One of the truly great men of God of the past made this amazing but accurate statement; “Authority is a tremendous thing in the universe-nothing overshadows it. It is therefore imperative for us who desire to serve God to know the authority of God.” Indeed, this is an amazing statement – nothing overshadows authority. How then can we, in such a desperate time of ungodly and selfish leadership and unrighteous men know what and whom we are to obey? The scriptures clearly state, “There is no power but of God: and the powers that be are ordained of God. He that resists the power, withstands the ordinance of God.”
Romans 13:1-7 KJV
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Is not this a very serious problem? Yet, does not the Lord of all the universe know all that is happening and does He still not require us to be subject to authority? Someone has said that we are living in the greatest vacuum of true leadership the world has ever known and that the result of this is showing up through all the crises the world is now facing.
The truth is that in times of crisis the chaff is driven from the true wheat and the dross from that which is gold. If we know what to look for and understand how authority works we will be able to identify who the Lord will grant authority to in 2012. Power is one thing and authority is another. All who walk in authority need power to accomplish what needs to be done. Authority without power is nearly useless. Yet, we know better than to give power to someone who does not have the maturity to use it correctly.
When Jesus commanded the five hundred to wait for Him in the upper room, only a hundred and twenty received the power that was outpoured on the day of Pentecost. In other words only those who obeyed and continued in obedience received the power and with that power they turned the world upside down.
Acts 1:8 KJV
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
So, then, who is the Lord going to entrust His authority and power to in 2012? To those who obey and continue in obedience. The very lack of righteous leaders will provide the backdrop through which unprecedented men and women of God will come through the fire of purification and stand as pillars of light in these last days. One of the ways the Lord finds His leaders is to subject them to the most unfair and unrighteous treatment imaginable. If they pass the test they are the candidates to lead the next move of God. How will we know if we have passed the test? Ah! That is the question. Let us see.
First, let me mention that those who will become the leaders of the next move of God will be men and women who know all too well the failures of those who are in authority in their day. They clearly see the lack of wisdom and integrity, the failure to be sacrificial, and the tendency to abuse both authority and power. In other words, they will be the ones who have the insight to see what poor and even terrible leadership looks like. Why will they be able to tell? Because they were required of God to serve these very same men and women who abused authority and power.
What they will not be however, is bitter, cynical, or rebellious. They will not be sowers of discord nor leaders of rebellious men and women who turn to them for their leadership insights. They will not be critical or negative. They will be however tender, loving, and peaceful ones who burn with a hunger for the Glory of God. They will be men and women of God who weep themselves to sleep on countless nights as they remember how badly they and others have been treated, yet intercede for a change in the present leadership pattern that is so pitifully broken. They are also crying out for the Lord to raise up anointed, compassionate, wise, and powerful leaders for these end-time seasons.
Dear one, if we are finding ourselves bitter, resentful, and critical of today’s leaders, let us check our hearts. It is possible we are no better than they are. We may be as wrong and unrighteous as they are. If we were to replace these leaders with these sins in our heart, we would probably turn out to be a worse leader. If you find yourself to be in this predicament, there is still time to allow the Holy Spirit to convict you and allow yourself to be a candidate for end-time leadership.
Let us remember that the first great sin against leadership took place in heaven. It was an act of rebellion. Rebellion is a result of pride and a failure to grasp what true authority is all about. Witchcraft is a terrible thing and at the root of witchcraft is the desire to control people and things in an unlawful way. What is interesting and perhaps frightful is that the people who are the most wounded are the ones who seek to control people and situations more than any other. Dear wounded brother or sister have you ever thought you might be guilty of witchcraft?
1 Samuel 15:23 KJV
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord,
he hath also rejected thee from being king.
What is God after if He allows you to be under unrighteous and abusive leadership? It seems that for many people their life is just one repetitive cycle of exposure to abusive leadership. If we look at the Biblical pattern, we see that no man or woman of God ever became a leader without serving under some type of unrighteous and often cruel leader. Perhaps the Lord is seeking to find a humble and yielded heart in us that He can transform into one of His end-time leaders. Yet, if each time we are exposed to unrighteous leaders we end up spewing criticism, bitterness, anger, or gossip, are we any better than they? No, indeed, the fire of the furnace has only exposed the nature of our heart.
What then shall we do? We, who hunger so desperately for Godly leaders? First, let us do what the scriptures tell us to do. That is to pray for these leaders. If we have not prayed until our heart is broken and compassion for the fallen leader fills our heart, we have no right to even begin to judge. Yes, there is a correct way to judge. It is called righteous judgment and righteous judgment is always administered in love.
Indeed, love is what the Lord is after in all of us. Sadly, that is not what is manifesting in many of His children, especially those who are called to serve a poor or abusive leader. Still, how can love be tested unless it is put thorough the furnace? I love the story of David when he has been ruthlessly rejected by his King. Not only rejected, but hounded, slandered, and forced to flee for his life. Watch the tenderness of David’s heart when he finally has an opportunity to not only speak evil of his leader but also harm him.
Davidʼs men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ʻI will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.ʼ” So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saulʼs robe. 5 Afterward Davidʼs conscience bothered him because he had cut off an edge of Saulʼs robe. 6 He said to his men, “May the LORD keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the LORDʼs chosen one, by extending my hand against him. After all, he is the LORDʼs chosen one.”
Perhaps the story of young King David is one the most instructive lessons about leadership we can ever look at. The leadership conditions he found himself in remind me so much of today. The leader that David was required to follow was insecure, petty, and vindictive. Yet, David called him the Lord’s chosen one. Chosen to do what? To see what was in David’s heart. The Lord wanted to find a man after His own heart. In order to do that, he sent David through the “furnace of leadership purification and trial”.
The leaders that the Lord will raise up in 2012 will first of all be men and women who walk in unprecedented love and wisdom. Once the Lord secures these men and women He will grant them authority. When He finds they are using their authority in selfless love and wisdom; He will grant them His power! Are you one of them?
Psalms 19:13-14
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me:
then shall I be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth,
and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Proverbs 6:16-19
These six things doth the Lord hate:
yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies,
and he that soweth discord among brethren.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Apostle Robert Rogers
