#Humble Heart Check

Dear diary,

It is important that we check ourselves from time to time. As Christian 'it girls', it is easy to get caught up in feeling ourselves a little too much. And while loving who God made us to be is great, we never want to stumble into the territory of pride.

Acknowledging your life accomplishments that God has brought you through is one thing, but being puffed up with arrogance and conceit is another. By getting a better understanding of how pride works, we can allow the holy spirit to do its work in our lives and walk in humbleness.

Don't Let Your Pride Push God Away

Walking in pride can put us in a very dangerous place to be. The Bible is clear that pride can cause God to keep his distance from us. When pride builds, it can lead us to believe that we accomplish everything solely in our own strength, and that is far from the truth. We need to understand where our strength, provision, and achievements come from; our Lord. When we let pride take the driver's seat and fail to recognize God's place in our lives, God keeps his distance. Don't let pride drive you away from your source.

"Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud."

Psalm 138:6

Understand What Your Pride is In

It is very common to be proud of our personal achievements in life; the degree, the kids, the job... But are you proud of the fact that you accomplished those things, or are you proud of the fact that God accomplished those things in your life?

David and Saul were both anointed to be king; however, Saul's pride in himself led to his fall, whereas David's pride and confidence in God led to his legacy. Confidence in God will never lead to your demise.

"David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

1 Samuel 17:45

Remove Ungodly Pride From Your Life

One way that always re-centers me to Christ whenever I need a slice of humble pie is a fast. Fasting denies the flesh so that we can humble ourselves before the Lord. During the time of fasting, we seek his face and not the pleasures that our body craves. It is truly an amazing experience.

Time and time we see in the Bible how powerful fasting was: Daniel, Esther, Ahab (Fun fact: Ahab was an unbeliever whose fasting was recognized by God. Why are we not fasting?). Both believers and unbelievers fasted in order to humble themselves before the Lord. The Lord recognized them when their hearts were aligned and sincere.

"Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son."

1 Kings 21:29

We must always walk in a posture full of humbleness before the Lord. Jesus humbled himself when he came to our lowly world to give up his life for the world. He humbled himself when he washed the feet of his disciples before his impending death and resurrection. He did these things knowing exactly who he was and who sent him, yet he remained humble. Though we are joint heirs with Christ, we should always check our hearts and our minds and ask the Holy Spirit to expose traces of pride in our lives.

Homework: #HumbleHeartCheck

Father, I repent for any pride that I have shown in my walk with you. Lord thank you for illustrating humbleness in your word. I pray that I walk in the path that you want me to walk in. I give you all the glory and honor. Amen.

- xoxo God's Girl