It is first because it is a condition of heart and self-concept that must precede entering into all the other kingdom attitudes. If you do not have a humbled sense of your own power and the basic incompleteness of your human spirit (though it is a "puff" from Me), you will not see Me in all the other attitudes of being, and receive them from My hand.

You must be poor in your own spirit in order to mourn, else you will say it’s okay (strong in your spirit), and will not be able to acknowledge your vulnerability in needing comfort--saying it’s okay, when actually it is extremely painful and heavy to carry.

You must be poor in your own spirit in order to be meek--yielded to Me, else you will insist on Me fulfilling your conditions and withhold your faith and trust until I do.

You must be poor in your own spirit to hunger and thirst after righteousness, else you will pursue the things you think will fill and provide your happiness, and you will use your days and life acquiring them.

You must be poor in your own spirit to be merciful, else you will judge others (forgetful of your own sin and weakness) and feel in your heart that they perhaps deserve their misery, have earned it, or it is an outcome of sin, while taking the position that nothing bad should happen to you.

You must be poor in spirit to be pure in heart, else you will think your heart is complete and has no need for clearing and cleansing, or will pronounce it accomplished when it is scarcely begun.

You must be poor in spirit to be a peacemaker, for peace comes primarily from joining with Me, sharing My attitudes to work peace, else you will attempt to fix situations with your solutions, healing slightly, and not setting the hearts of My children at one with Me.

You must be poor in spirit to suffer persecution with grace, else you will rise up in your "rights," saving your own life and losing it.

These are the choice points of life, with true blessedness at stake.