Leading The Way - Week of January 3, Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef

Leading The Way - Week of January 3

January 03, 2022

The Poor in Spirit

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

Poverty and happiness don’t usually go together. No one says, “If only I were homeless, then I’d be happy!” But Jesus says poverty and happiness actually go hand in hand. Of course, the poverty Jesus is talking about in the first beatitude is poverty of spirit. Being poor in spirit means we are conscious of our emptiness apart from God and our true sinful nature. Poverty of spirit comes when the Holy Spirit awakens our spirits to see that only Jesus’ death on the cross can atone for our sins and secure our eternal salvation.

Without poverty of spirit we cannot discover salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We must first realize we need saving before we can reach out and cling to our Savior. But being poor in spirit is not just an entry requirement for salvation. While it may be the first step in the structure that Jesus is building with the beatitudes, it is also foundational—all the others rest on this one.

The brokenness we experience when we first come to know Christ stays with us. In fact, as we grow more mature in the faith, we discover new depths to our spiritual poverty—new reasons to hold tightly to Jesus, new reasons to be thankful for His grace and mercy. And as we live our lives in the knowledge that He is our only hope and the source of our every blessing, we can’t help but brim with true joy and happiness.

Prayer: Jesus, I know I am nothing apart from You. Thank You for giving me Your righteousness, for washing me white as snow. Help me to grow in spiritual maturity as I reflect on my spiritual poverty apart from Your grace and Your Holy Spirit renewing me day by day. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon Happiness Is in You, Part 1: LISTEN NOW | WATCH NOW

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About Leading The Way

Along with partners committed to changing the world, Dr. Michael Youssef is leading the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ. By passionately proclaiming uncompromising Truth through print, web, television, and radio, this international team of experts is uniquely providing hope that is revolutionizing lives at home — and around the world.

What began as a small local radio ministry in 1988 has grown into an international ministry reaching millions for Christ — including a vast audience in the Muslim world seeking Truth in closed countries. Leading The Way's television and radio programs are broadcast in more than 28 languages to audiences across six continents. Leading The Way also produces DVDs, CDs, books, a monthly devotional magazine, solar-powered Navigators, and daily e-devotionals to spread the light of Christ. In 2009, the ministry launched its own 24/7 satellite TV channel, reaching the Muslim world with Gospel programming in English, Arabic, French, and Indonesian. Leading The Way utilizes field teams to evangelize and disciple viewers in closed countries and help persecuted Christians on the ground.

Dr. Youssef and the Leading The Way staff are committed to sharing the Gospel with the lost and equipping believers to grow into a deeper walk with Christ. Learn how you can partner with this unique ministry today.

About Dr. Michael Youssef

Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and field ministry teams. His weekly television programs and daily radio programs are broadcast more than 13,000 times per week in multiple languages throughout the world. He is also the founding pastor of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States. In 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. Dr. Youssef holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia; Fuller Theological Seminary in California; and a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 50 books, including popular titles Saving Christianity?, Hope for This Present Crisis, Life-Changing Prayers, and Never Give Up. He and his wife reside in Atlanta and have four grown children and 11 grandchildren.