Faith is a journey.
As young Christians, when we hear lessons about God being in control, most likely we do not fully comprehend this truth.
Then one day we realize an extremely important implication. “God wants me to trust COMPLETELY in Him, not in myself.”
As we grow more in Christ, we will probably face ourselves in the mirror and realize that we are still trusting in ourselves.
Accepting the truth
May we deeply consider the sovereignty of God. He is the Creator of the universe. He is our Redeemer, Provider, and Protector.
As we pray to and talk about God, we declare this truth aloud, because it is real.
Depending on Him and trusting Him as the Supreme Authority leads us to truly worship Him, not only with our words, but also in our hearts and by the way we live.
As we let go of our ego, we trust His Word, not our own thoughts. We seek His will, not our own.
Consider how this passage helps us trust more in God.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).
The beauty that follows
We know that humility requires faith. Have you ever considered that humbling yourself can increase your faith?
Perhaps it is because when a humble attitude leads to behavior that demonstrates humility, we are practicing what we believe. Practicing something can lead to deeper belief . . . because we see the outcomes, because we trust more, and/or because God blesses faith that is lived out in our lives rather than just thought about in our heads.
As our humility and trust in God grow, we have a deeper realization of His love and forgiveness. This is a huge benefit in many ways, one of which is we can completely let go of guilty feelings for sins that we have confessed and repented of to God.
There is no need to look back. Just trust in His love.
The more we humble ourselves, the more we are likely to recognize opportunities to serve . . . and the more our hearts will be willing to serve.
Service is one way humility is put into practice.
When we humble yourselves, our faith increases, our guilt decreases and our service increases.
“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 NIV).
Jo Umberger, Vice President, NewLife Behavior International
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
If you want to learn more about who Jesus is and how to follow Him, here’s a short article to help you get started — https://woww.newlifebehavior.org/what-it-means-to-follow-jesus-how-to-become-a-christian/.
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