Matthew 4:6 (NKJV)
“and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,…”’”
Forceful self-mutilation in an attempt to force humility before God does not impress God. To throw yourself down is different from carrying your cross. With the cross, we crucify the old self-life; with throwing yourself down, we use human energy to try to mold the human nature; and this human effort does not emanate from God. Satan has devised his own way of making us feel we are spiritual, and he does this through the practice of self-mutilation and body depravity. Satan whispers to the heart, “Throw yourself down and crash the body, and then God will arise for you.”
God desires our humility, but God will not have us force humility by crushing the flesh through human means. This does not impress or please God. Self cannot be thrown down. Self must be crucified, and only the cross can do that worthy work. So let’s stop listening to the lies of Satan, and let’s run to the cross, where the old self-life can be crushed, not by the strength of human will but by the power of the Son of God. “Humbility” is trying to be humble by human energy; humility is the nature of the crucified life.
“Lord, in my desperation to be humble, I have contracted human designs such as long fasts, great penance and stringent body disciplines, all in my bid to be spiritual. But these efforts have not worked. I come again to Your cross, and I again invite that You do that work which only You can do in me. Crucify this resurrecting self and let the daily death from the cross be applied to it over and over again, in Jesus name.”
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