me. Do not tell God what you are going to do. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Then have the faith you need to be able to do it. I learned my lesson. I have, and never shall, do that again.

The Meek shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are the humble. For they are truly the blessed of God. Although you have all this power, true wisdom is knowing how to use it. In God's time. For God's purpose. The Saints did not know what laid ahead in their journey. No one knows when they may be required to speak the Word of God to someone until it happens. No one knows what comes, until it is there. If you are too busy attempting to cast perils to swines, you will miss the true person that you are meant to meet with. The person you are meant to help. You are in the middle of an argument with someone, you miss the person passing by.

Moses was meek. According to the Word, "above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." Yet, God called him and he lead God's people out of bondage. He parted the sea, and boldly stood before Pharaoh, preforming signs and wonders. David was meek and small in stature. He was a Shepard. He killed a giant, and became one of the greatest Kings to ever live. Peter was a Fisherman. He became "this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Did Moses say, I am humble according to the Word, so I will not do these things? Or David say, according to God, we are to be humble, I will not fight the Giant? Did Peter say, I must allow others to walk all over me?

Think about these men. None of them were prideful and boasting. They were simple men, living their lives. They became a savior, a King, a Church. Peter walked on water with Jesus, briefly, and Peter's shadow healed people when it touched them.

True humility is knowing who you are. Knowing the power you possess, and being willing to yield yourself to the desires of you, and follow God and His plans. Jesus washed His disciples feet. The Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings, stripped off His cloths, knelt down, and washed their feet. Remember what He told the disciples when they were arguing who would be the greatest in Heaven?

Matthew 18:

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Why? Because a child believes whatsoever the Parent tells them. They trust the Parent whole heartily. They rely on the Parents to meet their needs. They do not care what others think or say.

For those of you who are Parents, you know this to be true. If you were to tell your child that they could go up on the roof, and jump off, and they will not fall. No. You tell them to jump and they will fly. They will climb that roof, and they will jump. Why. Daddy or Mommy, said we could fly. 

The difference is, you, do not have the ability to give them this power. God does. God is a far greater Father to His children than we are to our's. He is fully capable of giving us the power and authority we need to do whatever He asks us to do.

This is how God wants you to trust in Him. He wants you to live your life and be ready for when He calls you to do whatever it is He wants you to do. He wants to you love Him, and seek His wisdom and truth. He wants to prepare you for whatever it is He has planned for you. Again, at the Last Supper, the Saints were arguing amongst themselves who would be greatest.

Luke 22:

24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

They wanted to be Kings themselves. They wanted people to serve them. Jesus told them that they needed to serve others That this was the path to being great in the Kingdom. As He, Jesus was, so should they be. No thought of themselves, even to the point of death. But their thoughts should be on God and His plans and His Will.

You must yield yourself to your desires and your ideas. Give yourself to the Lord and allow Him to show you His Will. Then and only then, will you truly advance in the kingdom of God. Then and only then, can God use you to be what He wants you to be.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Are you sure? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Lets Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now you need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}You need to be humble and willing to follow wherever God may lead you. It's not about you. It's always about others and God's Will. Want to be great? Then be ready to serve.

Until next time, be blessed, and Jesus IS Lord!