On your journey upward, you will gain and lose some relationships. Honestly, as long as you're in your small beginnings, folks will accept you. However, when you begin to accelerate into new levels, some folks won't be able to get a handle on your growth.
It's like the old story of Cain and Able. Cain became very angry when God received Ables' offering and not his. God addressed Cain and said, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door..." (Genesis 4:6-7)
Some people carry the SPIRIT OF CAIN in their uncrucified flesh. When they attempt to get close to you, its for the purpose of looking for a kink in your armor so they can criticize your journey and ultimately try to discredit you.
How do you defend yourself from this kind of spirit? Do you fight it? Do you defend yourself? Honestly, if you consume your time trying to reason with this spirit, you'll stay locked up in the prison of explanation all the days of your life. Sometimes, the people closest to you will be your foes. Jesus said, "And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." (Matthew 10:36). Your enemies are too far away to wound you but it's the people who sit at your table who can hurt you the most.
Didn't Jesus encounter the same thing? At the "Last Supper", He sat with John the Beloved on one side and Judas the Betrayer on the other. Basically, we have to be able to DISCERN which one is which. They were both very close...John laid his head on Jesus' bosom and Judas was close enough to betray Him with a kiss. Ironically, BOTH were used to help Jesus achieve His destiny! Friends, God can use both in your life to PROMOTE you to His PURPOSE!
With your CALLING comes RESPONSIBILITY. The more you have...the more you are responsible for. If you have a car you have a responsibility to keep it maintained with oil, gasoline and lest we forget...INSURANCE. People who have no car need no gas. :) It's comical for me to hear ladies talk about how much they have to clean all the nick-nacks in their house, and yet, they asked for all of it. Friends, everything God gives you requires MAINTENANCE!
I guess that's why Jesus said, "No man builds without counting the cost." (Luke 14:28-30) So, ask yourself today...
- "Am I willing to pay the price to get the blessing?"
- "Am I willing to endure the criticism and the ridicule that comes with success?"
- "Am I willing to accept the STRUGGLE?"
Not everyone who says they want to be in ministry today can answer those questions with a "yes!"
- We want the BLESSING but not the BATTLE.
- We want to be USED but not ABUSED.
- We want the OFFERS without sacrificial OFFERINGS.
- We want the TITLE without the TRIAL.
- We want the POSITION without SUBMISSION.
- We want the SUCCESS without the STRUGGLE.
- We want the OPPORTUNITY without the OBSTACLES.
- We want the IMAGE without the IRRITATION.
There are some women who say they want a husband and children but don't want to cook, care or clean. There are some men who say they want a wife but don't want to love, provide and nourish. Most people are in love with the IMAGE of success, but they haven't counted the cost of POSSESSING the BLESSING.
It's a good thing that God doesn't give us everything we ask for! We have a habit of asking for things because they look good in someone else's life. However, we're not always ready to receive those things and it would probably destroy us if we did receive them because we're not prepared to maintain them.
- You may have a FIERY TESTIMONY but that doesn't mean you're ready to pastor a church.
- You may have a GREAT VOICE but that doesn't mean you're ready to lead a congregation in worship.
- You may have a LIKABLE PERSONALITY but that doesn't mean you're ready to oversee people.
God knows what we can presently handle. When we learn to master the BASICS then we can be trusted in ADVANCED areas. For example: If God can trust us with the BASICS of Tithes & Offerings, then He can trust us with ADVANCED areas of financial increase.
Ultimately, I want to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matthew 25:23)
More to come...