Who Does God Resist?

Who does God resist? Unfortunately, many Christians ask God to do that. How is that true? What are they doing to tell God to resist them?

Humility Is Loved by God

The wonder and counterintuitive nature of God continually amazes. Satan, the world, and your sin nature want you to wear the PROBLEM constantly – making everything about yourself. God says otherwise – humility is the attitude you adopt when living in the new life of Jesus within you.

When you are humble, God guides and teaches you, gives you wisdom, and exalts you.

Since we have flawed, sin-influenced thinking, God’s guidance and teaching are imperative for understanding reality and the way He says life works best.

Psalm 25:9 (NKJV)—The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.

Humility Aids Learning

Notice that His guidance involves the correct thinking about justice. When humble, you see the difference between forgiveness and revenge, as well as tolerance and love. You love justice (Micah 6:8), not judgmental and judging. God’s teaching reminds you that sometimes justice is slow to come. When that is true, it can easily create impatience and a desire for revenge in you.

The verse implies you hear God’s teaching, which He may be doing through others’ thoughts, insights, and instructions. What they say is difficult to hear when proud and self-absorbed.

And it continues to get better.

Proverbs 11:2 (NKJV)—When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.

Pride leads to thinking you know something when you really do not. Then at some point, you experience embarrassment and shame. But when humble, “You know what you know, and you don’t know what you don’t know.” You know what God says in His Word and use that wisdom to help others. However, you gain that wisdom because you do not make everything about yourself. You use the wisdom to love and serve others.

Humility Leads to Exaltation

Finally, He exalts you! The misconception about humility is that it makes you a doormat. God sees it entirely differently. He elevates the humble and pushes the proud away, resisting them.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NKJV)—Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

God exalts the humble! He knows your sin nature is self-absorbed, which is the opposite of who He is and who He wants you to become. So, He resists you when you are self-absorbed, esteeming yourself as Satan and the world wants. And humility has the significant benefit of receiving God’s grace as you trust Him instead of yourself.

He does not exalt you and then leave you on your own – He continues to take care of you! When you are self-absorbed, it is essential to take care of yourself. When you are humble, the creator of the universe cares for you. What a significant reason to reject self-esteem. Of course, when God is caring for you, there is no reason to worry.

Please remember that worry is not only unnecessary but also disrespectful and disobedient to God.

Humility Is Powerful

Humility has always been one of those more difficult words for me, because it is not natural for me, and it seems so difficult to measure. If we use the English dictionary, humility is defined as:

• Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit
• Not proud or arrogant; modest, unpretentious, courteously respectful

That definition employs the word “meekness,” indicating that meekness and humility are closely related. With that thought, consider this definition of meekness that is remarkably simple and accurate – “strength under control.” Stated that way, it also fits humility. Therefore, the working definition for humility will be…

Strength under control

For example, assume you have walked from Cairo to Johannesburg, a distance of 5,479 miles (8,818 kilometers). That would be amazing! Today, you are in a group of people who do not know you. They are talking about the long walks they have taken. One person says the longest walk they ever took was 20 miles. Another says, “That’s nothing, I walked for 50 miles once,” and another says they walked for 100 miles.

You stand there and feel only a mild desire, but not compelled, to tell them that you had walked for 5,479 miles. If asked, you may have told them, but you demonstrate humility, “strength under control”, which does not need to make yourself appear better than the other people.

Does Not Flaunt Strengths

Indeed, “strength under control” does not flaunt strengths, but it does not hide them either. Using the same example above, what if they asked you what your longest walk has been? Would it be appropriate to tell them of your fantastic walk of 5,479 miles? It really depends on the intent of your heart.

On the other hand, if they were discussing how to prepare for a long walk and asked you if you had taken any long walks, you would definitely say yes, but it is up to you whether you tell them how long. Your response could be as simple as, “Yes, I have, and I used some great strategies that really helped me.” From that point, you could share details.

Not Better Than Others

That fits nicely with the thoughts Jesus stated about where you sit at a wedding feast.

Luke 14:8-11 (NKJV)—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.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Even if you had high stature and it would be appropriate to sit in an honorable place, “strength under control” would not do it. Humility does not assume that you are better than others.

Romans 12:3 (NKJV)—For I say to you, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

What a great message to help stop making everything about ME!