Tag Archives: Spiritual humility

Devotion to God

Only By the Spirit Can We Truly Say, “Jesus Is Lord”

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Beloved, as you rise to meet this day, pause and consider this one staggering truth: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3, NASB). These are not idle words. This is the line in the sand between dead religion and living faith. You can recite creeds and attend services, but unless the Spirit of God has breathed life into your soul, the name of Yeshua will never ring out as Lord from the depths of your heart.

Jesus Is Lord—this is not mere doctrine. It is the thunderous confession of a heart conquered by grace. It cannot be manufactured by intellect or emotion. It is born of spiritual rebirth. The flesh recoils at His Lordship. The natural man demands autonomy, but the Spirit reveals a better way: surrender that leads to life.

And yet, many churches today strain under the weight of programs and productions that attempt to create love for Christ without confronting the heart’s need for regeneration. They preach morality without the cross, motivation without repentance, and Jesus as model instead of Jesus as Master. But Jesus is Lord, and that means He is King, Sovereign, and worthy of your total allegiance. No gimmick can produce true devotion. Only the Spirit can draw the soul to kneel in awe and cry out, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28, NASB).

This confession—Jesus is Lord—is the Spirit’s work in you. If you can say it with reverence and love, then rejoice! The Spirit has opened your eyes. He has shown you the crucified, risen Savior, and planted within you a hunger for His presence. But if your heart feels cold, pray this morning: Holy Spirit, reveal Jesus to me. Strip away the veil. Let me see the One who died and rose for me, and in seeing Him, may I love Him with all my soul.

Right now, at this moment, heaven is listening.
Right now, at this moment, heaven is listening.

But there is more. If we truly confess Jesus as Lord, we must dethrone another master—ourselves. Romans 6:19 calls us to offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. The self-life—the proud, stubborn “I”—must be crucified. It cannot co-reign with Christ. God will not share His glory with the ego of man.

The Holy Spirit deals violently with the flesh, but always for the sake of love. He says, “This selfish I cannot live.” The ego is anti-Christ at the root. It loves attention. It craves control. It demands credit. But the Spirit leads us into a deeper surrender, where we echo John the Baptist’s cry, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, NASB).

This morning, offer no defense for your pride. Do not make peace with your self-centered ambitions. Invite the Spirit to burn away everything in you that resists the Lordship of Christ. Say aloud, “Jesus is Lord”—and mean it with your life.

Let it shape how you speak to your family.
Let it guide how you work and serve today.
Let it determine what you love and what you leave behind.

Create in Me a Pure Heart
A quiet moment of prayer at sunset, offering thanks to God in all circumstances—finding peace and strength in every season.

Jesus is Lord—not just of your Sunday mornings, but of your thoughts, your body, your finances, your affections, your future. You cannot make Him Lord by your own strength. But the Spirit within you can. And He will, if you yield.

Your Spirit whispered truth to me,
And scales fell from my eyes.
You lit the fire that made me free,
And taught my soul to rise.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, awaken in me again the awe and wonder of who Yeshua is. Let me not speak His name lightly, nor serve Him halfway. Destroy in me the selfish ego that exalts itself, and plant instead a deep-rooted humility that treasures Christ above all. Today, may my every word and action confess: Jesus is Lord. Amen.

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See Also

Humility

The Glory Belongs to God

“Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth and faithfulness.”
— Psalm 115:1, NASB

You must fix this truth in your soul: the glory belongs to God. Not a portion, not a part—allof it. Anything good in your life, anything holy or helpful or wise, flows from the Spirit of the Living God. You bring the vessel, but He brings the oil. Every time you speak truth, walk in love, or minister to the broken, it is because El Shaddai has moved through you. Indeed, the glory belongs to God alone.

Do not be deceived by praise. The man who takes credit for the work of God builds on sand. Remember what Macarius of Optino once said when someone praised his spiritual counsel: “Only the mistakes are mine.” That was not self-pity. It was the spiritual sight of one who knew his own flesh and trusted only in the Spirit of God. Let that become your conviction. Always remember, the glory belongs to God and not to man.

The glory belongs to God—and Scripture gives us a clear picture of what happens when someone forgets this.

The Glory Belongs to God
Moses strikes the rock in anger at Meribah, and water flows forth—yet the cost of disobedience is the Promised Land withheld. (Numbers 20:10-12)

Look at Moses.

He was chosen, empowered, and sent. The sea split at his word. Water flowed from the rock. Manna fell when he prayed. But in a moment of anger and pride, he struck the rock and claimed the glory for himself. “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10, NASB). It seemed small—but in that moment, Moses acted as if the power was his. God still brought water for the people, but the consequence was severe: Moses would not enter the Promised Land. Why? Because he did not treat God as holy and did not give Him the glory (see Numbers 20:12). Even Moses had to learn that the glory belongs to God.

You must take this to heart. Even the most anointed among us can fall if we begin to believe the power comes from us. The glory belongs to God. You are the mouthpiece, not the message. You are the branch, not the vine. “For it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you” (Matthew 10:20, NASB).

The Apostle Paul understood this. He said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6, NASB). Let this be your mindset too. When people are blessed by your words, when prayers are answered, when hearts are healed—fall on your knees. Don’t reach for praise. Reach for God. He alone is worthy. After all, the glory belongs to God.

Prayer

Abba Father, You are holy and worthy of all glory. Forgive me for the times I have touched what belongs to You. Guard me from pride. Keep me small in my own eyes, and great in Your presence. Teach me the lesson of Moses—to speak when You command, to act in obedience, and to always give You the glory. Let every work of my hands bring honor to Your name, not mine. The glory belongs to You, forever and ever. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

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See Also