How do you humble yourself before God?

[S.O.J.I.A.]

by admitting that you are a sinner worthy of eternal damnation in desperate need of God's grace.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

I thought you forgave me already......my posts werent that bad

And have you tried one of those fidgit spinner.....Ive been amazed at how long i go without thinking while looking at it spin.....

Lol not you.,,if you said anything I don't even remember.. I'm talking about someone else.

 

[Senkaku]

Numbers 12:3

there is a deep biblical understanding of humility in this passage.

 

[RaymondG]

Lol not you.,,if you said anything I don't even remember.. I'm talking about someone else.

I know..... ;-) Everyone loves me on these forums

 

[aiki]

That's one of the ways you draw close to God ... And I just wonder how you do that.

No man (or woman) truly humbles himself by himself. It is a work of God in a person. Even the desire to be humble before Him, is a desire God must impart to us. Left to ourselves, we seek ourselves. All human beings are, at bottom, notoriously and incorrigibly self-centered and prideful. We learn how to disguise this fact behind religious piety, and excuses, and redescribing our selfishness and pride. Paul the apostle, though, put it very simply and directly:

Romans 8:7
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Romans 7:18
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

Jesus was equally frank about the fundamental corruptness of the human heart:

Mark 7:20-23
20 And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

Like begets like. Cats beget cats; dogs beget dogs; we beget more of ourselves. Only God, then, can produce godliness (of which humility is a vital part) in us. So, if you desire to be humble before God, recognize that He has given you that desire and thank Him for doing so. But if your desire for humility is going to bear fruit in reality, then you must ask God to go farther and make you truly humble. He's the only One who can change your heart and bring it low before Him. And as God gives you the grace to bend your knee to Him, do so - one small moment of humility at a time.

Selah.

 

[razzelflabben]

C S Lewis said this about humility...humility is NOT thinking less of yourself but rather thinking of yourself less.

Personally I think this is one of if not the best description of humility as such I think it is like salvation, a partnership in which we enter with God where as everything we do is in HIS POWER and our yielding effort. IOW's when we do things like taking our thoughts captive or crucifying self we are partnering with Christ to humble us in HIS Power and might.

 

[ToBeLoved]

I don't think we do. I think God has to do it. I think it is impossible to humble yourself. I know the Bible says to humble yourself, but I don't know if it means you are to do it on your own, or if humbling yourself is actually asking God to do it for you.

At least, I can not do it myself, but God can humble me.

The preceding verses of James 4:10 talk about drawing nigh to Christ and submitting to Him, and be afflicted- to mourn. So maybe this is the way to humble ourselves.

Putting your problems at the foot of His Throne and leaving them there will humble you.

It's sounds easy to leave your problems with God, but it's not. Great faith building. That breeds humility.

Try it

The hard part, not taking them back. Especially if God's not working fast enough or not doing things as you like.

 

[Theo Book]

That's one of the ways you draw close to God ... And I just wonder how you do that.

It is reported in many translations, that Jesus taught us how to humble ourselves before God when he taught us
Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

THAT is NOT being Humble before God. AND that is NOT what Jesus said.

The truth is, Jesus did not think it to be humble when we pray and claim, Lord, I am just one among MANY sinners, no wickeder than most other people.

What Jesus said, was "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me THE sinner.(LUKE 18:10-13)

Thus do we acknowledge in the intimacy of prayer, "You are THE GOD, in this association, and I am the SINNER.

That kinda takes the focus off of the thundering herd mentality and refocuses upon the reality of MY imperfections, bad manners, and crass behaviour.

The reality is, there is a definite article in the Greek, by which Jesus makes it clear how we are to humble ourselves. He tells us it is not "humbling yourself" if all you are doing is saying "I am no different from anyone else, after all we ALL sin."

God already know that. He wants US to know the truth about ourselves, and acknowledge it in conversations with Him. THAT's Humility.

 

[ToBeLoved]

No man (or woman) truly humbles himself by himself. It is a work of God in a person. Even the desire to be humble before Him, is a desire God must impart to us. Left to ourselves, we seek ourselves. All human beings are, at bottom, notoriously and incorrigibly self-centered and prideful. We learn how to disguise this fact behind religious piety, and excuses, and redescribing our selfishness and pride. Paul the apostle, though, put it very simply and directly:

Romans 8:7
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Romans 7:18
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

Jesus was equally frank about the fundamental corruptness of the human heart:

Mark 7:20-23
20 And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

Like begets like. Cats beget cats; dogs beget dogs; we beget more of ourselves. Only God, then, can produce godliness (of which humility is a vital part) in us. So, if you desire to be humble before God, recognize that He has given you that desire and thank Him for doing so. But if your desire for humility is going to bear fruit in reality, then you must ask God to go farther and make you truly humble. He's the only One who can change your heart and bring it low before Him. And as God gives you the grace to bend your knee to Him, do so - one small moment of humility at a time.

Selah.

I think humilty is one of those things we do have control over because we must find it in our own hearts. We must find in ourselves that we don't have all the answers or sometimes aren't even looking at the right question.

I think this one is a look honestly deep inside yourself and see where the pride is. Because if we don't look for our pride, we probably don't think it exists. The more one looks at self, the more one see's the problems with self.

 

[Nick714]

make other people your priority first, with love and kindness

 

[Honoluluwindow]

I have a person I need to forgive.

We are beings that were created with a need for unconditional all accepting love. The problem is that none of us can give this kind of love that we so desperately need because all of our love is conditional in some way. The only one who could give this love we need is the Messiah.

When we forgive, someone pays the debt. And forgiving requires suffering. If someone breaks a lamp in someone's home, the owner of that lamp can say: I forgive you, I will replace the lamp. If he does, he suffers the debt, he goes without light in that part of the home. Or he can force the other man to pay the debt, somebody will always pay the debt. If we refuse to forgive, we are forcing the other to suffer for his action, we can sometimes even take pleasure in seeing the other pay the debt but if we do this, we are not really forgiving.

This is exactly what the Messiah did for you and for me, He paid our debt. And if we read the accounts of Messiah's death it tells us that He was silent. What we don't have in this example is Jesus manning up and being a tough willed person, what Messiah showed to us is that He completely forgives us and gave us His all accepting, unconditional love in order so that we could become the beings he created us to become. Our problem is that we are so prideful that we are not willing to give up anything for others. The most valuable gift I ever received was not a sinless holy life (the more I try not to sin the more sin I do) but it is the desire to forgive others that don't want forgiveness. And that is all of us. Jesus prayed "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". We need to take that example of God's unconditional love for us and begin to learn how to give that love to others - Father forgive others for they know not what they do. What are you and I willing to place upon the altar? We need to yield ourselves upon the altar by being humble and forgiving others as Christ forgave us. If we do this, we can experience true joy and true peace and we can learn to give each other that kind of unconditional love even if its in just a small way. And as we grow we will learn to become servants of the Most High God.

We have been freely forgiven by God.

 

[derpytia]

That's one of the ways you draw close to God ... And I just wonder how you do that.

I'm starting to find that God humbles me whether I want to be or not. I cannot be humble on my own because of my sinful condition. So I asked God to help me be more humble and He is drawing my attention to those who need help in the world.

So I would say, perhaps you can cultivate a humble heart by finding out how you can serve others. That's what I'm starting to do at the moment.

 

[aiki]

I think humilty is one of those things we do have control over because we must find it in our own hearts.

Um, not to be disagreeable, but what you've written here goes entirely against Scripture. Human pride and the Self-will that engenders it is at the heart of our rebellion against God and is the source of our sinful choices. We are so caught in our defiant and prideful Self-will, that if God does not free us from it, we cannot ever be free. This is what Paul is getting at when he writes,

Romans 7:18-19
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

We are in fact, so corrupt, so utterly unable to live rightly before God in and of ourselves, that God's remedy for our sin was to put our "old man," our unregenerate Self, to death (Ro. 6:6; Ga. 2:20; 5:24; Col. 3:3). Not rehabilitation, death. I think, then, that looking for godly humility within yourself is an exercise in futility and self-deception. Whatever you might draw out of yourself as your version of humility will necessarily be fouled by your sin nature and thus be an ugly, decrepit version of the humility God wants to give you in the Person of His Spirit.

The more one looks at self, the more one see's the problems with self.

No, the more one looks at Self, the more conformed to Self one will be. This is why we are never urged in Scripture to look at Self. Instead, we are told to fix our eyes upon Jesus (Heb. 12:2). And as we do, we grow ever more like him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Selah.

 

[turkle]

I think that you are looking for practical ways to humble yourself, so I will offer this.

Keep in mind that humbling yourself before God is to repent of your own pride and ego, and give complete dominion of your life over to Him. In order to do that, you need to be aware of the ways that you are blocking God from doing that. This is done through confession. The main reason we confess is not to inform God of our deeds and attitudes - He already knows. The reason is that by confessing, we take responsibility for the fact that we have willfully turned away from His will. When we have spoken the sins, one by one, we are fully able to take that responsibility, and then repent.

With that in mind, here's a suggestion for you.

Start praying, and ask God to empty you of yourself. Read Psalm 51.10-12 and ask for a clean heart. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify the sins that are keeping you at a distance from God. Here are some prompts:

Are you seeking your own feelings or the opinions of others over the will of God?
Are you neglecting to be thankful and give Him praise because of your own emotions?
Have you made Him your spiritual Santa Claus expecting Him to deliver the gifts you want?
Have you thought that you have better solutions than He?
Are you thinking of Him as an angry parent rather than the God of all?
Have you neglected seeking His will for your life?
Have you neglected His love letter to you - the Bible - because they are just words?
Have you allowed your own desires to overshadow His will for you?

Clearly, I've chosen these particular things from the posts I've read from you. But these are all things to lay down at the foot of the cross so you can ask for forgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you've shut God out, by word, deed or attitude. If it's helpful, write a list. We tend to sin in the same ways over and over, and for visual people like me, it's good to have the list to refer back to.

The purpose of listing and confessing your sins is not about making you feel bad. The purpose is to identify clearly where your thinking is out of sync with God. This is why God requires confession. When you have completed your list, ask the Holy Spirit to continue to identify these sins, and as soon as you think of it, confess.

Once you've confessed, release it all to God. Ask Him to cleanse you of it and He will. Ask Him for help with your emotions, to give you the peace that surpasses understanding. Thank Him for His wonderful grace, and ask Him to help you to catch yourself before you return to old habits so that your repentance is ongoing.

Now that you have confessed everything you can, it's time to ask God to replace all the muck that He removed from you and replace it with Himself. Tell Him that His opinion is the only one that matters, and that you pledge to follow His will as best you can. Tell Him that your desire now is for Him. Everything else is a distant second. Ask for His counsel on how you should live, what you should do, and whom you should serve. If you have asked like a small child, with no reservations, then He will lead you.

Something amazing might happen right away, or it could take time. This is an on-going process as you draw closer to God. Never say it didn't "work", because you don't know, and don't allow how you feel to guide you. Instead, be lead by faith in the One who loves you enough to send His son to die for you so that you could come to Him.

To humble yourself before the Lord is to actively choose to release all selfishness, self will, self absorption...all SELF, and replace it with God. It's to recognize your need for Him, and that you are nothing without Him. It's to place yourself in the arms of Jesus and choose to stay there.

 

[ToBeLoved]

I think that you are looking for practical ways to humble yourself, so I will offer this.

Keep in mind that humbling yourself before God is to repent of your own pride and ego, and give complete dominion of your life over to Him. In order to do that, you need to be aware of the ways that you are blocking God from doing that. This is done through confession. The main reason we confess is not to inform God of our deeds and attitudes - He already knows. The reason is that by confessing, we take responsibility for the fact that we have willfully turned away from His will. When we have spoken the sins, one by one, we are fully able to take that responsibility, and then repent.

With that in mind, here's a suggestion for you.

Start praying, and ask God to empty you of yourself. Read Psalm 51.10-12 and ask for a clean heart. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify the sins that are keeping you at a distance from God. Here are some prompts:

Are you seeking your own feelings or the opinions of others over the will of God?
Are you neglecting to be thankful and give Him praise because of your own emotions?
Have you made Him your spiritual Santa Claus expecting Him to deliver the gifts you want?
Have you thought that you have better solutions than He?
Are you thinking of Him as an angry parent rather than the God of all?
Have you neglected seeking His will for your life?
Have you neglected His love letter to you - the Bible - because they are just words?
Have you allowed your own desires to overshadow His will for you?

Clearly, I've chosen these particular things from the posts I've read from you. But these are all things to lay down at the foot of the cross so you can ask for forgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you've shut God out, by word, deed or attitude. If it's helpful, write a list. We tend to sin in the same ways over and over, and for visual people like me, it's good to have the list to refer back to.

The purpose of listing and confessing your sins is not about making you feel bad. The purpose is to identify clearly where your thinking is out of sync with God. This is why God requires confession. When you have completed your list, ask the Holy Spirit to continue to identify these sins, and as soon as you think of it, confess.

Once you've confessed, release it all to God. Ask Him to cleanse you of it and He will. Ask Him for help with your emotions, to give you the peace that surpasses understanding. Thank Him for His wonderful grace, and ask Him to help you to catch yourself before you return to old habits so that your repentance is ongoing.

Now that you have confessed everything you can, it's time to ask God to replace all the muck that He removed from you and replace it with Himself. Tell Him that His opinion is the only one that matters, and that you pledge to follow His will as best you can. Tell Him that your desire now is for Him. Everything else is a distant second. Ask for His counsel on how you should live, what you should do, and whom you should serve. If you have asked like a small child, with no reservations, then He will lead you.

Something amazing might happen right away, or it could take time. This is an on-going process as you draw closer to God. Never say it didn't "work", because you don't know, and don't allow how you feel to guide you. Instead, be lead by faith in the One who loves you enough to send His son to die for you so that you could come to Him.

To humble yourself before the Lord is to actively choose to release all selfishness, self will, self absorption...all SELF, and replace it with God. It's to recognize your need for Him, and that you are nothing without Him. It's to place yourself in the arms of Jesus and choose to stay there.

Wonderful post. All very true.

I would also like to add for encouragement to others to develop that close relationship and that Jesus is your best friend. When everyone else let's you down Christ is there. People pray almost anywhere and God wants us to share our lives with Him. Even something as small as telling Him about your day. He died to reconcile us back to God, so we have that great blessing.

 

[ToBeLoved]

Um, not to be disagreeable, but what you've written here goes entirely against Scripture. Human pride and the Self-will that engenders it is at the heart of our rebellion against God and is the source of our sinful choices. We are so caught in our defiant and prideful Self-will, that if God does not free us from it, we cannot ever be free. This is what Paul is getting at when he writes,

I said 'humility' and lowering ourselves with loss of ego and pride is to look deep inside because we are all different.

I'm not talking about having pride or ego, I'm talking about knowing yourself good enough to know what we take pride in to diminsh self.

 

[Galilee63]

One humbles themselves through Confession to Jesus from hearts open to Him in trust sorrow and sadness remorse for sins.

Setting aside removing all pride ego and vanity speaking to Jesus from humble hearts as Children.

Offering up humiliations to Jesus for Jesus to use those sufferings for His Holy causes and to our Heavenly Mother Mary to use our humiliations sufferings for all Holy causes in Heaven including the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Praying for humble hearts and to pray forJesus and Mother Marys Humility for all other people on earth to receive.

Removing all things in our daily lives that cause ego pride and non-humility ie the temptations of satan - the list is endless of which for starters are media related devices including facebook, instagram, taking photos of oneself, removing the focus on one self, and of one self, instead focussing on Jesus, His Life, His Sorrows, His Agonies, His Bitter Passion and the life of Jesus and Mother Mary in Gods Holy Word, The Holy Rosary in illustration of which is Gods Holy Word within the Old Testament and New Testament.

 

[jesse.roland]

Great question. How does one humble themselves? Is that even possible? I would dare say it's more than a feeling or even something we do at once. It's a lifestyle or attitude I believe. It's to live in the fear of God, reverencing and worshiping Him daily. It is to live dependent on Him through an earnest prayer life that becomes ongoing interactive conversation with Him. It is to be a servant to others around you. Once again I believe it the attitude in which we live our lives daily before Him.

 

[Dan61861]

It's a work of God.

We come to terms, we are wretched, we are sinners...we cannot save ourselves. Our own righteousness is filthy before God. We can offer God nothing. Christ has done it all for us. It is finished. God alone is good. It is God that saves, we enter His rest.

There is nothing to add to the Gospel. Jesus has died for our sins, according to the scriptures. He was buried and rose the third day, according to the scriptures.

In Christ
Daniel

 

[razzelflabben]

As I was catching up on posts this morning something struck me that I want to touch on/clarify from the OPer.

The OP question asks how we can humble ourselves before God which is different in some ways to humbling ourselves before man or even ourselves. IOW's when we humble ourselves before man it is in God's presence since He is there but it is not the same thing as humbling ourselves before the very throne of God.

As I read the question it was humbling ourselves before the very throne of God which at the heart of that question is the need to fear the Lord. Psalms 34 tells us that we learn to fear the Lord. Notice not a work of God alone but a learning from the teacher/master how to do so. This is the beginning of humility, to learn to fear the Lord. But to learn requires a teacher/master and that is the HS making a work of both man and God.

So if I might be so bold as to ask the OP er two questions, 1. what was the intent of the question? humble before the throne of God or in daily life? and 2. what do you think fear of the Lord is? and how it applies to the discussion.