Exaltation in one's life may manifest in the form of inner-life energy, prosperity, and safety. These elements of life can only be obtained through pleasing God. You can eat and be strong in body, but that does not secure your inner strength, which flows from the spirit to the body. You can be very anxious and desperate to be rich, but unless God blesses you and orders your success, you cannot go far with your endeavor. Again, unless God protects your life, it is an easy thing to fall into any accident.

What does this truth teach us? A virtuous life that pleases God is a mandatory way of living. But what exactly is this virtue, and how do we exercise it? Humbleness is the way to achieve these exaltations in life. To walk in a humble relationship with God by keeping the altars of prayer and prioritizing His will is the key to being exalted through the anointing.

But this is not our subject. That is the humbleness that links directly to God. There is also an indirect way of entreating His favor to attain our goals in life. This way is walking in humbleness with the people around us. This principle may seem like a simple directive, but when things get a little tighter, our ego shows up, overruling our character and justifying the badness and cruelty of our actions.

The grace of God then gets blocked by this opaque wall that will not let the light of God shine into our consciousness through our spirit. Look at what the highly respected Pharisees did to Jesus in the Gospels. The astonishing part is that their minds were justifying their actions as if they were doing the right thing. An egotistic life can be so hidden that it only reveals itself during emotion-triggering situations.

How to manifest humbleness is a question that requires a thoughtful answer, because we can be deceived into thinking that acting in a hypocritical or overly apologetic manner is true humility. If it does not bear fruit, then it is not a virtue. A genuine humble relationship can be examined by asking: how can one truly be humble? Longsuffering and kindness are the two directions through which we can exercise humility toward the different kinds of people who interact with us.

God has a detailed will for our lives. Knowing and applying His will is like finding the solution to our life’s questions. Just as an algorithm contains many lines of code working together to solve problems and achieve a larger goal, our visions, desires, and wishes—whatever they may be—can be fulfilled if we seek answers from God consistently and build toward them step by step. If you can imagine it, you can have it—all you have to do is stick with God and receive the building blocks one by one.

But God works through principles, as you may already know. His wisdom is passed from His dwelling place to our consciousness through our spirit. To receive this light—this informative voice—we must break down the wall that resists the light from shining into our minds. This wall is our egotistic personality. Our ego hides deep inside, acting as an obstacle to transformation.

So what does the Holy Spirit do? He may teach us to walk in a humble lifestyle by allowing us to experience humiliation from others—like arrows piercing the heart. Being humiliated is a heartbreaking experience, and it is in these moments that we must choose either to be longsuffering or to react emotionally and fight back. If we choose longsuffering, then:

• God avenges our cause, for He has said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19–21).
• God sends His light through our spirit more freely to transform us. In such a broken-ego state, the channel from heaven to our mind is wide open. God says something similar in Isaiah 57:15.
• We learn to maintain our dignity through prudence. Prudence is one of the key virtues needed to live a safe and secure life, but it is something we must learn over time. James 3:2 teaches us that controlling our speech helps build a perfect character—this is an example of prudence.

So, exercise humbleness through longsuffering, so that you may be able to develop your life’s goals with the counsel of the Holy Spirit.

We humans tend to be kind to those who are greater than us because we expect some form of favor. But do not assume that your kindness is truly manifested by being good only to those you highly esteem. The kindness that truly counts is the one shown to those close to you—your parents, siblings, and neighbors.

The ego may whisper to the mind: “These people don’t need your benevolence; perhaps God doesn’t want you to act yet—wait for His guidance.” But God has already declared kindness as a royal and grand law. Serve others with kindness without judging them and without expecting anything in return. Do it with the understanding that kindness breaks down the wall of ego and creates a pure harmony between people. This harmony becomes a suitable medium for God to send His exalting light upon us.

Loving-kindness builds oneness. The Bible in Matthew 18:19–20 teaches that authority is bestowed upon those who walk in unity. But what are the temptations that hinder kindness?

Busyness: Being busy is often used as an excuse to withhold kindness from people like our parents. Yet success can come easily through the light of God or with difficulty through endless toil. So consider it a privilege to share your time, even when busy, by serving others. Remember: it’s not just about you and others—it’s about God, you, and others. Unity creates a channel through which God sends His guiding voice to build our greatness.

Greed: Greed is a form of ego-justified selfishness. But when we include God in our relationships, we can develop kindness that aims to build a prosperous and glorious personality through His counsel. We simply need to overcome the emotional resistance that prevents us from being generous. In Luke 10:30–37, different individuals—including a priest— ignored the wounded man, perhaps driven by their ego. But the Good Samaritan chose kindness. Greatness and success follow kindness. So make kindness a major part of your lifestyle if you have dreams to achieve, because it invites God's grace into your life. People are often helped by God’s grace unknowingly—because of kindness done from a pure motive.

Pride: Pride tends to push our neighbors away, making it hard to share our possessions with them. A relationship built on egotistical pride results in a life filled with a heavy and dark heart. Release that burden by being approachable. Be glad and act with humility when people need you. This is an opportunity to receive God’s light. Lowliness is a virtue we must manifest to impart joy to others. Don’t become so lofty that people offer you irrational reverence, which serves no purpose. Instead, be lowly in truth. Be a source of joy for others—you will feel free and bold in doing so.

Manifesting humbleness through kindness is an investment in your own advancement. But make sure to practice it especially toward those close to you, because they may have no better place to turn for help than you.

Our actions that reflect true humility give us the fruit of tranquility and aliveness. But these are not the only fruits. God Himself gets a chance to reach us and transfigure us by His Spirit and guiding wisdom. Humility is the requirement to build love and unity. So make it your everyday job to remove the old nature gradually. Get attached to God directly through His Word, prayer, and worship. Also, get attached to Him indirectly by exercising love through humbleness. If you are persistent, you will experience what eyes have not seen nor ears heard—things people never imagined—the glory and beauty of God. Man is the dwelling place of God, as also taught in Dr. A. W. Tozer's book. So remove the egotistic nature that clouds the God in you.