How can I overcome humiliation? - Humiliation - TouchPoints

Nehemiah 4:1-6Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.” At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.

Job 5:10-11“He [God] gives rain for the earth and water for the fields. He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer.”

Psalm 25:3, 20No one who trusts in you [the Lord] will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. . . . Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.

Psalm 34:5Those who look to him [the Lord] for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

Humility is the first step toward overcoming humiliation. Humility comes when we recognize our need for God and acknowledge how he meets our needs.

Psalm 119:5-6, 31, 39, 80Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. . . . I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! . . . Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. . . . May I be blameless in keeping your decrees; then I will never be ashamed.

Philippians 1:20I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

Obedience to God’s Word and his ways helps us overcome and avoid actions that lead to humiliation.

Proverbs 3:3-4Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

Proverbs 22:1Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

A good reputation sets up a barrier against humiliation.

Mark 16:7“Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

Luke 22:60-62Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

Peter was ashamed of himself for denying his Lord. Later Jesus forgave Peter completely. Had Peter not accepted Jesus’ forgiveness, he would have been paralyzed by his humiliation and been of no further service to God. We must accept the forgiveness offered to us in order to move past our experiences of humiliation.

Luke 15:15-19“He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’”

When life hits the bottom, we need to humble ourselves even more, so the Lord can restore us.