09/25/2024
Submission and Honor - The Way to Greatness
Mark 9:35 Living Bible (TLB)
35 He sat down and called them around him and said, “Anyone wanting to be the greatest must be the least—the servant of all!”
Did you know in the Kingdom the way up is down. You have to humble yourself and learn. I think one of the most ridiculous things perhaps I have ever heard someone say that felt they were called to the ministry is: I don't want to learn. Is this you? If this you please take your name off the candidates for ministry list. You'll never make it in the ministry.
There are people that will join themselves to your ministry and as soon as you give them an assignment they start complaining, they are uncooperative, insubordinate. And Lord will tell me as quick as I assigned them, get them out of there and do it quickly. Don't allow them to do anything else that affects ministry. They are not submitted to me, so they surely listen to you or anyone else.
You have to put yourself in a position of being a disciple.
You know I am very seldom at my home church because my ministry requires I minister to others in various places around the world. However, when I visit my home church I am there to serve, I am there to learn and submit.
I don't lose anything by submitting, because I realize that is the process of greatness. Many don't understand this principle and will get an attitude in a second because they don't want to be told what to do. I just smile and shake my head because they are going nowhere fast.
The bible says, Whoever will be great among you let him be your servant. You may have heard the term before. We call it servant-leadership. This is interesting because God in His great wisdom, uses this method to eliminate people with the wrong motive, as they pout and take their red ball, crayons and marbles in the house, because they got angry and didn't get their way.
I am here to serve. I may hold the microphone but I am serving you.
To serve means you have SOMEONE over you, as you submit to that authority.
But it's less about the person in authority and more about the position the person holds in the REALM of authority. Very few understand this principle because they are only concerned about positions and titles in the natural.
It's not about the position in the natural, but in the realm of authority in the spirit realm.
For example King Nebuchadnezzar held the position in the natural, but Daniel out ranked him in the Spirit. Let that soak!
Because of the ranking Daniel held in the Spirit, the King had to submit.
If you are submitting you may not always like the person in position, agree, or understand. But, because of the position you have to submit, respect and honor. You are destined to be great. But understand, the way up is down.
God never promotes a person until they first become servants.
When authority and submission are not in place and protocol is not observed the spirit of rebellion and insurrection reigns.
Submission helps us to stay under cover and therefore protected and out of reach from certain spiritual attacks.
Submission is an attitude, a mentality, not an action.
Joseph was the only solution to the recession that hit the world. The King had the position. He had to submit to the superior position in the realm of authority (spiritually). Because of the position Joseph submitted, respected and honored and God promoted. So, you see how this works. To get authority you have be under authority or the devil will not respect anything that comes out of your mouth. You are considered a vagabond spiritually, like the seven sons of sceva.
Doesn't matter if you like the President or not, you have to submit, honor and respect or you disrespect, dishonor and refuse to submit to the one who said, in Romans 13:1 Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3 For the policeman does not frighten people who are doing right; but those doing evil will always fear him. So if you don’t want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well. 4 The policeman is sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for he will have you punished. He is sent by God for that very purpose. 5 Obey the laws, then, for two reasons: first, to keep from being punished, and second, just because you know you should.
And if someone in authority is doing wrong God will see to it that justice is served, as it pertains to the righteous.
You can not disrespect anyone that has the position of authority, because it's less about them and more about how it affects you down the road. I have never seen so much disrespect from the youth of this generation.
You see, just because you are recognized on earth, does not mean you are recognized in heaven. Honor recognizes you in heaven. That's why we must honor our parents, our leaders, ministry heads, government, the elderly, etc. You are headed for greatness, but if you disrespect someone that God tells you to honor, you are only hurting yourself.
For example, when you are part of a ministry, or serve in church, work for an employer, have a spouse, have a parent or a grandparent, etc the bible says in Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and SUBMIT yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is UNPROFITABLE for you. Also read, Eph 6:5-9; Eph 5:10; Eph 5:21.
Some obey with an attitude. But when you do it with an attitude and complain under your breathe it's no longer submission and therefore you are not under authority and lose your covering. Just the place that your adversary wants you, so you can give Satan legal right to attack you and yours. Not a place to be with disease and calamity affecting the lives of so many around the world.
But one can not honor what they do not recognize or recognize what they have no capacity to see the value of.
The reason people disrespect others is because they don't see the value. Failure to honor and recognize authority opens one up to disregarding it's importance, losing the value of it's importance, disrespecting those in position of authority, devaluing and despising them in the process and sabotaging their own growth and greatness.
I've seen it in the business world as well as in ministry. People are ambitious and therefore have their own agendas that are not always honorable or godly. I mean I worked with people who were so disingenuous and would lie at the drop of a hat or stab you in the back, to move up. But, I will tell you in a minute, I am the wrong one, because God always watches out for me. A man did that to me when I managed for a Brokerage firm, Charles Schwab and Company, in San Francisco. This man and another manager conspired to take me down for political reasons. And it was not even 6 months and he suffered a heart attack. And a few weeks later they moved me into his office and I was promoted. When the man returned he was no longer a manger and had to listen to me because now I was over the entire center and was given a 25 million dollar budget. God promised to never leave us nor forsake us and that he would always be our helper.
Believe it or not, I've even seen it in mega-churches and if I mentioned the name you would faint. These leaders would do anything to get ahead or to get close to the head man, in charge. I watched them blatantly lie and cheat, because they were carnal, envious, jealous men, who had no regard for God's people or His Word. But God's Word declares a man's gift will make room for him/her and cause them to stand before great men. I mean these people would LIE like God did not exist and to top it off, others in leadership and on the board would stand there and be totally complicit. They had no backbone whatsoever and the cowards they are were to afraid to speak up. What a disgrace!
If you really want to do something great come under submission and serve. Honor and respect people or you will fall. This is a spiritual law.
Look at what God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:2 - 3. AMP
1 Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].
3 And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and [a]curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].
I have never seen so much ignorance among those that profess to be Christians. They not only have disregard for leaders, they speak very badly of Israel. I mean do people know anything? These are God's chosen people. God said to Abraham I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. He is speaking of Abraham and his seed. His seed is Israel and the Devil is influencing the world to speak against them, in order to bring nations under the judgement of God.
Lastly, do you know why Jesus had to wait 30 years before He started His ministry? Because in order to obtain Authority as the Son of God, He first had to humble himself and submit to the Prime Minister, that is John the Baptist and so when John says who am I to baptize you. I am not worthy. Notice Jesus' response, permit it to be so. And submitted to John the Baptist. When he did the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and God honored him and said this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And you know the outcome, God highly exalted him and gave him a name which is above every name. To receive authority you must first submit to authority.
So you understand why so many ministry leaders fail? They are trying to run the church like the world. They want to be everyone's boss. Many are prideful, dishonest, untrustworthy and have no integrity. God will never use these individuals.
In the spirit realm the way up is down and the way down is up. Humble yourselves under the might hand of God that He might exalt you in due season.