Humble Yourself Part 1

Welcome. Today, we will be discussing how to be humble. We start with this verse in James.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:10

We read this in 1 Peter 5:6-7

“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.”

This begs the question. “How?” How do we truly humble ourselves, and not create some sort of false humility? Let’s start with the company you keep, and this is a hard one.

Let us pray.

“Father, we give you all the praise and glory that we can as your creation comes before you today to learn your Word and try to grow in your ways. We love you. We seek you. We pray that you give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a spirit to accept your truth and your revelations. In Yeshua’s mighty name, amen!

If this is the first time you have heard the name Yeshua, please do not be confused. You are in the right place. We are teaching the Bible, and the name of Jesus, as translated, is Yeshua. He always has been Yeshua. If you wish to continue to call Him Jesus, I do not believe that is a problem. However, His name is Yeshua.

If you have your Bible, turn to 1 John 1:5-10. Now this is a hard message. Perhaps one of the hardest. Especially for a new child of God. Read it with me.

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:5-10

In the next chapter of 1 John, starting at verse 15, we read this.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions, are not from the Father but from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17

Turn to 2 Corinthians 6:17

"Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,"

Why is this so difficult? Reflect on your childhood friends. Think about everything you experienced together—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Consider your close-knit inner circle before you make significant life changes. You all shared the same experiences, including each other's secrets. You were all similar in many ways.

Herein lies the problem. You are no longer the same. The Word declares that once you are saved, you have indeed;

"Have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Colossians 3:10

They are not new, and they have not changed. They remain the same. They continue to drink, engage in various activities, and indulge in casual relationships. They look at things you should no longer be viewing and partake in behaviors you used to engage in but should have done away with. At least you should have. They still do these things and find enjoyment in them.

In a lot of cases, they want YOU to still be doing all these things too. When you do say no, they become offended and they think you think you are better than them. The sad truth is, no matter how much you may desire to have them join you and accept Yeshua and give up their sin, unless God Himself calls them, and they decide for themselves to accept the call, they will never even hear what you say. Why? Because you are speaking a new tongue. You are speaking spiritually. They are seeing, hearing, and living in the flesh. Look what Yeshua told the religious folks of the day.

"Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word." John 8:43

Paul writes this in his letter to Rome.

"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:7-8

They do not think about God, Jesus, faith, or anything else. All they care about is themselves and the things that make them happy, and now you are “one of those.”

They start hearing you talk about sin. They know all your secrets. They know the person you were before Christ. Here you are now, “holier-than-thou?” Some of your relatives may come to hate you. “Oh, he was a great person. I thought he was smarter than that. No. Now he is just a racist, hate-filled, Homophobic, Transphobic, holier-than-thou moron. I just try to avoid him now.”

The truth is, this is what YOU should be doing. Avoiding them. By all means, you can try to share your faith. You can try to tell them the truth. You can try. But you cannot save them.

Let me explain it this way. God has blessed me with three beautiful children. Joshua will turn twenty years old this year. He accepted Jesus into his heart at the age of seven. Without any prompting or conversation, he stood up, walked to the altar, and asked to be baptized, which he was. Elijah is now fourteen, and Maya is ten. When the time comes, it will be their choice to make. No matter how much I love them, even to the point of laying down my life for them, it is still ultimately up to them. The same applies to your friends and other family members. Accepting or rejecting faith is a personal decision that each individual must make.

If they choose not to? Then you have to make a decision. Continue to be friends and do things with them or come out ab be separate. What do you think God says to do in this case?

"Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you," 2 Corinthians 6:17

Why? Look at this. Highlight it, underline it. Memorize it. It is this important.

“Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

Read it again if you have to. Again.

“Well, one more drink?” “Well, only on weekends.” “Well, maybe if I just don’t talk about God or Jesus or you know?” Do you think this is ok? It really is not. Do you think this will not affect you? You would be wrong. Why do you think so many new children of God fall away? Turn to Matthew 13, starting at verse 20

“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Matthew 13:20-22

It is so easy to go back to the life you knew before. So very easy when someone you love is still doing the things you used to love before you knew it was a sin. If you never pick this up, {Holding up the Bible} open it, if you never read what is in it, you do not stand a chance. One day a week, for an hour and a half, maybe, if you feel like going, is not going to help you against what you do 6 days a week for hours and hours at a time. It truly is a fact, what goes in comes out.

"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." Proverbs 13:20

Are they bad people? These are your best friends, and some are even your blood. Your family. Is it fair to call them bad company? Well? Just because they are not bad, in a worldly sense, does not mean they are good for you. They do not have faith.

Look here in Romans 8:

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. " Romans 8:5

You should no longer be setting your mind on the things of the flesh, as they continue to do. You are no longer, or at least you should be no longer, living according to the flesh. I highly encourage you to read all of Romans 8.

When you get on a plane and fly to Japan, what do you see and hear when you arrive? You see Japanese people engaging in their daily activities and speaking in their native language. If you haven't learned their customs and language, it can be difficult to understand what is happening around you. Are they trying to offend you or hurt your feelings? No, they are simply being themselves. The lack of understanding stems from the fact that you are not part of their culture.

You have been adopted into the Kingdom of God and have become a new person. Heaven is now your home. With this transformation, you have acquired new ways of living and a new way of communicating, which your friends and family may not understand. Often, if we're honest, they may not appreciate the new you.

This is why it is important for you, more so than for them, to create some distance. It’s essential to separate yourself from those who do not support your new journey and growth.

Join us next time for another hard lesson to learn. Yeah, I know, right? Join us anyway for part 2, “Be Mindful of Your Thoughts.”

If you have not already done so, and if you truly want to have Yeshua come into your life and set you free from Hell, death, and the grave. Then say this prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be, say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us pray.

"Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yeshua's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!"

That's it. It is that simple. Now tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Colossians 3:10

May the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the peace of our Lord Yeshua be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Yeshua is Lord!