Micah 6:8 NIV
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
INSIGHT
-Humility in Hebrew is written as Anava which means to have qualities of gentleness and meekness. Prophet Micah unveiled God’s message to the Israelites. A prophecy delivering God’s message of restoration of Israel and their role in their transformational walk with God, that applies in our nation today. It is a call to the leaders to employ justice, love and compassionate to one another. God requires that we apply humility as a nation and a people so that His purposes may be fulfilled through us. He requires that righteousness exults our nation, not corruption, embezzlement of funds, poor governance, oppression of the orphans and widows, and killing of innocent lives (Proverbs 14:34).
PRAYER
Abba Father we thank You for this new day and enabling us to see this new month. Thank You for the far that You have brought us and the far that You are taking us. Thank You for guiding us, protecting us, providing for us, sustaining us, healing our wounds and all that You have done unto us for the last half of this year. Thank You for Your goodness, Your mercy, Your grace, Your care, Your kindness and eternal love upon us. May You break all the barriers and hinderances in our lives, families and nation and bring all that You have intended for us to pass in Christ Jesus. May You empower us to take new territories for You Jesus and for Your glory and honor. May You make our lives complete in You and in Your salvation dear Lord Jesus. May You give us wise and humble leaders who will listen to You dear Lord Jesus and work for the good of the people. May Your righteousness exult our nation. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 3:34-35, 2 Chronicles 7:14
Luke 14:11 NIV
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
INSIGHT
–Humility comes before honor, is a statement that gives new and fresh meaning to life. King Nebuchadnezzar was among the strongest leaders in his time. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it (Daniel 1:1). He captured Israelites from the royal family and the nobility, young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in his palace. Nebuchadnezzar was a proud ruler. He made a golden statue of himself for all people to worship the idol but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed in God and His salvation power. They could not worship the statue and were thrown into the blazing furnace. A fourth man was witnessed in the furnace of fire, and Jesus saved them (Daniel 3:25). When he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes”(Daniel 4:31-32). King Nebuchadnezzar fell and began feeding on grass like an ox, his body grew hair like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. King Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself before God. He spoke saying, “praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37). Nebuchadnezzar is a classical case of how humility come before honor before God, which we should learn from.
PRAYER
We praise You Lord our God. How pleasing is it to sing praises to You Lord our God. How pleasant and fitting is it praise You and honor You. Great are You Lord our God and mighty in power, Your understanding has no limit. Lord You sustain the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. We sing to You Lord with grateful praise and make music to You God. May You teach us and fill our hearts with humility Holy Spirit, which comes before honor. May You teach our leaders and our youth to be humble and steadfast in our walk of faith. We declare that our nation shall remain peaceful and prosperous. We declare that we shall not witness any death or destruction of property in our nation. We declare that the church and its leaders will be firm in faith and not compromise by the government. We declare that our youth shall be filled with wisdom and remain courageous in the Lord and only do Your will Lord. We declare that our leaders including our president will be humble as they seek Your face in the current situation affecting our nation. We declare that only Your will Lord God Almighty will prevail in our lives even as we continue in faith. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus Mighty name. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 147:1-7
Jeremiah 9:23-25 NIV
“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—”
INSIGHT
–Boasting is one sure way of exercising pride. One might boast in their own wisdom, strength, power, fame, beauty and wealth which are fleeting. This may work to one’s disadvantage by delaying the will of God in their lives. Life and death are in the power of the tongue and those who love it eat its fruits (Proverbs 18:21). We are reminded to speak life in our lives, families, churches, nation and every situation and we will enjoy its fruits. When one knows and understands God’s life-changing and eternal value, our God delights in our knowing His loving-kindness, justice and righteousness. 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 reminds us that we need to exercise humility by boasting in the Lord, for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Our speech should be filled with grace and seasoned with salt, so that we may know how you ought to answer each one (Colossians 4:6). We are called to exercise wisdom and speak excellent things, speak the truth and let our mouths speak righteousness (Proverbs 8:6-8).
PRAYER
The earth is Your’s Lord and everything in it. The world is Your’s and all who live in it; for You founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend Your mountain Lord and who may stand in Your holy place, the one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in idols or swear by false gods, for they will receive a blessing from the Lord and vindication from God our Savior. May You cleanse our lips for we have unclean lips and live among a people with unclean lips. We break every word that we have spoken or has been spoken against us to cause defeat, delay, pain in our lives, families, children, marriages, relationships, businesses and nation by Your precious blood Jesus Christ. May You forgive us all our sins, iniquities and transgressions and wash us with Your precious blood. May You create in each one of us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. We speak peace, hope, love, joy, breakthrough and prosperity into the atmosphere. May You fight for us every battle dear Lord Jesus and grant us success in every sphere of our lives for You are our God mighty in battle. You never fail Lord Jesus and You are never defeated. May You grant us wisdom to speak words filled with righteousness and remove every crooked or perverse thing in them and do only that which is pleasing to You. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 24:1-10, 1 Corinthians 1:31
John 10:27-29 NKJV
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
INSIGHT
–One of the main characteristics of sheep is their ability to hear and follow their masters faithfully. Jesus our Good Shepherd calls us His sheep and requires that we hear His voice and follow Him. This is a sign of obedience to Him and His word and an indication of humility. It’s is vital that we hear the correct voice of our Shepherd and follow the right path for He offers us guidance, direction, comfort, strength, provision, protection, peace and gives us eternal life. Jesus has called us to preach the gospel for the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. He has entrusted some among us to be pastors, teachers, prophets, apostles, evangelists to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11-12). Christ has entrusted the shepherds to guide His people in the gospel of truth so the many may believe in Him and have eternal life. Some shepherds in our nation have defiled themselves with the portion of the king’s delicacies, wine and have led their flock astray. Let us continue praying for the church of Jesus Christ and the shepherds that only the gospel may be preached and the congregation may believe and be saved. We have an assurance in Christ Jesus Who is our Chief Shepherd appears, who will give the crown of glory that does not fade away when He appears (1 Peter 5:4).
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus we come to Your throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us during our time of need. This is our time of need we need You Lord, we trust You Lord, all our hope and trust is in You dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for the church that You have instituted as You remain to be the head over all. Thank You for the authority that You have given us to preach the gospel to the ends of the world. May You grant all ministers of the gospel Your wisdom that we may not be defiled with the wine and delicacies of the king but partake of water and vegetables only and represent You Lord as vessels of honor fit for use in the temple. May Your church never be compromised but remain humble and true to You dear Jesus our Master. May You heal our nation, our economy and grant us Your peace that surpasses all human understanding. May You help us to hear Your voice and always follow You Lord. Thank You dear Lord Jesus for the assurance that we belong to You and noone can snatch us from Your hand. Thank You for loving us and for choosing us. May You fight for us every battle and guide us in the work that You have called us to do here on earth. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Daniel 1:8-15, Matthew 28:18-20
James 4:6-10 NIV
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
INSIGHT
-Submission to God in any and every sphere of our lives is humility. God is gracious to those who are humble, but He resists the proud. God calls each one to pursue their lusts no-longer but yield a humble obedience to Him in all things and He will lift us up. To resist with faith and steadfastness; the devil who is the father of pride, lies and envy, will flee from us. We are called to draw near to God in prayer and fasting, reading His word, worship and He will draw near to us. By His grace, blessings and divine enablement nothing may hinder our prayers and progress as pilgrims, delivered from corruption, double mindedness, idolatry, adultery and all evil.
SUMMARY
Humility is often characterized as genuine gratitude, a lack of arrogance, and a modest view of oneself. However, the biblical definition of humility goes beyond this. Humility is a critical and continuous emphasis on godliness in the Bible. We are called upon to be humble followers of Christ and trust in the wisdom and salvation of God. True humility is seeing ourselves as we truly are, fallen in sin and helpless without God. On the other hand, pride is when our focus turns more toward ourselves than to God. It happens when we boast of our own accomplishments, possessions, abilities, etc., instead of giving praise to the Lord for His grace in our lives. Paul admonishes us not to boast of, rely or depend on our own wisdom, strength and riches. The only thing we are allowed to boast of is our understanding of the Lord in His kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. Walking in humility means that we act in a just manner full of love and mercy. It also means that we refrain from exalting ourselves but submitting totally to God and hearing the voice of the Lord at all times, for we are His flock. The truly wise man learns what God teaches; he knows how and why Judah will fall and is grieved and humbled by that knowledge; thus he will not boast in his wisdom. Knowing God means understanding His steadfast love (covenant faithfulness), justice (right judgment), and righteousness (right behavior, esp. in keeping his promises (Exodus 34:6–7; Psalm 103:8; Joel 2:12–14; Jonah 3:9–4:2). Paul applied the admonition “let him who boasts boast in the Lord,” based on this text, to the Corinthian Christians (1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17).
PRAYER
Abba Father You are our God and we do not have any other. We ascribe to You and Your holiness this morning thanking You for the gift of life and gift of salvation. We ascribe to You glory and strength. We scribe to You glory due in Your name and worship You in Your holiness. Your voice Lord is over the waters, You God of glory thunders over the mighty waters. Your voice is powerful and majestic. Your name is to be feared over everything living and dead, seen and unseen. May You teach us and help us to humble ourselves before You and at Your appointed time You will lift us up. We thank You for continuing to shape our hearts, Father. May You Guide us to think of You and others more, and ourselves less. May You help our words and actions to reflect this change, and let us feel the contentment and joy that comes from being freed from pride. May You bless us and keep us dear Lord Jesus. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: Revelation 3:15-16, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5