“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:12 NIV
Agreeing with who God says you are is not exalting yourself. It is exalting the Jesus within you! It is trusting more in the finished work of Christ than your past mishaps. It is trusting more in his power to redeem, resurrect, restore you than in your ability to screw up.
I am humbled every time I declare, “I’m the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (I Corinthians 5:21). Because I know the depth of my past sins and even now my thoughts. Yet I declare, believing greater is the works He did in me than my mistakes.
I am in awe of God’s goodness every time I profess, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)”. I am acutely aware of my limitations – physically, mentally, spiritually. But He chose to empower me with His strength, His mind, His Spirit, so that I, in Him, can do all things.
“I’m just a sinner saved by grace,” is not a statement of humility. It’s a boldfaced lie denying the power of Christ in your life.
Recently, I was reminded of the power of of agreeing with who God says you are. I was praying for someone who was plagued with feelings of anxiety, guilt, shame. I asked her to declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” Each time she tried to say it, the enemy would increase her pain. He knew that if she took hold of this truth, his power over her would be broken. When we finally got her to declare this truth, her pain left.
The greatest act of humility is agreeing with God.