A HUMBLE AND A CONTRITE HEART

 

"The sacrifices of the Lord are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, o God, thou will not despise." Psalms 51:17

"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalms 34:18

"For thus saith the High and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15

"… but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." Isaiah 66:2b

One of the things that the Lord hates, that He cannot stand, that is an abomination unto Him is a proud mind, a haughty spirit, an arrogant heart that exalts itself above God. Jehovah will never share His glory with any man neither His praise with any graven image. The human nature is prone to worship itself or other physical things; this is because ever since the fall of man, we inherited the nature of the devil who felt he should be worshipped in place of God. If we must be humble, we must permit the great potter to do a thorough work of breaking and remolding upon us.

FACTS ABOUT BROKENNESS AND HUMILITY

1. Brokenness is a messy process: It does not beautify your reputation or name. It bruises your ego and pride. It glorifies God alone. The breaking process exposes the depravity of the heart and reveals the lovingkindness of God that makes Him to take it upon Himself to clean the messy we created and so meticulously hid with covers of lies, hypocrisy and self-righteousness.
2. Brokenness is very painful to the flesh: This is the point where the double-edged sword of the Lord pierces our heart and cuts it into pieces. This is the point when the hammer of His word shatters our hardened hearts and stiff necks. This is the point when the arrow of the Lord sticks fast in one. It eventually leads to the crucifixion, death and burial of Mr. Flesh.
3. Broken spirits dwell where God is: The qualification of dwelling in the presence of the Lord is to be broken. The bible says the Spirit of the Lord will no longer strive with man and that the Lord will not share His glory with any man.

BEWARE OF FALSE HUMILITY.

Many, in a bid to be seen as a spiritual person, resort to hypocrisy even in humility. They want to appear righteous in the sight of men. God cannot be mocked. He cannot be played or swayed by false humility because He sees beneath the façade to behold the hidden motives of the heart. If your humility does not come from the Spirit of God indwelling you, God sees it as a form of pride because you think you can bring about your righteousness by yourself and not by total dependence on Him.

My dad, who is also my spiritual father, once taught me something he called the test of humility. He said that if you confront a person saying "You are proud" and the person flares up in anger or even tries to defend his or herself, then that person has confirmed your suspicions and is indeed proud. But if the person is remorseful at the accusation and asks you to tell him or her why you said that with a true expression of willingness to be corrected and repent, then that person has the spirit of humility.

JESUS CHRIST, THE TRUE EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Hebrews 11:2-3

For the Son of God to leave His glory and splendor and come to this depraved world of ours in the lowliest of all possible ways is the highest degree of humility. He came through a virgin that was just another average girl. He was born in a manger. He washed His disciples feet. He didn't have a house to call His. He suffered ridicule, misunderstanding, rejection. He died the most horrifying death and suffered at the hands of mortal men yet still forgave them. Now, He is glorified and is enjoying the highest authority because of His perfect humility. We are called to follow in His footsteps and emulate His humility.

As true worshippers, intercessors, watchmen, builders in the Kingdom of God, we need this cloak of humility to cover the glory that we definitely carry, lest it gets into our head and becomes a stumbling block. It is the secret to gain God's approval, acceptance, attention and affinity. Simply ask the Holy Spirit for help to remain humble. He will answer you.