Category: Level: Intermediate

Humility is the attitude of the heart that reflects who we are in comparison to God. It takes a lifetime to learn deep humility, but every step we take is valuable. One who is humble is not interested in boosting others’ opinions of them. They are willing to be vulnerable and acknowledge their dependence on others. They are teachable so they welcome suggestions and corrections from others. They are not bothered by criticism presented with a harsh voice; they look for the truth in the criticism and overlook any lack of love. They want to be known for who they really are and will not indulge in boasting or false humility because they value honest relationships. The humble learn to embrace times when they are neglected, forgotten, rejected or wrongfully accused as opportunities to learn more humility and faith. They learn when it is wise to speak up about an Continue Reading →

Ultimately, truth should not be conceived of as a set of propositions, but rather as the reality of who God is, who Jesus is and what they created. Truth radiates from their nature, but the rays are not the ultimate truth; the nature of their divinity is the truth. Honesty is the virtue of living in God’s reality and his rays of truth. Dishonesty is particularly offensive to God. Colossians 3:9 instructs us: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self” (ESV). In 1 Timothy 4:2 some will depart from the faith because of the “insincerity of liars” (ESV). In John 8:44 the devil is “the father of lies” (ESV). In Revelation 21:8 liars are “consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (NIV). Honesty may seem like a basic virtue that even young Christians should be able to master in a short Continue Reading →

With humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) After years of following Jesus it is easy for spiritual pride to slip in and blind us to seeing our weaknesses. We may have some areas where we think we are mature so we become unteachable in those areas. Those blind spots are where we get sideswiped by the Enemy or circumstances and end up wondering where we went wrong. This is a sign we need to develop humility in our areas of strength. If we want to reach higher levels of wisdom and avoid unwise paths, isn’t it better to maintain a constant awareness of our need for grace and wisdom from God? If we unconsciously assume that we do not have needs in our areas of strength, then how are we going to grow in those areas? Are we forgetting how much higher God’s ways are than ours? Are we forgetting Continue Reading →

Are you facing a difficult situation that is challenging your surrender to God’s will? Is there an area in your life where you are avoiding God’s will? Many believers will only go so far in their surrender to God’s will, for fear of loss of control or possible pain. Higher communion with God only comes if we learn to do deep crucifixion of our will, even if some of our desires are not sinful in themselves. This is a psychologically painful process because we prefer to live in comfort and spiritual sweetness. We forget that nothing could be better for us than God’s will; how could our will ever be better than God’s? Surrendering to God’s will may allow more harm to come to us in this life than if we did not surrender (for example, the lives of Jesus and his Apostles), but is it not better to allow Continue Reading →