Heavy Humbling

I believe it takes a very specific individual who can handle promotion and elevation. I, personally, am looking for neither and don’t desire either one. Why? Because I have watched far too many people fall from grace due to selfish needs, greed, and intoxication that often accompanies power and authority.

I’ve cheered as people I liked have been elevated and promoted. I’ve hugged those I deemed capable of the advancements and smiled as others stepped into positions of authority. But, time after time, my spirit fell as I watched those I believed to be well-intentioned stumble and transform into someone I didn’t know.

Yesterday morning, while in prayer, I realized it’s the few and far between who can handle the fame, the power, the authority, who can wear the crown without allowing it to change the way they think. For, there seems to be something that happens to the mind once the crown is placed upon the head. Thoughts, actions, desires, motivations all begin to change the moment it touches them and begins to transform them into someone they never thought they would be, someone their old selves would be embarrassed of.

Why am I writing this? Because I believe a great humbling is taking place over many of God’s children. A heavy humbling, a severe humbling, a necessary humbling. We, the church, have become tarnished with the fame, the glory, the crowds, the tithes. We have become wrapped up with the masses and have forgotten that, above everything else, we are to be servants.

We desire fame for fames sake, we desire power just because, we desire authority since it seems important. We look to those in positions of elevation and listen to their words above listening to THE WORD. We read books on self-examination and spiritual guidance as dust gathers upon our Bibles. We sing songs sung by those who are famous and beautiful as our spirits slowly dehydrate due to lack of songs of praise. We walk into church dressed to impress those around us with little thought that we are walking into the House of God.

We, the body, have become lost without knowing it, sickly without feeling it, blinded without even seeing it. Why? Because the church has become selfish, self-centered and lost.

So, God had to do something drastic. No, He did not cause this virus which has shut down our world in such a confusing way, but God is absolutely using the virus to eliminate the splinters we have become so accustomed to. The most painful part about a splinter is removing it, and God is eradicating the splinters from His body.

If you have been experiencing a great amount of self-examination which may be leaving you feeling raw, vulnerable, exposed, know that you are not alone. God is doing a mighty work in His people because He desires to elevate His church, but He cannot elevate those who have any ‘self’ within them. We must first die to self before we can expect, or desire, any type of promotion.

When King Saul was appointed the first King of Israel, he was a virtuous man, a man who listened to the Prophet of the Lord and wanted to do good.  God chose Saul because, “he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines” (Samuel 10:16). Now, Saul had a time and a season to be elevated, promoted, anointed and appointed, but when his season came to and end, he refused to relinquish the power because he desired to wear the crown and please himself more than he desired to please the giver of the crown and serve the people.  When David was appointed the true King of Israel, something ugly rose up within Saul, something birthed from selfishness and egocentric need, resulting in his plotting to kill David, regardless of the fact he knew David was chosen by God.

I believe God is going to promote, elevate and raise up many of His children in these latter days, but His children have not yet been ready for they had become lost in the ways of the world, so God is removing the confusing cloud and purifying His people. I am so thankful for this time of self-reflection and examination which has given the Lord a chance to change us before He promotes us.

If you have been waiting for elevation or position of influence and purpose but have not yet received it, rejoice, for the last thing you want is to be anything like Saul. Allow God to mold you into the person He desires you to be then watch Him raise you up like you never imagined.

I am so excited to watch the Lord move amongst His people in this new way. We are about to walk into a very incredible time and season. Allow the Lord to ready you, for something amazing is about to happen within His body which will impact the entire world.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” -1 Peter 5:6