PRAY FOR.....HUMILITY

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way (Psalm 25:9).
If there is one thing God hates, it is pride. In fact, it was pride which led to the downfall of the once great worship leader of heaven - Lucifer, who declared himself to be greater than God. (Read here to see how vile Lucifer's pride was). The opposite of pride is humility - real humility, not the false which which causes the religious to stand in the market place like the pharisees did. They looked the part, appeared to be holy and acted like they were fasting, but their hearts were full of religious pride and sin before God.

Humility which causes God to give grace (while He resists and rebukes the proud) is not just a freedom from arrogance and pride, but a genuine, conscious and intentional attitude which regards others as worthy of your service and mine. It is the kind of meekness like Jesus, Whose meekness could never be confused with weakness. He was, after all, the Son of God. We are, after all, if we are born again, sons and daughters of God. Our meekness and submission to the Will of God (love God first and love others) is BASED on this positional truth!

To be clearer, our firm and sealed position as joint heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven is what affords us the privilege and opportunity to be like our Lord, and to be completely grateful for our salvation by walking this thing called Life out as, Micah 6:8 instructs us! God says this, which applies to our point: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

In this verse, we see the following:
- God has shown us what is good (our salvation and sealing via the Holy Spirit until the Day of Redemption or when we die and go to Him).
- Because of this fact, He requires something in return of all Christians: 
  1. Be fair with everyone in our dealings and to not take advantage of ANYONE.
  2. Love people and be compassionate towards them, as God is to us.
  3. Live a Christian life of surrender to Christ daily, in true humility.

This is an equation which gives life while summing up the Christian Journey. Most believers are somewhere along the scale of humility when converted from darkness to light. However, too many in the west use our wealthy churches and its ministries - from the vast and exciting world of Christian media and to parachurch ministry - use their position in Christ to not so much enrich themselves but as to become very turf-oriented, forgetting from whence cometh their gifting. So let us resolve to pray, no matter what our status in the Journey with Jesus, for humility and surrender as we begin each day, so that we may receive guidance, direction and blessing with a humble heart and soul. Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You gave Your Son as a ransom for many, that sinners - vile and unworthy though we are - could and would be saved if we believe the Gospel, repented of those sins and accept the finished work on the Cross for our salvation.  Help us to be more like Him oh Lord. To be like the Humble, suffering Savior Who gave Himself and served and loved and put others before Him, knowing all along that He was God, the Ancient of Days.

Help us to understand how blessed and fortunate we are as Your children, that we don't need to call down fire and judgment and hell from heaven on bad people, even though we may feel like it, but to remember at those times that we should be grateful that our names are written in Your Book of Eternal Life! Help us to put aside ALL encumbrances which clog our communication lines with you and could cause us to stumble that we may remain humble, like Your Servant Moses, whom You called the "most humble man ever on the earth". Lord, we love, adore, worship and magnify You and Your Name above all others and that includes, most certainly, ourselves. Help us to remember WHO You are so we can remember Whose we are and our lives will reflect this gratitude and truth, in the Mighty and Strong Name of Jesus, we pray, amen and amen and amen!!!

OTHER VERSES TO MEDITATE UPON TO GROW IN HUMILITY:

Matthew 18:1-4 “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

First Peter 5:5-6 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” 

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY FOUR:
VERSE: 
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me....(Galatians 2:20)
PRAYER:

Oh Most Heavenly and Gracious Father, in my weak estate I look up to You with hope for understanding of what this positional condition of really means! Lord, that the Ancient of Days would step down from Eternity to live as a man for 33 years among the heathen, and even His Half-brothers and sisters who did not believe in Him while He was alive (*until the Resurrection) ....that this King of Creation would be crucified by You for my sake is beyond comprehension. Even more so, oh Ever-loving, Ever-merciful God, is that sinners like we who follow Christ, can have our old sinful nature crucified on that instrument of death, call the Cross, with the Savior and be in a permanent condition of rest, because of it!

Such knowledge is too high, I cannot attain  unto it, Father. But I do willingly, wonderfully and wisely accept my condition of being in the Eternal Kingdom NOW, as one abiding in eternity with the God of Eternity - Three persons, One in Essence! Because of that positional salvation which You have given all who name Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is no longer me calling the shots, but the Holy Spirit - God and Counselor - with Whom You have sealed me until that Day! But as the Gentleman and freedom-loving God You are, You have also given me the free will to mess that relationship up and even grieve Your Spirit, which too many of Your people do, and which I have personally done in the past. Lord, take my will. Not my will, but Thy will be done. Christ lives in me, may I be so completely His in the natural as well as the Inner Man, that the world may know and see Him through my thoughts, words, actions and prayers.

May the Christ who abideth in me, through the Power of the Paraclete, the Source called the Spirit and the Oracles of all Knowledge strengthen my faith and wonder and awe of You, that my dying flesh and earthly man will live the life, the life of abundance in Christ, because You have done exceedingly and above abundantly more than I can ever imagine. But help me to stay in this zone 24/7 when the distractions of the natural and the flesh threaten to take me away, that I may not sin by commission or omission but keep my eyes on my position in Christ, the Crucified Whose love for me kept Him there until Your propitiation was accomplished. Lord this truth, this fact that the Savior, that YOU loved ME and the whole world, that You gave up God the Son emboldens, encourages, enlightens, energizes and brings me to knees....nay, by face before Your Throne in gratitude as I contemplate and think on these things, act on these things and live daily for You, who gave us Christ as Lord, and it is in His Powerful and Almighty Name, I pray, amen.