City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

³ “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].

Matthew 5:3 (The Amplified)

Matthew 5:3 (Amplified)

“This is a fail-safe recipe for humility: Never push, never presume, never pretend.”

Dallas Willard, Hearing God Through the Year

Aisha’s Analysis

It’s interesting to note that the first characteristic of being blessed according to the beatitudes is to be poor in spirit. The Amplified elaborates that “poor in spirit” can also be defined as “devoid of spiritual arrogance.”

When you come to God empty-handed, fully acknowledging your own limitations, He fills you up and gives you His Kingdom. When you realize you don’t have it all together, God can show Himself strong on your behalf. However, if you’re still trying to bootstrap your own righteousness, you’re in for a world of pain and frustration. Arrogance is abhorrent to God and usually precedes a fall. Humility is being courageous enough to face and embrace the truth. I love the quote above from Dallas Willard – “never push, never presume, never pretend.”

What for? We’re not going to make anything happen in our own strength. Not even God Himself pushes anyone, so why would we? As for presuming, it gets in the way of a relationship. Instead of acting like you know what someone is thinking, why not let them show you? Give people an opportunity to show you who they really are and offer your authentic self in return. There’s no room for pretending or presuming or pushing when you embrace Truth. 

To operate in humility, we must become well acquainted with the truth and make it our best friend. In doing so, the Lord calls us blessed and gives us His unshakable kingdom. 

Application

In what areas of your life are you avoiding the truth? This can be hard to identify if you’re in deception or denial. This is one of the many reasons we have to declare ourselves spiritually bankrupt and allow the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do. 

Get real with God. Tell Him where you’re at and ask Him to show you the truth. Be willing to accept the truth and repent accordingly. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You for lighting the path ahead of me. Your Word illuminates my way. Help me to live in the light You’ve shown me. I’m totally lost with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.