EXPRESS IMAGE GLORY MINISTRIES
THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 2, No. 46 – Monday, 13th November, 2017
(1 Kings.12:1-24)
ASSERTIVE CONDITIONS FOR GETTING TO AND REMAINING AT THE TOP
(Part 1)
Speaking honestly, Ascendancy to any heights of greatness in life is incomparable to descendancy into the downward slope of demotion, depression and possible eventual doom. The incomparability of ascendancy and descendancy is unarguably the difference between these two.
However, of every kind of difference between ascendancy and descendancy, there is but one difference which markedly stands out in the more obvious spotlight. The fact that descendancy is often an occurrence of the greatest ease is markedly an unchallengeable difference.
However, ascendancy is not. It is rather uneasy, rough, tough and often highly problematic. But if ascending the stairs of greatness is highly problematic, remaining at the heights of greatness i.e. remaining at the top is by far more highly problematic, attention-sustaining and concerning.
One concerning reason for this character of remaining at the top is that the lessons of life are better learnt whilst in the process of preparing for the top not after arriving.
Again, the question is, why?
The top is a separate and difference scenery of life where the real innate character of any man there at the top is the only speaking voice understood by such a man.
These view raises further questions which are: what if such a man never learnt the lessons of life before his arrival at the top?
What if such a man is the carefree type who has no personal knowledge about what it means to suffer? Would such a man understand people’s sufferings and traumas?
What if, for reasons of aristocratic decent, such a man is void of the knowledge of human psychology and psychosomatics?
What then, can such a man ever manage human beings successfully? If such a man at the top never understands that life is a revolving cycle whose actions of today have turnover results tomorrow, what would be such a man’s attitudinal response to the spurious behaviours of followers?
If such a man fails to know that there is need for caution during the heat of passion, what few words would be expressed on his epitaph at the end of his abrupt or eventual crash?
Farsight reminds us that the child of today is the father of tomorrow. Therefore, treat and train that child with the requisite skills for the pains and for the pleasures of life and that child will emerge as the loving leader ever imagined. Let that child fail in the lectures of life and the world’s worst tyrant is just about to be revealed in no distant future.
How?
King Solomon (the son of Bathsheba former wife of Uriah) was an accidental king of Israel by the choice and promise of his father, David to his wife (the mother of Solomon) (see 1 Kings.1:11-36). Without much ado, it is easily deducible that Solomon had no special skills or experiences about kingship or governance though God helped him with wisdom (1 Kings.3:11-12).
Nonetheless, Solomon’s management of people especially in the case of Jeroboam ended in shambles (1 Kings.11:40). Common biblical knowledge equally informs that Solomon lived in absolute pomp and pageantry until death. He was a tyrant to God’s people and an obsessed lover of women.
This tyranny dark side of Solomon was picked up by his son Rehoboam. The result of this direct or indirect training from Solomon to Rehoboam led to the collapse of the Israelee nation; dividing itself into two nations of Israel and Judah.
Rehoboam had no knowledge about remaining at the top. Neither did he learn the conditions for being at the top.
Unknown to so many people, God is a good and perfect trainer who will often walk a man of destiny through the corridors of dishonour before conferring honour on him at the end of the long spiritual tour.
Unlike his succeeding son and grandson, King David, the grandfather of Rehoboam was one such a man that got such thorough training from the Almighty in course of ascending to the top. No wonder, his leadership qualities was exceptionally outstanding and extraordinarily exemplary.
The reason for your delay may not be satan, witchcraft or unanswered prayers. The delay may simply be as a result of the skills of life preparing you for the top which you are yet to acquire.
Alternatively, it could be that you are yet to excel in the tests and conditions which qualifies you for the top.
Which ever of these two categories you fall into, one thing is certain. You are going nowhere until the assertive conditions for getting to and remaining at the top are fully satisfied. If King David had not satisfactorily excelled in his tutelage, he could not have successfully ascended the heights of greatness nor remained at the top.
IN THE END, THE WORTH AND VALUE OF ANY MAN IS NOT IN HIS AMASSED WEALTH. RATHER, HIS WORTH IS FOUND IN BUT FOUR ATTRIBUTES: HONESTY, INTEGRITY, SINCERITY AND STRENGTH OF CHARACTER SUSTAINED THROUGH TIME AND OVERTIME (To be continued next week)…
Altar call: Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Psalm 54 in closing and pray more).
Hymn: I’m Pressing On The Upward Way
Pray now:
- Every dart of the wicked designed to frustrate my effort, return to your senders.
- O conspiracy of the wicked against me, O God, ‘scatter them by your power’.
- Angry household idols, be wasted by the liquid fire of God, now.
- By the power of the Spirit of the Lord, my life and destiny shall end up eventfully.
- Read Psalms 121 and 123 and ask for unusual help.
- Decree that you will no longer repeat the same spiritual class but that you will soar to the next level in God and in God’s goodness.
- My soul and blessings shall not be part of satan’s 2017 harvest.
Pastor Mike
