Being poor in Spirit

"Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with money. It is the total absence of pride, self-assurance, self-reliance and the awareness that we are nothing in the presence of God. Our posture needs to be one were we look to God for everything. In other words, I need to look to God as a husband, parent, teacher, coach, friend and every other area of my life. I need to develop intimacy with God in prayer before I embark in any of the areas of my life I mentioned above. For example, before I devise my lesson plans or practice plans, I need to ask the Lord what He wants me to teach, what type of drills I should use and how I should deliver the information. Anything short of this sows the seeds of pride and self-reliance. I would be basically saying, I have the knowledge and training to teach and coach on my own. My prayer would sound something like this: Lord, I created the lesson plan/practice plan now please bless it and anoint my words. That is dangerous ground to walk upon. I have lived my life for too long on my own pride and self-reliance. It is time to sit at His feet. We each need to develop a track record with God. The Christian life is a marathon not a sprint.