What it means to humble yourself before God and thus be exalted

1 Peter 5:6-7 tells us what this means:

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

See the TPT: "If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, He will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in His hands. 7 Pour out all your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, for He always tenderly cares for you."

Believer, we humble ourselves before God by casting ALL our care upon Him; ALL - from that pimple on your face to your anxiety about paving the way for a great future for your kids. If it matters to you, it matters to Him. No care is too big or too small for our heavenly Father in Christ to deal with for us, even the care of our fears, sins and addictions and living a godly life. 

Sometimes, we forget that God wants us to cast ALL our care upon Him. In many places of worship, we are subtly taught that there are some cares that we should be able to handle on our own "now that we are saved," especially the care of the sins and addictions that bother us and that of living a godly life. Because of this wrong teaching, many Christians unconsciously believe the false doctrine that says - 

"God will not come down from heaven to do everything for you. Now that you are born-again, you have to at least play your part by not sinning, spending time in the Word, keeping the law and living a godly life so that God can bless you and so that you will not miss heaven."

But believer, this is the height of Pride and Foolishness- to think that we of ourselves have the will-power to fix or do anything about these cares or live a godly life! See what God's word says of man and all his human striving at living a godly life, a truth that Paul experienced: Romans 7:18-

"For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it."

God's word says human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail, is powerless and cannot. But Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience) that will fail says:

"No, I can. God must be wrong. I still have some good in me. I can keep the law and resist temptation to commit sin by my will-power and sheer determination.”

Believer, to think that you can overcome sin and live a godly life by your own power when God says mankind cannot is Pride. Reminds one of Peter telling Jesus that He was wrong when Jesus told him of his upcoming denials:) Like pre-denial Peter, what we have of our own human effort are good intentions, the undertaking of which are subject to life's circumstances. One popular song says "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."   

To anyone who thinks he is "standing" or "can never do that kind of thing," when circumstances change and Satan comes to sift like wheat as he did with Peter, you can be sure that he will not come to the boxing ring with kid gloves. So what do you do when your arm of flesh (human striving at obedience) will fail? 

Christ said to the rich, young ruler who prided himself in his ability to keep the Law: "There is none good but God." In God's sight, every form of righteousness that proceeds from human striving at earning salvation is like a menstrual rag: Isaiah 64:6-

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

Christ says in Luke 6: 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Of our human nature and striving, there is no good in any one of us. So how can man produce good fruit from a place of no good? Pride in the arm of flesh ( human striving at obedience) is a deceitful killer. You know it is human striving if you can boast about what you did as why you got something from God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ (Romans 8:32) e.g. 

"God gave me a jet because I sowed my car."

"I got delivered from generational curse because I fasted for 70 days." 

Believer in Christ, this "trade by barter" arrangement does not represent our heavenly Father who gives us all things FREELY with Christ: Romans 8:32-

"He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

In Christ, having Him as our Righteousness and Strength and having no confidence whatsoever in the arm of flesh aka human effort at obedience, God fills us to overflowing with His goodness and mercy so much that what is spilling over we can't help but be a blessing to those around us. We get to love and live a life of moral excellence that exceeds that which the law demands. We get to give beyond the lawful regulation of the tithe, yet not us but Christ in us, so we cannot boast in the flesh (human effort.) This is why we sing: "Tis no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me."

But Satan, through his ministers in many churches, appeals to the non-existent ability to produce good or be good (be like God) in man aka PRIDE. The man that falls for his deceit is able to boast about how his efforts at keeping the Law and doing good things is what got God to bless him and call him godly. Notice no Christ freely saving/delivering/healing/providing in this false equation of salvation? This is the preaching of the antichrist spirit: it is seemingly holy/godly and thoroughly against sin but very subtly, it tries to reduce, remove or replace the finished work of Christ in freely saving/healing/providing for/making righteous the sinner who believes with human striving. 

Satan tries to get man striving to achieve godliness by human effort aka law-keeping. Same strategy was used to deceive Adam and Eve. Satan knows this is how to get one cut off from Jesus Christ the Tree of Life:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." Galatians 5:4.

Smack where Satan wants the church to be. Believer, by Grace, let's not be found here. Law-keeping in order to get right with God or strving to be godly (be like God) by human striving as Adam and Eve did is the broad road that leads to destruction and many Christians are suffering on this road due wrong beliefs about God. Believer, God is not a "trade by barter" taskmaster who is just waiting in the wings to catch you in your sins so that He can punish you or let the devil  have a go at you. He is Abba Father who gave His own Son to die for us that we might live free from sin and death.

Thought to add that there is nothing like generational or other curse in the life of believers in Christ as "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law..." Galatians 3:13.

Believer, this is Humility: knowing that of ourselves- by our own human striving, there is NOTHING good in anyone of us. Humility is relying WHOLLY on God's saving Grace (Christ Himself) for our EVERY SINGLE CARE, even concerning routine activities like breathing in and out, putting one foot in front of the other or what colour of dress to wear.

Believer, by Grace, let's receive the same revelation-knowledge that Paul did - "that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity." No sin is beneath anybody. The reason why we are not committing particular sins is because God did not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:12-13.) The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them or that they can obey the Law and overcome trials and tests by human striving aka the arm of flesh. 

Believer, by Grace, let's stop trying to save ourselves from our sins and be godly (be like God) by our non-existent will-power. Let's humble ourselves before our Lord God by casting ALL our care upon Him, no matter how easy the care seems to be. Let's not be like pre-trial Peter who thought he could "handle" his care but ended up bearing false witness when his circumstances changed. Let's trust in Christ of whom it is written in Matthew 1:21-

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Also Titus 2:14- "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Jesus did not come to tell bad people to try to be good or to "try and change." He came to raise the dead (in sin) to life (in HIS righteousness - we have none of ours) and that we might have life more abundantly. 

SALVATION in Christ is not behaviour modification by human effort or suppressing sinful passions by human effort. Thinking that one can suppress sin by human effort is akin to a 2-months pregnant woman priding herself in her ability to suppress childbirth- the child simply cannot be born because of timing circumstances but when it is due, no amount of human striving can keep it from being born. Believer, let's not be found taking pride in human effort. The arm of flesh (human effort at keeping the Law) will fail and when it does those suppressed sinful passions will explode in a volcanic eruption of sins that lead to death (Romans 7:5.) 

SALVATION in Christ is all about hearts transformation by the Holy Spirit. In Christ, God sees us as 100% righteous, despite our many flaws and imperfections. Romans 5:9 says of Him:

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Believer, this is how our heavenly Father in Christ sees us. His word concerning us here isn't something that we believe just for the sake of it. By seeing ourselves as He sees us, we are being transformed. As we continue to see ourselves through the mirror of God's Word (Christ Himself: Grace-personified) and not through the Law (which kills and which Romans 3:20 says was given to show us how sinful we are,) we are being transformed by His Spirit: 2 Corinthians 3:18-

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Only imperfect people need transformation. The one who can transform himself to "be like God" by will-power and human striving (arm of flesh) at obeying the Law does not need the Spirit of the Lord to transform him. With Christ as our righteousness, we are 100% righteous and "so lovely" in the sight of our Shepherd-King through whom we have God's super-abounding Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ that causes us to live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ: Romans 5:16-17:

16 “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.”