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Often times, Christians struggle in their Christian walk more than they should because of pride. It is pride that makes Christians unable to relate to others as well as we could. It is very easy for Christians to have a lot of spiritual pride if they have done a lot for God. But, here are some tips on how to stay humble as a Christian.
Steps
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1Realize that any gift or ability you may have came from God. The Bible says "Every good and perfect gift is from above." God gave you breath. God gave you your personality and talents, etc. God wants you to use your talents, such as can be seen in the parable of the talents, which I think does literally refer to gifts or talents, but God doesn't want us to get prideful about our abilities. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is by grace, and sanctification is also by grace. Any progress that we make in our walks with God, any spiritual gift we might receive, is thanks to God's Holy Spirit in us alone. We have nothing to get puffed up or prideful about. It's always all about God and not about us.
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2Always see that God is God, and you are not. Sometimes Christians can get on a power trip regarding prayer. We start to think that we can change the universe or something through prayer. But ultimately God is in charge. He can grant our requests in prayer, or He can choose to not grant them.Advertisement
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3Do something that keeps you humble, such as house cleaning. Cleaning, or any kind of work, has a way of humbling us. Working out is a good way to discipline our bodies, and so, then discipline our minds. Try fasting and denying yourself food for a day or so, if you need to work on humility, etc.
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4Realize that you might be wrong on some things. For some reason, since Christians have spiritual eyes through the Holy Spirit, we can start to think that we are always right and never wrong. But, it's good to admit that you could possibly be wrong on something.
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5See and treat others better than yourself. If you find that it's hard to serve others, ask God for help. Remember that Christ humbly served everyone, even those who were mean to him. Meditate on His humility to help yourself. Realize that every human being alive is created in God's image, so all people have innate value.
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6Continuously be willing to see your sin. Every person, Christian or not, sins every day. The Bible says "If anyone says he is without sin, he is a liar."
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7Don't boast about what you do for God's kingdom. What are something that Christians might boast about? One is having the gift of tongues, if a person has it. Or any other spiritual gift. But, the fact that we all need to realize is that any spiritual gift is from God; it is not of our own doing, so there is no room for boasting. Amen.
- There are many other things Christians might boast about; going on a missions trip, serving in the church, teaching Sunday school, feeding the homeless, etc. It's hard to tell if we are doing things for the wrong motives sometimes. Do we serve God to be noticed by others, or do we serve God just to serve God?
- Ongoing self-examination is good for anyone to do. It is always good to consider why we do what we do. Do we do good things for a boost to our own ego; to feel better about ourselves? Are we like the Pharisees and want other people to notice all the good that we do? What would Jesus say then, we have already received our reward. Jesus said when you give to anyone in any way, "don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing."
- Do we pray to be seen and heard by men, like the Pharisees did? Or, do we pray because we want to draw closer to God and build our relationship with Him alone? Do we give, and then tell everyone how much we gave and who we gave to, or do we do it without drawing any attention to ourselves? It's hard to give or to pray or to fast, etc. in secret without telling anyone, because our flesh wants others to know all that we are accomplishing for God. Our flesh wants to brag and boast. Our flesh wants to say, "Look at me! Look at how holy I am!" But, is that really being holy?
- Paul said, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or, am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10). That is a good verse to always keep in mind in your Christian walk.
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8Never, therefore, seek to please man, certainly not the powerful or rich self-serving people. But, love is the key. Have mercy on the hungry, cold, hurting and needy children and other people as to or for God. Don't expect any repayment. Only and always seek to please God and God alone. Jesus said:
- "If you hate, then you are a murderer..." and also "Whatever you do (or do not do) for/to the least of these, you do for/to me." -- and He even said: "Love (be kind to) those who hate you." That is hard to do, especially if they are merciless people who think they are serving God by being harsh and unloving, or such.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if someone always gets me angry, what will I do to stop it?Community AnswerYou can't stop getting angry at someone but what you can do is not react in a negative way. If you usually shout, argue or fight with that annoying person that's what you need to stop.
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QuestionIt is very hard to not be a sinner. I confess I am a sinner and I would like to improve and walk with God. What can I do?Community AnswerIt's impossible to not be a sinner. Sinning is human nature. If you want to improve your relationship with God, spend time with him. Read the Bible, pray, and serve.
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QuestionIn which book can I find the verse that talks about being humble as a Christian?Community AnswerMatthew 18:4 says, "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as a little child," or there is James 4:10, which says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up." Also, Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God."
Warnings
- Don't hate yourself and think "That is humility." Because that is not! True humility is confidence found in Christ alone, not in self ("self-confidence" is probably arrogance).⧼thumbs_response⧽