A lack of humility in our lives can be manifested in two completely opposite behaviors. We usually think of someone who lacks humility as prideful, full of conceit, haughty, egotistical, overconfident, having a sense of self-importance or condescension, and not needing God’s help-or much of it anyway!

But that same lack of humility can also produce a state of pride that says: I can’t do this. I’m inferior. I’m dumb. I’m inadequate. I’m a coward. This variety of pride is equivalent to the superior pride, because both focus on self, and both leave out the need for God and His helping grace. The self-important pride says that we are self-sufficient; the self-loathing pride says that we are downcast.

The Lord declares, “Humble yourself” before Me, meaning that we need to recognize, acknowledge, and accept our desperate and continual need of Him in every area of our lives. As we choose to humble ourselves before God, we will be motivated to focus on the Lord’s ability and unmerited grace to lift us up, help us move forward, and find significance through Him for our lives.

“Humble yourselves[feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]”(James 4:10).