There are two kingdoms, one of darkness, the other of Light. Can you discern which is which?

Strength / Weakness

Gain / Sacrifice

War / Peace

Clamor / Quiet

Taking / Giving

First / Last

Kingship / Servanthood

Self / Selflessness

The thread that runs through all the words on the right side?

Humility.

Remember that word. I believe with all my heart that it is the most important word for Christians to understand at this point in history.

Humility.

For followers of Jesus to properly discern truth in the coming days, I believe we must be looking for humility.

The Kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. For that reason, most people cannot understand it, even people who claim to be part of it. Everything about the Kingdom of God makes little sense from a worldly perspective.

What good is weakness? What benefit comes from being last? How can one attain the heights as a servant? Why dwell in quiet? Humble? Really?

To lost people, it’s all foolishness.

Humility runs through that foolishness.

If Christians want to discern the times, the people, the events, and the truth, we must be looking to see humility.

Where there is no humility, there is no Presence of God. Where there IS humility, we will likely find God there.

I believe this is “first line” discernment for our times. Almost everything that is not of God will fail the humility test.

I look around and I see supposed Christians who are displaying no evidence of humility in their lives. Many of these folks have a national stage. For the sake of their souls, they should well consider leaving that stage. They show no humility at all.

I see many “Christian” events that are filled with loud, clanging gongs, with noise, self-promotion, and smug self-satisfaction. They are dominated by people who pat themselves on the backs for how much better they are than others. Read their books, and they always refer to each other. There is no humility in any of it.

You look on all sides, and the Church in America is filled with more, better, louder, bigger, and every level of eyecatching production and excellence, but there is not a shred of humility in any of it.

Where is God? He is in the things that go overlooked, the small, the quiet whisper, the person of no account. Those who lack humility cannot find Him because they are constantly looking in the wrong places, to the wrong people, and to the wrong ideas.

Christian, in all things, look for the humble. That is where God will most likely be.

But the humble is humble for a reason, and few people will take the time and effort needed to look through all the noise, pride, power, and fame to find what is truly humble and embrace it.

Please, look for humility. And consider walking away from anything that lacks it, no matter how worthwhile it might seem otherwise.

The soul you save may be your own.