I won't let you make an idol out of me
It is a very awkward moment for some of us. You have just finished ministering when someone will inevitably track you down and declare these words, oh my God, you are SO anointed! And no, they just don't stop there, they keep hurling these accolades upon you and all the while you wish they would just stop. There are heart-felt thank yous from the people of God whose lives have been touched by your obedience. That's not what this blog is about. This blog is about the shift from thank you to all out worship.
The apostles Peter, Paul and Barnabus found themselves in similar situations. In the book of Acts, Cornelius went out to greet Peter and fell at his feet and worshiped him. (10:25-26) Peter corrected Cornelius by telling him to get up because he was a man just as he was.
Holy Spirit had just used Paul and Barnabus to heal a crippled man when pure mayhem ensued. The people so awestruck with the power of God using the two men, declared them gods and began to offer sacrifices to them. (14:8-19) What was their response? Paul and Barnabus tore their clothes and tried to disuade the people from idolizing them. Paul told them just as Peter told Cornelius, we are men just like you.
Herod while giving a speech in Acts 12:22-23, was struck down immediately because he did nothing when the people declared that his voice, was the voice of a god.
And practically unheard of today is the prophet Elijah refusing a lavish gift from Naaman after being healed of leprosy. (2 Kings 5:16)
What happens when we do not deflect these praises? We might actually believe our own hype. And the flesh only craves more attention, more praise; it is never satisfied. It is at this point the Gospel could be compromised and God's entire truth is neglected because men's praise become more important and we'll do whatever we must to get it.
Paul made it quite clear that he could have cared less about man's approval and was not out to please men. (Gal 1:10; 1 Thes 2:6) That would compromise the Gospel.
God help us as leaders not to be men pleasers but to bodly declare God's truths to His people no matter the cost.
So the proper response to, oh my God you are so anointed and mens worship is to deflect that worship back to the Father. Ask Holy Spirit for wisdom on how to stop it in the moment. Herod's refusal to act caused his demise. And scripture tells us that pride certainly comes before a fall. Refuse to become an idol because those same people who praised you will certainly stone you. It happened to Paul. They were sacrificing to him one minute and hurling rocks the next.
Refuse to become an idol so that the Gospel of Christ is not compromised.
Be encouraged beloved.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
Pastor- this is so true- I had a woman calling me prophetess- I said oh no - these are his gifts not mine. thank him not me please.
that tile has such a history of misuse and abuse- - my desire is they see him not me.
we were jsut studing this in ldtestament propehets where obadiah was sounding the judgement against assyria for their king thinking he was so mighty and big when it was god using him. when you start accepting praise and thanks and attaching titles such as prophet- it gets sticky in areas of pride
when true servents such as propehts their words will speak for them.
Oh my Pastor Lisa. I have goosebumps. You now know that I posted something similar to your blog this morning at FB having not yet seen your message. The Lord has led me to study the ministerial character of Daniel and how he honored God through humility while operating in the giftedness that God had bestowed on him. What an awesome confirmation God has wrought through this message today. I will hold tightly to this lesson and hide it in my heart lest I think more highly of myself than I ought. Greater than I have fallen for not making sure that God gets the glory. I must please Him in whose name I live and serve. So in obedience to this lesson I give God the glory -- but I thank you for being used and obedient. Love you Sis! Lisa M.
Amen I agree, All the Praise goes to God
"Oh my God you're so annointed", it can be that very attitude in well meaning people, who think they are encouraging you, that actually are setting you up for a spiritual attack!
Rather they should be corrected to say " I enjoyed the annointing of God on your message" - which glorifies God in the matter instead & puts the focus back onto the message rather than the messenger.
It is usually through harmless good intentions that that say the other.We need to teach them more on how to prepare themselves to be used by God.
God has at times give gifts to do marvelous things, ministering through a man as a vessel, to to become the object of hero worship and can feel inwardly pressured to have to perform for others even when the annointing is not upon them as that can place a heavy yoke on anyone.
God gives His gifts, to have mercy on whom He has mercy and there are times when a gift is used for a specific situation.
There is no method or formula to cause the 'gift' to be operated on demand, which can turn into a 'sideshow act'.
On specific occasions I have been used by God to do some marvelous things for others on His behalf, yet not something that is repeated on any grandscale levels.
Hero worship of the messenger can lead to his downfall.
It is only in true humbleness and meakness before God that we walk with God before man, balanced by being bold in His Spirit, like the apostle Paul, who was strong in the faith and not afraid to speak his mind~ yet he reminded whomever he was confronted with, that it was Jesus, His Holy Spirit that was at work through him & that he of himself was nothing without Christ.
We must keep our own spiritual house swept clean and to be like Samuel the boy, sitting and waiting to hear from the Lord~ and to speak only what the Lord has given us to say.
"Speak Lord,your servant listens~!"
Likewise, we can not put God into a box and pull Him out when others expect us to perform.
So when someone tells me that I am 'so annointed', I can only reply that it isn't me, but God choosing to work through me, as being receptive and waiting on the Lord, not by anything I am or do, but by what He is, when He chooses to work through me.
The wind blows where it wills and you can hear the sound of it,so it is with everyone who walks in the Spirit of God and not walking in the spirits of their own self worth or pride or any other vanity that they do.
GBU~!
Ave
I greatly admire your humility in serving Him. Too often, women and men of the gospel gloat over the accolades lavished upon them for fulfilling their God-apppointed assignment. But TRUE worshipers recognize that without the Anointing all ministry efforts would be futile. In furtherance of this truth, a TRUE worshiper ascribes all the glory to God for the work He does through him/her.
Pastor- this is so true. All Glory belongs to the Father. Sometimes this is how men and women of God get cought up in the spirit of PRIDE.
Post a Comment