Exploring Success Virtues in Kingdom Stewardship by Pst Fedelis Egware
12 So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Deuteronomy 9: 12-13
The purpose of our salvation is to facilitate our elevation to the top because that is where we belong. To state that we are redeemed for the top is not an ambition; it is rather our heritage in Christ. To every child who is born of God, the blessing of Abraham is a covenant right. Galatians 3:13-14 clarifies this in its statement that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written that every person who hangs on a tree is cursed. By this act, the blessings of Abraham could come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.
One of the blessings of Abraham is the blessing of greatness (Genesis 12:2). By extension, greatness is our portion in Christ. Galatians 3:29 states that if we are in Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. God has prepared greatness for the redeemed. The Bible assures us in Matthew 5:14 that we are the light of the world, and a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. God is up to the task to make us great. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond our imagination or request, as Ephesians 3:20 assures us. He will not only make you great, He will make your name great. Through you, men shall be saved (Obadiah 1:21).
There is a process for everything, and this includes greatness and success. If you want to see a desired product, you must follow the process. Doing otherwise will only result in fruitless labor (Ecclesiastes 10:15). Further, the Bible enjoins us in Deuteronomy 28:1 to diligently listen to the voice of God and to observe and to do all His commandments so that God will set us on high above all nations of the earth. From this we see that greatness will not come until you are diligent in obeying instructions of God, by His word. God’s assurance is that if this Book of the law does not depart from your mouth, it will make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success (Joshua 1:8).
Please note that there is success and there is good, enduring success, which God is ready to give to anyone who is willing to pay the price. Success from God refers to the blessings that make rich and add no sorrow. The critical commandment which will make God bless you and make Him set a table before you in the presence of your enemies, is to serve Him. We have the scriptural promise in Job. 36: 11 that obedience and service to God will enable us spend our days in prosperity, and our years in pleasures. In the Living Faith Commission, the commandment to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness as contained in Matthew 6:33 is the bedrock.
Success according to Bishop Oyedepo is “accomplished stewardship” (Luke 22:24-27; 1 Corinthians 4:1; John 13:1). God wants you to have all the pleasures, but He wants you to be a servant in order to enjoy the pleasures. Serving God is the pathway to greatness.
Virtues in serving God
- Serving God is a platform for continuous flow of revelation. Revelation is the mystery behind all turnaround experiences in a believer’s life (2 Corinthians 3:18). Nobody ever truly changes level without revelation, which means seeing what the Word of God is saying at any moment in time. It is not possible to be lighted up by God’s Word and not change levels consistently. No child of God is expected to remain on one spot for a long time. Anyone who remains on a spot has not caught the revelation of God’s word (Psalm 119: 130). When God’s Word is revealed to you, do well to apply it. A man of revelation is beyond failure or frustration. What we do know does not change us. It is what we do with what we know that causes the change (James 1:20-25).Your majestic ride in the journey of life is essentially a function of the revelation of God at work in your life. The depth of your revelation determines how far you will go in life. Anyone can access information, but revelation is reserved for the redeemed of the Lord. It takes a revelation to receive a testimony. What God reveals to you is what reveals you to the world.
- Serving God is a platform for supernatural enthronement: A lifestyle of servanthood is the pathway to supernatural enthronement. Only committed servants qualify for divine lifting. If you are not prepared to serve, supernatural enthronement will be a mirage to you. Those who remain on the pathway will end up at the top.
NEXT LEVELS BANQUET
Next levels means better, more advanced or more successful than before. It means promotion, progress, and sudden turnarounds just as Joseph experienced. God is interested in our continued progress, so when we are not advancing, God is not happy because He says the path of the just is like a shining light that shines more and more until Jesus comes. So, if you are not making progress, your location becomes polluted, and it is time to advance. The success you have today may change to frustration if nothing is done to improve on it. By redemption, we are empowered for continuous progress but we must possess a next-level mentality to actualize the next level agenda. You cannot be thinking like a grasshopper and expect to fly like an eagle: to enjoy the eagle anointing you have to think like an eagle. God cannot do for you what you cannot imagine. In Genesis 13:14 -15, God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and look around, and he would possess all the land he saw. Proverbs 23:7 further underlines this truth by stating that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So, if you think you are always sick, you will remain sick, but if you think you will be super prosperous, even if you are not, believe it. The Bible says I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Always think breakthroughs, and keep expecting continuous changes of level. Do not imagine that you will remain at your present level. When there is a casting down for others we will say there is a lifting up because where I am today is polluted, I am going to my next level.
We must obey instructions before we can expect to change levels. Every testimony is a test and as you pass the test, you will change levels. God wanted to take Abraham to a higher level, and asked him to sacrifice his only son. And when he passed that test he received a strong blessing.
What We Must Do to Get to Next Levels
We have been empowered for change of levels as Proverbs 4:18 assures us, but as Christians, we must do the following to actualize it
- Serve God and the interest of His kingdom (Job 38:11). Nobody serves God and reduces because as you are serving Him you are changing levels.
- Continue to celebrate the faithfulness of God, regardless of current events (Habakkuk 3:17-19). Murmuring is a destroyer according to 1 Corinthians 10:10, so if we want to change levels, we must acknowledge that it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed. Our God is a faithful God. He has helped you irrespective of the situations and circumstances you are passing through. He requires us to rejoice and to celebrate Him for His faithfulness. Apostle Paul said rejoice, I say again rejoice, so when doubt comes, shut it up because you are changing levels. So you must continue to celebrate His faithfulness.
- We must think the way we want to be – Numbers 13:33 Mentality is what affects reality.
