The Surprising Truth about True Humility

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Surprising Truth about True Humility

Podcast: The Wake-Up Call
Host: J.D. Walt (with guests David Walt and others)
Date: January 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Wake-Up Call, host J.D. Walt and guests explore “The Surprising Truth about True Humility.” Through scripture reflection, personal anecdotes, and heartfelt conversation, they challenge common misconceptions about humility, rooting their insights in Proverbs 22:4. The discussion moves from the nature of authentic humility to its essential role in Christian wisdom and love, with practical encouragement for living it out in daily life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Humility as the Fear of the Lord

[02:00 - 03:00]

• The episode centers on Proverbs 22:4:
  “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”
• J.D. Walt reframes the verse to illustrate:
  “Pride is the absence of the fear of the Lord. Its wages are poverty and shame and death.”
  [03:00]
• The root of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, making humility foundational to wisdom itself.

2. Redefining Humility

[03:00 - 06:00]

• Humility is often mistaken for self-deprecation or self-abnegation. J.D. explains:
  “Humility is the deeply human disposition of a person who has come to know and embrace their deepest worth.” [04:30]
• Connection between “humility” and “human.” True humility is about embracing one’s God-given identity and worth—action modeled perfectly by Jesus.

3. Jesus as the Model of Humility

[06:00 - 08:00]

• J.D. references Philippians 2, describing Jesus who, “though being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped... he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” [05:25]
• Humility is not abstract virtue; “it's Jesus himself.”
  “This is our God. That’s his mind. And he wants that mind in us. That’s humility.” [06:33]

4. Practical Outworking: The Foot-Washing Example

[08:00 - 10:00]

• Reflecting on John 13: Jesus, knowing his identity and authority, washed his disciples’ feet.
• Key Insight: “Humility isn’t the noble decision to somehow lower yourself. It’s the audacity to embrace who you most truly are as a human being—a person whose worth is not earned from a performance, but conferred upon by a Creator.” [09:00]

5. Humility vs. Pride

[09:30 - 11:00]

• The “performance-trap” is pride—striving to create a false self to set oneself above others.
• “Pride enslaves me to the neverending bondage of distinguishing myself from others by becoming something other than what I am.” [10:00]
• Humility, received as a gift, frees us to love ourselves, accept others, and ultimately to love God deeply.

6. The Journey Toward Wisdom and Authority

[11:30 - 13:00]

• “Humility and the fear of the Lord are the beginning of wisdom. But the end of wisdom is the love of God and the love of one’s neighbor as oneself.” [11:30]
• The process of sanctification is described as “stripping that false self away”—becoming the person God created us to be.

7. Embracing Your Unique God-Given Authority

[13:00 - 15:00]

• J.D. closes this segment: “When you do that, you have profound authority. Because there's only one person who can actually be the person God made you to be. That's you.” [13:45]
• This unique authority leads to ‘breathtaking love’—mirroring Jesus.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Redefining Humility:
  “Humility is so often thought of as a set of behaviors that look like self deprecation and self abnegation. I think this is exactly wrong.” — J.D. Walt [04:10]

• On True Identity:
  “Only I can be me. I've tried to be other things before and I've created false constructs, false projections. But I had to come to the place where I knew that God loved me—the me that he created, not the me that I thought I needed to be or become.” — J.D. Walt [13:55]

• On Community:
  “When you become a friend of Jesus … you just became a real friend of a lot of other people.” — J.D. Walt [00:15]

• On Prayer and Loving Others:
  “When you pray for somebody, you're loving them before you even get to them.” — David Walt [23:05]

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Segment Timestamps for Key Moments

• [00:03] Opening encouragement and community
• [01:26] Morning prayer and consecration
• [02:00] Introduction to Proverbs 22:4 on humility
• [05:10] Reading & reflection on Philippians 2
• [09:00] John 13 foot-washing and practical humility
• [13:45] The authority of authentic selfhood
• [17:41] Introduction of hymn “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
• [18:12] Discussion: The practical meaning of humility
• [22:34] Daily Challenge: Pray for someone you see
• [23:05] “When you pray for somebody, you're loving them before you even get to them.”

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Practical Takeaways

• True humility is not about putting oneself down but embracing your unique, God-given identity.
• Reject the performance trap—your worth is a gift, not an achievement.
• Love for others flows authentically from accepting and loving yourself as God made you.
• Prayer is a form of love—pray privately for those you encounter each day to open up space for God’s work.
• Wisdom begins and ends with love—God, self, and others.

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Reflection Questions & Challenge

(From Journal Prompts, [12:00])

• Why are people bent on trying to make themselves into something they aren't?
• Is your sense of self-worth tied to performance or accomplishments?
• What keeps you from deeply accepting and loving yourself (and, therefore, others)?

Daily Challenge:
“Find somebody, and that'll be the person you're going to pray for … You don't tell them, but in your mind, you're going to … pray for him and just see if he feels those prayers.” — David Walt [22:34]

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Tone and Closing Thoughts

The tone is warm, relational, gentle but deeply insightful. J.D. and guests bring scriptural wisdom down to earth, breaking religious clichés to reveal humility as a liberating, joyful acceptance of one’s self and others in the love of Christ.

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For additional resources and morning encouragements, visit seedbed.com/wakeupcall.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, good morning, friends of Jesus and friends of mine. And you know what? We're becoming friends. We're friends with each other even though we don't all know each other because we're friends with Jesus. That's how good he is. When you become a friend of Jesus, like a real friend, you just became a real friend of a lot of other people. And isn't that just the joy of it? To get to discover those friends and meet them and grow that into real relationship and then that's going to go on forever? That's amazing. Well, Today is Thursday, January 22nd, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm John David Walt and this is your wake up call. Got lots of good things ahead this morning. Dad's going to be singing with us. And let's dive right into consecration. Are you ready? Are you ready to win the day? Say yes, we are. I heard that.

[B]

Wake up, sleeper.

[A]

Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, today's entry is entitled the Surprising Truth about True Humility. Our text. Today we're reading Proverbs, chapter 22. Once you read the whole chapter, listen to it. Go to, go to your Bible app or Bible gateway Push play if you want to hear it. Otherwise, read it. This is our one track through this year through the 31 Proverbs. This is verse four we're going to focus on right now. Hear the word of the Lord. Humility is the fear of the Lord. Its wages are riches and honor and life. The word of the Lord that's so powerful. Now consider this. Sometimes it helps me to understand something when I reframe it according to its opposite meaning. For instance, today's text. Humility is the fear of the Lord. Its wages are riches and honor and life. Now, when reframed, it might look like this. Pride is the absence of the fear of the Lord. Its wages are poverty and shame and death. The outcome here swings on the hinge of the fear of the Lord. Proverbs previously instructed us that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. Stay with my logic. If humility is the fear of the Lord and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then that makes humility the beginning of wisdom. It begs the Question. What then is humility? Humility is so often thought of as a set of behaviors that look like self deprecation and self abnegation. I think this is exactly wrong. Humility is the deeply human disposition of a person who has come to know and embrace their deepest worth. Note that connection. Hum. Humility. Human Jesus shows us what humility looks like. Philippians 2. You know that one that says have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus, who being being in very nature, God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Rather he made himself nothing. Taking on the nature of a slave, being made in human likeness, being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death. Even death on a cross. Right, we could keep going. Therefore God highly exalted him, gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. My friend Reese told me that that's his new word for this new year and I commend that one.

[B]

I've.

[A]

I've been working with, remember rising, ruminating on that text for years and I still hardly grasp it. It's unbelievable. This is God. This is our God. That's his mind. And he wants that mind in us. That's humility. Humility is not just some abstract virtue. It's Jesus himself. Let's take a look at it from this angle. This is John, chapter 13. You want to get even more granular? Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. See it there? Humility isn't the noble decision to somehow lower yourself. It's the audacity to embrace who you most truly are as a human being. A person whose worth is not earned from a performance, but conferred upon by a Creator. The notion of earning one's worth from a performance is the essence of pride. The notion of embracing one's worth as a gift from God is the essence of humility. Pride enslaves me to the never ending bondage of distinguishing myself from others by becoming something other than what I am. Because all of my energy is directed at creating a false sense of self, propping myself Up. I am prevented from embracing my true self. Because of my need to distinguish myself from others, I can't accept them either. James warns us about bitter envy and selfish ambition, characterizing them as the signs of false wisdom and nothing less than demonic evil. Humility frees me not only to embrace myself, but but to accept others. After all, we are the same, all of us equal. Even better. Humility frees me to authentically love others because I can finally love myself, my real self, not the self I think I ought to be, but the one God made even better. This kind of love finds its deepest springs in a love for God that flows out of God's love for us. This is why humility is wisdom. It's one of the things that most amazes me about Jesus washing his disciples feet. John characterizes that act as Jesus showing his disciples the full extent of his love. Humility and the fear of the Lord are the beginning of wisdom. But the end of wisdom is the love of God and the love of one's neighbor as oneself. Let's pray. Abba Father, you had an intention and a purpose when you created me. Because I trust you, I want to realize your intention and purpose for myself. Forgive me when my trust fails and I try to remake myself in the image of someone or something else. Come Holy Spirit and fix my eyes on Jesus. Teach me to behold him that I may become like Him. It is in his name that I pray. Amen. The journal prompts. Why are people bent on trying to make themselves into something they aren't? Is my own sense of self worth tied to my own performance or accomplishments, achievements or lack thereof? And what keeps me from deeply accepting and loving myself? And how does this keep me from deeply accepting and loving others? See, amazing thing is that we actually do in fact treat others exactly how we treat ourselves. That's why that command is so full of wisdom. You love your neighbor as you love yourself. Well, that's what's going to happen. And if you can't love yourself, it's really because you haven't become yourself. You've become something else. Someone else. And oftentimes salvation refining sanctification. It's that process of stripping that false self away that all of us have struggled to to navigate. There's so much I'd like to say right at this point. There's just so much to say. It's. I. I would. I'll just end it here and say before we sing, what we need is deep humility. And deep humility is simply the embrace of who God made us to be. That's just. And here's the thing. When you. When you do that, you have profound authority. Because there's only one person who can actually be the person God made you to be. That's you. You are the only authority on that. That's profound. Because that kind of authority leads you then into what I would call breathtaking love. You know, Jesus. That's it. That's that foot Washington. That's breathtaking. All of his life is breathtaking because he knew who he was. He knew to whom he belonged. And he walked in the authority that God had. See, that's the authority. As God's given you to be you. It's the authority he's given me is to be me. Only. Only I can be me. I've tried to be other things before and I've created false constructs, false projections. But I had to come to the place where I knew that God loved me. The me that he created, not the me that I thought I needed to be or become. It was who he made me to be. Just a son, a daughter, in your case, maybe. My beloved, he says, with you, I am well pleased. It's so hard to receive the deepest truth about ourselves. But that's the freedom. That's the freedom. That's the authority. All right, it's time to sing.

[B]

Here we go.

[A]

Here we go.

[B]

Dad, thanks for being here today and helping to lead the Sower Nation.

[C]

My pleasure.

[B]

It's good. Have you been to Chick Fil A? It's good to have a farmer leading the Sower Nation in worship. And so many of you have written so many nice notes to us, to dad about his being here. And we never could have imagined that we would be doing this.

[A]

No, even where we are.

[B]

Tell them where we are.

[C]

We're in Gillette.

[B]

We're in Gillette, Arkansas, which we never imagined being in. But we're here for it and we're in it to win it. And you know, Gillette, I was telling dad that he said, what's going to become a Gillette? And I said, well, Gillette is. You know, it's seen what would appear to be better days in terms of just prosperity. Just like so many towns in the Delta.

[C]

Yeah, Dimas, that way, they.

[A]

They have.

[B]

They're in decline. The Delta is in decline. But I said to him, I said, you know, Bible says, though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed. And therefore we do not lose heart. Because Jesus, while things are maybe appearing to be on the way down, Jesus is On the way up.

[C]

Amen.

[B]

And he is bringing renewal, and he is doing things that we can't see with our eyes. And I think about our church, and.

[C]

It'S things that we can't do.

[B]

We cannot do them ourselves.

[A]

Amen to that.

[B]

We can't.

[A]

Only he can.

[B]

And so that's why we don't walk by sight. We walk by faith. And Jesus is doing remarkable things in this town, in this region, in this community, because there's a lot of people who've got faith in Jesus who are following Him. I think about our church. I think about a lot of churches around here. And we're praying for awakening there.

[C]

They. They've got their whole lives invested in these churches.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that.

[B]

That's.

[A]

That's the winning team.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And we're trying to open the doors up because we want anybody and everybody on that team. Team Jesus.

[C]

Amen.

[B]

Because he's going to win. And we sang yesterday about the victory in Jesus. What are we singing today?

[C]

Crown him with Many Crowns.

[B]

One of my favorite hymns. And that's a. That's a victory song, too. Today on our wake up call, you know, we. We talked about humility. Proverbs 22:4 says, Humility is the fear of the Lord. Its wages are riches and honor and light life. What do you think of when you think of humility?

[C]

Humility.

[B]

You want to say it's being humble.

[A]

But humble is just.

[B]

Really. It comes down to just being yourself.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Not trying to be more than you.

[C]

You're not putting on.

[B]

You're not putting on.

[C]

And let me tell you, people can spot someone putting on.

[A]

They can.

[B]

But the sad thing is the person putting on is the last one to know it.

[C]

Yeah. And. But he. He ought to know because he's. He's. He's losing out.

[B]

He's losing out. So that's. Proverbs has so much about humility in it. And you'll put the light on this.

[C]

No. You see it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Well, what's our number or him number today?

[C]

Let's see.

[D]

278.

[B]

278.

[C]

Crown him with many.

[B]

We're going to sing all four verses and we're going to boast in the Lord. You ready?

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Crown him with many crowns the lamb upon his throne how spare the heavenly anthem Drowns all music but his own. O wake thy soul and sing a friend who died for thee and hail him as thy matchless king through all eternity Crown him, Lord of life who triumphs o' er a grave and rose for victory in his to save his glories. Now we sing with Dianes on high who died eternal life to bring and men dead lest they die. Crown him the Lord of peace Whose power a scepter stays from pole to pole that down and holy prayer and praise his reign shall know no end and sound his prayer is in fairer of Jesus Extend that fine face Crown him the Lord of love. Behold his hands and side those wounds yet visit the. All hail Redeemer. Hail. For thou has died for me Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity. Amen.

[B]

Amen. That's one of my favorites.

[C]

That's a good one, that. That's a good one.

[B]

That's one that you'll be singing all day long out on the fields as Jesus is sowing for awakening through you. Well, it's time to send you out there today, and we appreciate getting to meet with you with Jesus every morning and begin the day. And now we're going to send you out into it to be. You've been encouraged. Now you're going to be an encourager. If you want to win the day, you got to win the morning. So we won.

[D]

I tell you what you can do.

[C]

From now. Say that for the rest of the day, you'll be seeing different people. You find somebody, and that'll be the person you're going to pray for.

[B]

That's good.

[C]

You don't tell him, but you in.

[D]

Your mind, you're going to.

[C]

And you know him. You have to know him, but you want to pray for him and just see if he feels those prayers.

[B]

That's good. You know, when you pray for somebody, you're loving them before you even get to them.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

And you're preparing the way for the Lord to do what he can do.

[C]

That's right. You. You're opening him up to God.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

When you pray, you are opening up.

[A]

The world for God because God hears.

[C]

The prayers that we have.

[B]

He does.

[C]

And he's going to make sure they go to where we want them to go.

[A]

That's good.

[B]

Good word, dad.

[A]

Well, let's just close out with that today. And for The Awakening, I'm J.D.

[B]

Walt.

[C]

And I'm David Walt.

[B]

And we'll see you on the field.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Bye.

[A]

For.