Continuing our series on ‘Favour,’ today we reflect on how humility positions us to walk in God’s favour and align ourselves with His plans for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 reveals God’s heart toward us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Everything promised in this scripture is found in Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of God’s favour. Through Him, we have access to every spiritual blessing and the fullness of God’s promises for us, His children.
Having understood that God desires to favour and prosper us, it is crucial to recognize that humility is one of the keys to experiencing this favour. James 4:6 emphasises that “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” If you seek more grace and favour, humility is the key. Pride, on the other hand, repels favour and can lead to our downfall, because “pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Pride can manifest in two ways: boastfulness on one end, and false humility on the other. False humility, where one thinks lowly of themselves and is constantly concerned with others’ opinions, is still pride because it focuses too much on self. Both forms of pride stem from elevating our opinions over God’s wisdom, assuming our way is superior, and subtly implying that we ‘know better’ than God – there is no greater deception than this! As God’s children, we are called to a different mindset. Romans 12:3 exhorts us to be sober-minded and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but in alignment with the truth of God’s Word! That is what true humility is – submitting to God and His Word, dying to self, and choosing to believe what God says, regardless of our own thoughts, experiences, or feelings. This submission is also how we resist the devil. James 4:7 says, ‘Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ Satan operates in the realm of pride, so humility becomes our weapon against him. When we fully submit to God and His Word, we leave no room for the enemy to gain a foothold.
In Luke 14:7-11, the Lord Jesus teaches a powerful lesson on humility through the parable of the wedding feast. He warns against self-promotion, encouraging us to take the lower place and wait to be elevated. The Lord Jesus said, “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you” (vs.7-10). The lesson here is simple: don’t self-promote prematurely – “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (vs.11). Matthew 23:11 reinforces this, teaching us that the greatest is the one who serves. We are called to serve with humility, and through serving, we are prepared for greater responsibilities – servants eventually become masters and kings, because humility attracts favour and promotion. This is why 1 Peter 5:5 urges us, saying, “… clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” Even when we are in positions of leadership, we must remain humble – we should never lord our authority over others. True leaders serve with humility, knowing that promotion comes from God alone. As 1 Corinthians 1:31 says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Let us, therefore, remain submitted to God’s Word, for it will light our path to promotion and empower us to live a life full of favour.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your plans of prosperity and hope for our lives. We submit to Your Word, knowing that Your favour surrounds us as we walk in humility. We declare that we are walking in prosperity! We are irresistible! We are unstoppable! This is our year of lift! In Jesus name, Amen!
