Proverbs 15:33 "The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord brings instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor."
What is humility? The world says a humble man walks around with his head down, his shoulders sagging, and doesn't say very much. The world is wrong. a quiet man is not necessarily a humble person. You can be silent yet rebellious, quiet, yet selfish!
On the other hand, a man who walks confidently and knows who he is, is not necessarily arrogant. Confidence is often mistaken for pride.
What is true humility? Proverbs 11:2 "When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble [those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful and godly wisdom and soundless."
Proverbs 16:9 "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure."
Proverbs 29:23 "A man's pride will bring him low, but he who is of a humble spirit will obtain honor."
The Bible says humility is "lowliness" or the act of being lowly. According to these verses, the lowly have wisdom and it's better to have wisdom and it's better to have a humble heart or spirit than a spirit of pride.
To be humble means to be submissive. It means to take your authority, power and independence and yield them to another. It implies becoming totally obedient to higher authority. to step down in order to look up. When you are humble in the sight of God, you place yourself in a lowly position and under His might hand. You are under His authority and power. You refuse to move until you find out where He wants you to, when He wants you to go and what He wants you to do when you get there.
A humble man has no plans, programs or ideas of his own. He simply adopts with all his heart the plans, programs and ideas of the One to whom he is submitted. No longer independent, he becomes interdependent with the authority over him.
Pride is totally opposite in nature.
When you are prideful YOU do what YOU want, the way YOU want to do it and when YOU want it done. You live as if you are independent of God's hand and authority. The Bible says that "prided comes before destruction."
You may be thinking to yourself "what has all this have to do with the anointing?" It's got plenty to do with it. Remember, in the note above I said this was a lengthy teaching and it's going to have to be done over more than one lesson. You have to realize that your power and your way of doing things were not sufficient to accomplish all that God has called you to do. You will have to adopt God's way of doing things before you can enjoy the success the anointing brings. You will have to humble yourself before God can exalt you.
Matthew 6:33 (AMPLIFIED) says, "But seek [aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (his way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
The Bible is full of accounts of men who did exactly that. Let's take a look at Solomon. He had just received a divine visitation during which God said He would give him anything he asked for. If you don't have your Bible handy, I'll type out this passage for you.
1 Kings 3:7-9 "And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"
How did God respond to his humble prayer? Look at verses 12-14 "Behold, I have done according to thy words: Lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. Ad if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days."
Now let's compare Solomon's request to what Jesus said in Matthew 18:3-4 "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
In this passage the kingdom of heaven refers to the abundant life of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, that is ours as joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Romans 14:17 AMPLIFIED says "After all the kingdom of God is not a matter of getting food and drink one likes, but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and (heart) peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Jesus says we enter into that great abundant life by humbling ourselves as little children, His words confirm what Solomon demonstrated: childlike humility leads to greatness. All of us begin our Christian lives with that kind of humility. Unfortunately we lose it as time passes along.
1 Peter 5:6 "Therefore humble yourselves (demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation) under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you."
1 Kings 18:46 "The hand of the Lord was on Elijah. He girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel (nearly twenty miles)."
1 Peter 5:5 "Likewise, ye young, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yeah, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
We must be clothed with humility in order to walk with God. Micah 6:8 "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."
What is the anointing? John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 16:13 "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into al truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
The Holy Ghost is not a thing or an "it". He is a person. How does he teach and lead us into all truth? 1 John 2:20, 27 "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
Jesus and John both describe the Comforter as being in us. They both show us all truth. The Holy Spirit is a person and the anoint is His personality. The words "anointing" and "unction" both come from the Greek word "Charisma. Its meaning: a smearing, rubbing or endowment. literally means to smear on, overshadow or paint over.
When the anointing is upon you it paints you. It is His personality overshadowing you, clothing you with His virtues, His character and His power rather than your own.
