Humility is The Strength of God

When You Have Nothing Left To Give.

Introduction

Hey everyone, before we get into the meat of this week's letter, let me break down the origin of these write ups and the underlying message behind them. Around this time last year I was preparing the release of the second season of “The Back To Square One Podcast”. I had episodes recorded, promo videos edited and I was ready to go! However there were so many issues in my schedule that would have made it difficult to record the podcast and release episodes consistently. I found myself frustrated at not being able to release and record episodes of the podcast that brought about so much healing to myself and those listening to it. What I didn’t know was that God wanted me to learn something new before I could use my voice in that capacity again. He didn’t just want me to learn in silence but he wanted to speak through my learning process; and that is how I found myself here.

Personally, writing these letters has been the manifestation of the expression of thought as opposed to the expression of knowledge. I don’t know too much about the topics I write about but I am forced to think as I write. What I do know is that they have been revealed to me through the reading and writing process just as they are being revealed to you. A few days ago I decided to skim through all of my writings, which I rarely do. I noticed an underlying theme that ran consistently through each and every letter. This was what God was trying to teach me all along. Prior to these letters, I thought my life’s purpose was to be an example of strength and resilience to those who were weak. I thought I could motivate people to get out of the pit while keeping myself out of the pit. I almost forgot that the first season of “The Back To Square One Podcast” was recorded from a place of pure vulnerability, weakness and faith.

The direction of my life after this began to take the shape of a man who was beginning to think of himself as the answer to the problems of the world; and people believed it too. This is the way of the world. This is the reason why the majority of teachers and influencers of today point to themselves from - dating coaches to spiritual guru’s to preachers. They tell you what they did to get their lives on track and they point to what they are doing in order to inspire your growth. What I learnt is the opposite. People might be attracted to my story because of what I did, but the healing power lies in what Christ did. The strength of my ability to help you through my voice is found in my weakness. The potency of everything that would come out of my podcast or newsletter is manifested in humility, not strength; and humility is the strength of God.

Humility is The Strength of God.

Have you ever been in a position that requires an impossible demand from you? This could be something as severe as trying to recover from a terminal illness with no natural hope of recovery. At this point you can no longer rely on your healthcare plan, the money in your bank account or even the experts that surround you. What you are left with is a hazy vision of an all powerful supernatural being coming to rescue you from your predicament. This supernatural being cannot require anything from you either because you have nothing else to give apart from that last glimmer of hope. This supernatural being must be full of grace, compassion and mercy because that is the only motive that could compel the being to come to your rescue. Humility is not something we enjoy as human beings but it is something we all will experience at some point in time. This is the reliance of grace outside of the strength that you possess. Many people believe in a god that requires and demands their strength as a wage. This inadvertently puffs them up to believe in themselves in order to meet his requirements. This sounds great until one is faced with the threat of death, hopelessness and the fear of the unknown. I am living to tell you today that this is not the god of this universe. God does not need your strength and he doesn’t demand it either. He wants to give you his strength free of charge but it takes humility to receive it.

On the last episode of season 1 of my podcast I spoke about death. The topic that imprints goosebumps of fear in the soul of every human being. People fear death because of a bad conscience and the intrinsic understanding of coming face to face with eternity. The natural response to the fear of death is to avoid it even though we are all going to have to come face to face with it one day. However it seems impossible to fight the fear of death without faith and assurance. Once again this leaves you in a predicament of not knowing where your faith is to be placed. If it is in yourself that does nothing to fear because you haven’t conquered death. If it is in your health and wellness that still wouldn’t make you immortal. If it in a god that demands your strength and performance you will still fall short of perfection. My journey of self discovery led me into all of these road blocks that did nothing to the fear I had internally when I was faced with the threat of death. At that point I knew I needed to be rescued, not just from physical death but from the fear of coming face to face with my eternal destiny.

The Point of Redemption

The God that responded to me at the height of my fear and weakness is the God I know today. This is who I'm called to point you to when all else fails and even when things seem to be fine. Human strength is beneficial to our physical bodies but it is deceptive to our souls. It doesn’t have the power to conquer fear (I John 4:18-19)! When your conscience condemns you and you turn to the capacity of your own strength to overcome; you’ll be let down time and time again. The good news is that the power to overcome isn’t found in your strength or performance. It is found in your faith (I John 5:4)! There is a God who knows this and has made away for all to be restored. Not just physically, but spiritually. It is spiritual restoration that eradicates the fear of death because it brings you into life (John 5:24). We are fearful when we rely on something that gives no assurance but “The Roadmap” is designed to point you to the God who does. So when we talk about personal development it is solely for our mental and physical wellbeing. But our spiritual wellbeing is not of ourselves. The graph below should give you a picture of it all.

1. Pride comes before the fall. (Proverbs 16:18-20)

2. The fall is where all strength is lost. (Psalms 38:10)

3. Pride tells you to pick yourself back up. (Proverbs 14:12)

4. Humility points you to the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

5. Redemption is found in the gift and the gift is your security, even in your weakest moments (Ephesians 1:7-12).

How To KNOW That God Won’t Let You Down.

Have you ever let yourself down? Yes. Have we all let ourselves down? Yes. The lies of pride tell you to try harder and make a greater effort in not letting yourself down again. The truth of God tells you to rely on the one who won’t let you down. On my journey of soul searching I have been to all the places that offer healing, miracles, strength and encouragement; but none of these roads gave assurance. I found peace in practice but no peace in relationship. When you desire to have more and more faith but it always seems to be in vain, your response should not be to try harder and look for “more faith”. Respond by analysing the object of your faith and make sure your faith isn’t in what you cannot trust, this includes yourself. But rather your faith should be in who you can trust wholeheartedly, this is the God who doesn’t despise your weakness.

Biblical Case Study:

Here is an example. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is a picture of the intervention of God’s supernatural grace coming to intervene at a point of total weakness. Lazarus was weak to the point of death. His friends and family had run out of options but their hope was in one thing. That is where Jesus intervened.

“Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

John 11:20-24

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26

This story is a picture of the power of faith. Martha’s assurance wasn’t in her strength because she had none. It wasn’t in her performance because she couldn’t perform the miracle to raise her brother up from the dead. It was in the God who promised to raise her up again at the last day. Jesus points to himself because he’s reliable. He proved his reliability not just through his death but through his resurrection which signifies your redemption. The meeting point of humility, faith and the power of God is where fear is eradicated; in life and even in death.

Conclusion

• There is power in weakness.

• Humility is greater than strength.

• The object of your faith holds more weight than the “amount” of your faith you have.

• It is possible for ambition, growth and improvement to be built on a humble foundation.

The last bullet point is what I have been trying to unravel through these letters. It is the discovery of living a life of ambition that is uprooted from the foundation of pride and planted in the love of God. How this will take shape through practical guidance is something that will unfold in letters to come. As for now, just take a moment to reflect on where your trust was placed in your weakest or most fearful moment. Or if you happen to be there now; then trust in the one who’s performance can be your assurance when you have nothing left to give.

Have a great day!