Most New Testament scholars agree that "poor in spirit" does not mean lacking in spirit, be it courage, the Holy Ghost or religious awareness. Instead, it is that poverty is not only a physical condition, but also a spiritual one. Such true, undefiled humility is absolutely genuine and unlike it's identical counterfeit, "spiritual pride."

How can you tell the difference? The personal pronouns of "I," "Me" and "My" are absent or rare. And the attribution of anything good, wholesome or worthwhile is genuinely, sincerely and solemnly redirected to another source. They recognize that they are utterly and completely nothing.

In my opinion, the Savior was saying, "Blessed are they, who in spirit, recognize that they possess nothing" or "Blessed are those who, in their spirit, are conscious of the fact that they do not possess one thing."