Derek gives us today the second phase of humbling ourselves before God: bowing down our wills so that we may progress in our new spiritual life. Three main sources of pride in humanity are wisdom, power and ability. Is there anything wrong with those attributes? Not at all—except when they keep us from embracing God’s will for our lives.

In today’s message, Derek brings us the first phase of how to humble ourselves before God. This comes when we come to God initially. We are encouraged to humble ourselves as little children when coming to God. What does that mean to you? Trustfulness? Dependence? Teachability? Evaluate yourself to see how you measure up.

Of course, in his talk today, Derek points us to the example of Jesus Christ. Derek brings us, in sequential order, seven downward steps that Jesus took in His attitude of humility. “Therefore,” Paul tells us, “God highly exalted Him” by seven upward steps. Jesus earned this exaltation by His self-humbling. We should conduct ourselves likewise.

The type of pride that Derek talks about in these lessons is the type that seeks independence from God. Adam and Eve made a personal decision that they did not need God. It is the very essence of what caused the fall of Lucifer, that glorious angelic being who became Satan.

Man had fallen. He was alienated, a rebel. The next great act of God was redemption. And to do this, God stooped lower still. The answer to pride is humility. Jesus took upon Himself the Adamic nature, the form of humanity, the fallen nature. By His death, He freed us all from the power of death and the bonds of slavery.

Satan procured the downfall of humankind using the same motivation that caused his own downfall—and tempted Adam and Eve into disobedience and rebellion. Satan told them that if they ate, they would be “like God, knowing good and evil.” This motivated them to pride–they would not need God anymore, so they were banned from the Garden.

Derek teaches us today that Lucifer was a glorious created being who succumbed to pride. So what did God do next? He stooped low as He formed a man out of the dust of the earth. The dust of the earth met the breath of God from heaven and Adam was created. God wanted a person-to-person relationship with him.

Today, Derek takes us back in time to the first sin created in the universe. It was not drunkenness, immorality or murder, but pride—pride that led to rebellion. Listen as Derek revels who it was that sinned and what was the outcome.

In his messages this week and next, Derek brings out the fact that, just like law of gravity operates in the physical realm, there are laws in the spiritual realm that operate in much the same way. If we go against them, they will break us. The one we’re looking at is found in Matthew’s gospel: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Endurance, however, provides us with many benefits—eternal benefits. In fact, Jesus tells us “he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Listen to discover two more keys to achieving endurance so you can receive the reward God wants to give you.