Reigning In Life As A King (10 page)

Isaiah 53:4-6

Only on the basis of the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the Cross can we receive forgiveness from God.

Only on the basis of the grace of God offered to us by His death can we offer forgiveness to others.

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Galatians 6:14

It was at the Cross that Jesus cancelled every claim of Satan on our lives.

Forgiveness is a DECISION. You must choose to forgive whether you feel like it or not. As you stand on that decision, God in you will love the person who has wronged you. One day, you will suddenly realize that you cannot even remember the wrong they committed against you.

Receiving the forgiveness of God is also a DECISION. You choose to believe that God's Word is true. If God said He would forgive you, then He will. You may not deserve it, but forgiveness is yours because He loves you and desires fellowship with you. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

David prayed a beautiful prayer for the forgiveness of his sins. He desired to be set apart to God.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Psalm 51:1-3, 6-13

We can pray the same prayer that David prayed. The Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart.

Praise God, we have been forgiven, and we have the power to forgive others through Jesus Christ!

WE REIGN IN LIFE AS KINGS
THROUGH FORGIVENESS.

Chapter Eight
Reigning In Life Through
The Power Of Humility

Humility is the secret to continual usefulness in the kingdom of God. We can truly reign in life as kings through the power of humility.

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.

Proverbs 22:4

God greatly rewards the man or woman who lives a life of humility.

Humility is not weakness. It is a total lack of confidence in your own ability, and a total dependence on God's ability.

All Christians should learn to walk in the spirit of humility. It is a very important attitude, and the Word of God has much to say about it.

I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called—with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service,

Living as becomes you —with complete lowliness of mind
(humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.

Ephesians 4:1-2 (Amplified)

Many people are used by God for a short period of time, but humility is the key to continual usefulness.

For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn every one among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought—not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance; but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.

Romans 12:3 (Amplified)

This passage of scripture is a warning to believers. We must realize that all blessings come from God. All that we are, and all that we have is a result of the grace of God in our lives.

I am continually aware of the fact that the good that is done in Lakewood Church is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. God saved me at the age of seventeen when I was selling popcorn in a theater. It is only by the grace of God that I am able to minister to others.

Pride and an exaggerated opinion of yourself will cut off your usefulness. You may think, "Well, they do not have the respect for me that they ought to have! After all, I'm somebody!" That is an exaggerated opinion of your importance.

I realize that the only authority that I have as a Pastor is a spiritual, intangible authority that Jesus gives me. If He withdraws that authority, I have absolutely nothing.

God sets many ministries in the Church. We should always hold one another in high esteem because God has a special work for each of us. Every ministry is important.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:4-8

Our responsibility is to function in the ministry that God has given us. Not every person is called into one of the five-fold ministries. God is using lay people all over the world in supernatural ways. Every ministry is necessary for the perfecting and full equipping of the saints.

We need to give unqualified courtesy to every person. We should never treat anyone disrespectfully, especially a child of God.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

James 4:6

Pride destroys the flow of God in our lives. God resists the proud. He does not just resist proud laymen, He resists proud preachers. He resists proud wives. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

We all need the grace of God in our lives!

The Apostle Paul had a beautiful spirit of humility. He said, "I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) Again Paul confessed, "I am more than a conqueror THROUGH HIM that loved me. "(Romans 8:37) Paul spoke of the mighty works that he could do through Jesus. Our confession should be what we have in Christ, and not what we can do in our own power and ability.

In his silent, sober moments, Paul, remembering what a mess he had made of his life before he knew Jesus, said, "I am the least of the apostles." (I Corinthians 15:9) Paul was a man who knew within himself that he was not worthy of the least of the mercies of God, yet he knew who he was in Jesus. That is a man who can shake nations!

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.

II Corinthians 3:5

What good thing do we have that we have not received from God? He is our sufficiency. He is our source of life.

Humility is the key to continual usefulness in the kingdom of God.

Let's study the life of Moses.

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.

Numbers 12:3

Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth, and God used him in a mighty way. Many people think Moses was ignorant because of his humility, but Stephen spoke very highly of him, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Acts 7:22

Egypt was the greatest and most advanced nation of Moses' day. Moses had all the privileges of its universities.

He was a mighty orator, and the Bible says that he was mighty in deeds.

God revealed to Moses that he would be the deliverer of the children of Israel, but he was not yet ready. In all his pride, Moses slew an Egyptian who was fighting with a fellow Hebrew. He thought the children of Israel would understand that he was chosen to be their deliverer. (Acts 7:23-25)

Moses felt he was well able to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. He had the ability to speak and do great works. He was ready to do the job. He probably even felt that God had chosen him because of his great ability!

Moses was a proud man. He felt he was sufficient, but he was not. He had the call of God upon his life, but he was not ready for God to trust him with that task.

Forty years later, on the back side of the desert, Moses had still not fulfilled the call of God. He felt defeated, but God appeared to him in a burning bush and spoke to him.

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Exodus 3:10-11

The first words that Moses spoke were, "Who am I?" Forty years before he thought, "Here I am! I am God's great deliverer!" Here is a man who had all the skills and learning of the Egyptians. The Bible says that he was mighty in word, yet Moses argues, "I am not eloquent. I am slow of speech and tongue." (Exodus 4:10) Was Moses lying? No! He finally realized that without God he was nothing. Only by the power of God could he bring deliverance to the children of Israel.

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

Exodus 4:1-5

God showed Moses that he could depend on the power of God. Moses marched out of Egypt with three million slaves, waving the rod of God in his hand. This time, God was with him. Moses learned to reign in life through the spirit of humility.

God uses and exalts many men and women. Unfortunately, some believers get a touch of the blessing of God, and then become proud and haughty. That is a dangerous place to be.

Oral Roberts once said, "The most dangerous time in a man's life is when he feels so sufficient that he does not need faith in God."

The most dangerous place is that secure place where you think you have it made. You have all the money you need. You have no challenges. You have no need to trust God and His power.

I encourage you to forever extend yourself to the place where God must work for you.

Moses chose to humble himself, and God blessed him mightily, but soon criticism came from the mouths of his own brother and sister.

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.

Numbers 12:1-2

Miriam and Aaron became critical of Moses. Miriam had taken care of Moses when he was a child. The Bible says that she was a prophetess. Aaron was the spokesman for the children of Israel. Their critical attitudes caused them to have an exaggerated opinion of their importance. They thought, "Is Moses the only one who can talk to God? After all, God has spoken to us, too!"

I have had a few people take that attitude in our church. My responsibility is to keep order in the services. I try to operate in love, and to protect the congregation. I have had people stand up in the middle of a service and give a revelation that is totally out of order. When I asked them to sit down and wait, they got mad and stormed out, saying, "Bless God, is he the only one who knows how to move in the Spirit?" That is an ugly attitude, and it is not scriptural.

You will never grow in the Lord if you do not respect the leadership God sets over a congregation. Any revelation can be held in your spirit until the right time to give it. I have held a prophecy in my spirit for a day or two. You may think, "God gave it to me and I cannot control it." If you cannot control it, it is not of God.

The Bible says that when Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, God heard it. We never have a right to criticize anyone. Every child of God has an important function in the Body of Christ. God sees His children differently than we see them. Notice what He said about Moses:

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Numbers 12:7-8

God had spoken to Moses face to face, and yet they were critical of him. Miriam and Aaron had been chosen for a great task. Why should they be jealous of Moses? They should have been glad for the ministry that God had given them.

Miriam and Aaron's critical and proud attitude provoked the anger of God, and Miriam was struck with leprosy. Moses interceded on her behalf and God healed her, but the Iraelites' journey was delayed for seven days. The whole move of God was stopped because two people had exaggerated opinions of their importance.