DIVINE PROMOTION SHOULD NOT CHANGE YOU

MEMORY VERSE: And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? First Samuel 15:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 131-133

In First Samuel 17, Jesse sent his youngest son, David, to the Valley of Elah to deliver food stuffs to his brothers who had followed Saul to war. When he arrived, he heard Goliath challenging Saul and his men. A holy anger arose in him and he volunteered to fight Goliath. Saul tried to discourage David unsuccessfully . 1 Samuel 17:37 says: “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” Saul gave David his armor but he rejected it as he was uncomfortable with them. David with his sling and stones coupled with the help of God conquered Goliath. There are several lessons we can learn from this story. Firstly, a familiar sling and stone is better than an unfamiliar sophisticated military gear.

Secondly, divine promotion should not change you. Success should not change how you relate to your fellow brothers, disciplers or God. The bible is littered with several examples of people who changed after the Lord promoted them. A typical example is King Saul. He was humble before he was anointed king over Israel. According to First Samuel 15:17, he saw himself as unimportant before he was made king. First Samuel 15:1 says: "Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.” The question is this, why, on God's green earth, was this old prophet reminding Saul of his humble beginning? Why remind Saul of how he was instructed to anoint him? If for one reason or the other your husband or pastor began to remind you that he is your husband or pastor, you are probably undermining his authority as your husband or your pastor. That was exactly what Samuel was trying to do. He observed some changes in Saul; hence, the need for that reminder. Unfortunately, the reminder meant nothing to him. Out of pride, he disobeyed God by destroying the worthless things and keeping the valuable things for himself. When Samuel refused to go with him to offer sacrifice because he had disobeyed God, he tore his robe.

David never for once attributed his past success to his strength or anything. He told Saul, “the Lord that delivered me out......” Between First Samuel 17:45 to 47, he mentioned the name of the Lord over six times – depending on the version of the bible you are reading from. The Lord did this.... the Lord did that.... the Lord that did this will do that... etc. It is sad that success has shut the mouth of many. They no longer witness about Christ because they think evangelism is for poor people. Also, divine promotion/provision has caused many to disdain their skin colour and as such, they bleach. Divine promotion should bring us closer to God not draw us away from Him. Success should not turn you into a modern Christian or liberal Christian. You are either a Christian or not a Christian. As a result of success, many have requested to move from sanctuary keeping to join the protocol team. They want a more posh role in the church; something more dignifying – according to them. It is God who will reward, and fortunately, those roles you consider as not dignifying attract greater rewards. If you clean His house He will clean your life. If anything, success should encourage you to serve God more.

QUESTION: In what ways have you changed as a result of your divine promotion ? Have you now become unruly because you were promoted at work? Repent today!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world