Teaching By Craig Kinsley
Date: October 20, 2005
FAITHFULNESS & PROMOTION
By: Revivalist Craig Kinsley
There has never been a more exciting time to be living in than today! We have already seen so much restoration take place and now, I believe, we are beginning to see the Day of the Saints. Each member of the Body of Christ is now realizing that he or she has been called of God. Yes, YOU have a destiny to fulfill. Many of you have had prophetic words over your life and have begun to dream about what God will do through your life. You want to be a history-maker, and rightly so. God wants these things for your life. He wants you to be one of the champions that will destroy the kingdom of darkness and establish the Kingdom of God in the nations of the earth. But before history books are written about your life, there are steps of faithfulness that you must take. The good news is that you can begin to take these steps right now! With so many prophetic words being released, I don’t want to share a prophetic experience with you right now. I want to minister as a teacher to share how you can step into your own prophetic destiny.
THE NATURAL vs. THE PROPHETIC WORD
Each of you has probably at some point in your walk with God had your destiny called forth either by a prophet, another believer, or even in scripture. God has said you would be a “prophet to the nations”, or “a David”, or an “evangelist to the masses”. Each believer has a specific call and heart that is God given and is made known only by God. But most of you have never resembled that call and destiny in your life. God has called you with a prophetic anointing, but you can’t seem to hear Him say anything. The prophet prophesied that you would come into “Kingdom wealth”, but you don’t know if you will be able to pay your rent. Scripture has called you a “joint heir with Christ” (Romans 8:17), but you can’t imagine feeling much lower than you now do. The natural world (the world in which our flesh lives; the one we can see with our natural eyes) always opposes the prophetic word of God. At first, you never seem to resemble the person that God calls you to be. You couldn’t have a more exciting and dramatic calling than Gideon in Judges 6:12. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’” Gideon looked nothing like a “mighty man of valor.” In fact in verse 15, Gideon himself confesses, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” God was speaking to Gideon’s potential through the working of the prophetic word and God’s power, not Gideon’s present situation, which was his “natural” circumstance.
Because of this principle many Christians find that from the beginning they have no real faith in what God says about them. They believe it can only happen if God sovereignly changes their circumstances and situations. We wait around for months and years for a lightning bolt to strike, the hosts of heaven to come down, and for God to supernaturally drop us into our destiny overnight. Because God’s destiny for our lives doesn’t work in this manner, over the years we become increasingly frustrated and begin to disbelieve God’s plan altogether.
In Exodus, the children of Israel received a promise from God through Moses that they would soon inherit the Promised Land. However, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years! They were being tested to prove whether or not they were trustworthy. “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) Those 40 years could have been shortened significantly, but they did not understand that they had a part in the plan of God being played out. It was up to them as to whether they would remain faithful in believing that the God who brought them out of bondage would also keep His promise for their lives.
As co-laborers with Jesus Christ, we must begin to lay hold of our destiny by making something happen. We must as they say, “take the bull by the horns.” Now I don’t mean just doing anything that we can think of, but there are certain things that we really don’t have to pray about. We don’t have to ask God whether to share the Gospel or not. We don’t have to fast and pray about studying His Word. It’s not much of a decision as to whether we should take care of orphans and widows or feed the hungry. Instead of just waiting for destiny to happen, begin to make destiny happen. God desires to partner with us in seeing our destiny fulfilled. He has put desires in your heart. Put action to your destiny.
KINGDOM PRINCIPLE: FAITHFULNESS
In order to truly access the keys to each of our destinies, we must begin with a kingdom outlook. The Kingdom of Heaven, or the realm and rules of heaven operating here on the earth, has certain principles that govern the way the kingdom operates in the natural realm. “So, the last will be first and the first last…” (Matthew 20:16); “Give, and it will be given…” (Luke 6:38). These are teachings of Jesus that brought understanding to us about how His kingdom operates contrary to how the world tells us to operate or even how our flesh feels we should operate. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary of all time. Even to His own people He brought radical ideas that were contrary to the teachings of the society in which He lived. To illustrate these ideas, Jesus would use natural means, parables, to explain the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is no different with the law of faithfulness. Jesus knew that society, even today, would tell us that in order to gain a promotion you must fight and claw your way to the top. No matter what it takes, who it hurts, or what lines of compromise you have to cross to get there, just get there! Attempting to get ahead in this manner, will always lead to competition, stress, bitterness, jealously and many other factors that always pull you away from God’s destiny for your life.
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
Jesus knew the devastating effects of using the world’s system to move forward in God’s will for your life. Jesus began a parable in Matthew 25:14 this way, “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” By this statement we know that He is about to explain how the Father’s kingdom operates here in the earth. The parable begins with a man delivering “talents” to each of his servants to care for while he is away traveling. In verse 15 notice, “[he gave talents]…to each according to his own ability.” God has a specific destiny for each and every believer. He has given us each dominion and authority with which to rule, and He has placed in our care specific kingdom assignments. The call is never beyond what we can faithfully handle.
Verse 16 reveals the first servant who received five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. He was faithful with what the master had given him. Jesus actually seems to say that this was the immediate response of the servant. As soon as he received the five talents, he did something with them. He made use of what he had been given and thus made another five talents. Because he was faithful in what he had been given, he received double back.
The same is true with the second servant. “And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.” (Matt. 25:17) This one actually received less than half of what the previous servant had received, yet he was faithful with the two talents he had been given. If it were one of us, we probably would have complained and become jealous of the first servant’s five talents to the point that we would have just wasted what was sitting right in front of us, much in the same way the last servant acted. “But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.” (Matt. 25:18) The last servant didn’t feel that what he had been given was worth very much. He probably didn’t figure it would go very far, so he just decided to waste the potential of what was given to him. What he had been given was now dead in the ground.
After a long while, the master came back to see what each had done with what they had been given. One by one they each came out to present to the master what they had done with what they had been given. The first two servants presented before the master the talents and the increase they had gained. Here is his response. “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…” (Matt. 25:21) Even though the first servant was given more talents than the second, through their faithfulness they both stepped into their reward of having “rule over many things”. Their faithfulness was accounted to them and because of their faithfulness(;), they soon were exercising dominion and rule in areas that had previously been unattainable.
The last servant, however, came back to report that the talent he had been given was put into the ground and absolutely nothing had been done with it. Because the servant had been lazy and unfaithful even what he had been given was taken away and he was left with nothing. “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matt. 25:29)
FAITHFULNESS & PROMOTION
Even though each of us has an ultimate, awesome destiny that we seek to live out, God gives us each portions of our destiny with which to be faithful day by day, week by week, month by month, and so on. He expects us, from the moment we begin to walk out our destiny, to be faithful with what He gives us. Many times we expect promotion to our ultimate destiny without first being faithful with the little things He gives us everyday. The first servant was faithful with what the master gave him, and thus he stepped into a destiny unheard of for a servant. He was made to be a ruler because he was faithful in the little.
The second servant didn’t receive as much as his fellow servant. He only received two talents. What would you do in a situation like that? Let’s get real. Many of us would be so jealous over the fact that “John” or “Lindsay” was given more to begin with, that we would despise what was given to us. This guy was not only thankful for what had been committed to his trust, but he was faithful in the use of the talents. Because of this he stepped into the same caliber of reigning and ruling (kingship) as the previous guy. The first servant began with more, but they both ended up as rulers over many things. We have to be careful to look at every little “talent” the Lord gives us as an opportunity to advance the kingdom and prove our faithfulness. Then promotion will come. It’s a kingdom principle.
Jesus speaks of the last servant as the “unprofitable servant”. The Master had a plan to promote him as well. The Master had a plan that he would step into the fullness of his destiny, but he proved unfaithful. In fact his whole destiny vanished because of his unfaithfulness over one talent. Only one little talent! It cost him everything. You know I meet millions of men and women who talk about all the prophetic words that they have received concerning their destiny and calling. They talk about all of the experiences they have had and all the plans of preaching and reaching entire nations with revival. Yet, they don’t seem to be doing anything. I ask many people that I meet, “So what are you doing right now?” The response is usually, “Well I’m just waiting for my time.” Just waiting for your time will never produce promotion in your life. The prophetic word speaks to your potential, but your destiny comes to pass when you take steps of faithfulness in your everyday life.
THE JOURNEY OF FAITHFULNESS
We can all find elements of ourselves in the life of King David. This was a man after God’s own heart that despite mistakes walked a life of servant hood and devotion to the Lord that would be hard to find today. David’s journey to the heart of God and into the fullness of his destiny as King over all of Israel didn’t exactly happen overnight. It started as a journey when the prophet Samuel called him out from a pasture. We find the account of David’s anointing as King in 1 Samuel 16.
As Samuel is seeking who the Lord would have him anoint as the next king of Israel, he seems to come to the end of the line. It appeared that there had been a mistake somewhere. He had already been warned by God not to look at the outward appearance, but at the heart. From what he could tell, he had been through all of Jesse’s sons. Where was the mighty man of God? He was out tending the sheep; the runt of the family and last one in which anyone would see destiny. Yet, this was God’s chosen vessel.
“And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all the young men here?’ Then he said, “there remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.’ So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” (1 Samuel 16:11-13)
The most notable prophet in all of Israel called David out from the midst of his brothers and declared him as King over Israel, and the anointing from the Spirit of God came upon his life from that day forward. Wow! Isn’t this everyone’s dream? There was no higher calling in ministry. To be King over Israel was it. David had received that calling. Don’t you see yourself here? The prophet called you out from everyone else and began to describe how you were going to effect nations. He began to speak the Word of the Lord about your ministry touching the nation of China. He talked about the miracles that would be worked by your hands. He began to speak about the Joel’s Army generation, how the same anointing that was on the life of John G. Lake would be on your life, and on and on.
The same happened for David that day. Not only did the prophet call him out, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon his life for the task that day. Yes, it happened that very day. Nothing on the outside looked any different, but in his spirit he was king. I remember when God began to speak over my life of the destiny he had for me, how I was going to be a revivalist, touching the nations, and seeing the end time move of God. I knew from that time that I was who He said I was. I knew I was called and I knew that giftings and anointings I needed to fulfill the destiny already rested on my life. But it sure didn’t look like it in the natural. You see I was without a job, living with my parents, had no college degree and was without any real direction.
It was the same with David. Though he was anointed King that day, nothing in the natural resembled (that he was) a king. He didn’t have an international ministry. In fact, he didn’t even have influence over one single person. So how did David come into all that God had planned for him? He was faithful.
David endured the trials and wilderness experiences with courage and faithfulness in order to see the prophetic words over his life come to pass. It was not an easy road. He fought a giant, wandered in the wilderness, and escaped death by the hand of Saul. Even through these times, he endured and pressed on to the high calling of God on his life.
Eventually David did come into kingship. He was made king over Judah (2 Samuel 2). This wasn’t exactly what God had told David. You see he had received the anointing as King over all of Israel. This was a promotion because of David’s faithfulness. It wasn’t the fullness of what God had said, but it was a promotion and another step in the journey of faithfulness.
From the day that he received the anointing as king, it took 13 years for David to actually step into his kingship. He took a journey of faithfulness. “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, ‘Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel.” (2 Samuel 5:1-3) If you look closely at verse 2, you will see David’s faithfulness very clearly. Even while Saul was technically still king, David did the work of a king. He decided that before he was actually made king, he was going to function as the king. How are you functioning in comparison to what you desire to be? We have many apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but how many are actually functioning in their anointed role? David functioned as king and acted like the king. This faithfulness led to his destiny being fulfilled.
After God began to reveal my destiny, I determined within myself to begin to act as though I was already sparking revivals and touching nations. My first ministry opportunity was as a recreation director for a weekly children’s Bible school. I treated this responsibility as if the children’s very soul was at stake even as we played softball or kickball! As I continued to be faithful, I was offered a part-time position starting an inner city children’s ministry. For two years I poured myself into about 20 African American children, week in and week out. From there I helped to plant a revival church and was soon a full-time associate pastor. As I was faithful in serving the people and the pastor, God sent me to intern with Todd Bentley and Fresh Fire Ministries for a period of six months. Now, as the 6 month period is ending, I am preparing to begin traveling all over the globe as a revivalist with Fresh Fire, touching nations and seeing the first fruits of the end-time move of God(;)- all in a period of about 4 years! Do you see the principle of faithfulness and promotion? As far as anointing and gifting, I am the same person today that I was when I was helping children to swing a bat or kick a ball. The anointing and calling came to me. It was a matter of taking the journey of faithfulness and being faithful with everything God gave me to do each day.
FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES
Even the early church and the apostles proved their faithfulness. They were given a mandate in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” They received the power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. However, they still had to be faithful in being witnesses and working the power that God had given them. They partnered with what the Holy Spirit was doing, went out and literally changed the world. It started with Jerusalem. This was the city where it began. This was the beginning of the journey of faithfulness for the early church. Soon, they would take the Gospel out to Judea; eventually move to the larger Samaria and now literally to the ends of the earth. Once again this shows the process of faithfulness and promotion.
Even Paul proved his faithfulness. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” Paul was enabled by God to perform miracles, pioneer, reach the masses, plant churches, raise the dead, endure hardships, and write most of the New Testament because of his faithfulness. If anyone was called of God because of grace and the sovereignty of God, it was Paul. Yet, he still had a journey of faithfulness to take in order to come into the fullness of his destiny.
In the book of Acts chapter 6 both Philip and Stephen were chosen as servants to take care of the widows. This wasn’t exactly the kind of ministry that most would see and be envious. It probably didn’t seem like the same call that they knew to be inside of them. Yet, they were faithful. We know this because they both went on to destroy the kingdom of darkness. Stephen went on to be a man of signs and wonders, and to become the first Christian martyr. Philip saw an entire city reached by miracles, signs and wonders and became a mighty evangelist. Both of these men of God began as simple servants to widows.
FAITHFULNESS TO ANOTHER'S VISION
In 1 Corinthians 4:17 Paul promises that he is sending Timothy to the church. Paul mentions that one of Timothy’s credentials is that he has proven to be faithful to Paul. Before we can be trusted with the great destiny God has planned for us, many times God will ask us to prove our faithfulness to someone else’s vision and destiny. As Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms for battle (Exodus 17), God is looking for those who will support others as an act of faithfulness.
Again in Colossians 4:7-9 Paul sends two ministers to the church. (Both he declares) He declares both to be faithful. It seems that the only ministers that Paul trusted enough to send as ambassadors for him are those who have proven to be faithful. “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) Even Timothy was told to make sure that those left in his ministry were first and foremost, faithful. It wasn’t until Elisha proved faithful to Elijah that God could trust him with Elijah’s mantle. “…As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!...” (2 Kings 2:6)
Are we willing to lay down our own visions and dreams in order to remain faithful to another’s? I believe that if we are not faithful first to another’s vision, then we risk not having other’s to help us fulfill our own vision. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
FAITHFUL TO THE END
We must remain faithful to the end. In these last days, with the excitement of the prophetic promises, we can get in such a hurry to “get on with it” that while we accept being chosen, we totally miss being faithful. Jesus declared in Luke 12:48 that to whom much is given, much is required. Too quickly we want to jump into something that will require much. “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14) Those that will be part of this end-time army are not those who are only chosen. Those that are chosen must also be faithful. Faithfulness does not always have to take a long time. As with me, the process of faithfulness and promotion came rather quickly though the process is still taking place. This does not mean that we can ever skip the journey of faithfulness. Every great man and woman of God has proved faithful.
Maybe God has not called you to the masses. Maybe you don’t have a desire to influence kings and dignitaries, but deep in your heart you have a desire. God wants to see that desire come to pass even more than you do. The Lord wants to use you to shake cities and destroy the works of the devil, but he has set certain principles in place. “…you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…” (Matthew 25:21) The journey to fullness is a journey of faithfulness. I know that today the Spirit of God will speak to you. He has an assignment for you. If you are faithful with that assignment, you will see promotion in your life. Before you know it, God has fully released your destiny and nations are being changed because of your faithfulness.
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FAITHFULNESS & PROMOTION
By: Revivalist Craig Kinsley
There has never been a more exciting time to be living in than today! We have already seen so much restoration take place and now, I believe, we are beginning to see the Day of the Saints. Each member of the Body of Christ is now realizing that he or she has been called of God. Yes, YOU have a destiny to fulfill. Many of you have had prophetic words over your life and have begun to dream about what God will do through your life. You want to be a history-maker, and rightly so. God wants these things for your life. He wants you to be one of the champions that will destroy the kingdom of darkness and establish the Kingdom of God in the nations of the earth. But before history books are written about your life, there are steps of faithfulness that you must take. The good news is that you can begin to take these steps right now! With so many prophetic words being released, I don’t want to share a prophetic experience with you right now. I want to minister as a teacher to share how you can step into your own prophetic destiny.
THE NATURAL vs. THE PROPHETIC WORD
Each of you has probably at some point in your walk with God had your destiny called forth either by a prophet, another believer, or even in scripture. God has said you would be a “prophet to the nations”, or “a David”, or an “evangelist to the masses”. Each believer has a specific call and heart that is God given and is made known only by God. But most of you have never resembled that call and destiny in your life. God has called you with a prophetic anointing, but you can’t seem to hear Him say anything. The prophet prophesied that you would come into “Kingdom wealth”, but you don’t know if you will be able to pay your rent. Scripture has called you a “joint heir with Christ” (Romans 8:17), but you can’t imagine feeling much lower than you now do. The natural world (the world in which our flesh lives; the one we can see with our natural eyes) always opposes the prophetic word of God. At first, you never seem to resemble the person that God calls you to be. You couldn’t have a more exciting and dramatic calling than Gideon in Judges 6:12. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’” Gideon looked nothing like a “mighty man of valor.” In fact in verse 15, Gideon himself confesses, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” God was speaking to Gideon’s potential through the working of the prophetic word and God’s power, not Gideon’s present situation, which was his “natural” circumstance.
Because of this principle many Christians find that from the beginning they have no real faith in what God says about them. They believe it can only happen if God sovereignly changes their circumstances and situations. We wait around for months and years for a lightning bolt to strike, the hosts of heaven to come down, and for God to supernaturally drop us into our destiny overnight. Because God’s destiny for our lives doesn’t work in this manner, over the years we become increasingly frustrated and begin to disbelieve God’s plan altogether.
In Exodus, the children of Israel received a promise from God through Moses that they would soon inherit the Promised Land. However, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years! They were being tested to prove whether or not they were trustworthy. “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) Those 40 years could have been shortened significantly, but they did not understand that they had a part in the plan of God being played out. It was up to them as to whether they would remain faithful in believing that the God who brought them out of bondage would also keep His promise for their lives.
As co-laborers with Jesus Christ, we must begin to lay hold of our destiny by making something happen. We must as they say, “take the bull by the horns.” Now I don’t mean just doing anything that we can think of, but there are certain things that we really don’t have to pray about. We don’t have to ask God whether to share the Gospel or not. We don’t have to fast and pray about studying His Word. It’s not much of a decision as to whether we should take care of orphans and widows or feed the hungry. Instead of just waiting for destiny to happen, begin to make destiny happen. God desires to partner with us in seeing our destiny fulfilled. He has put desires in your heart. Put action to your destiny.
KINGDOM PRINCIPLE: FAITHFULNESS
In order to truly access the keys to each of our destinies, we must begin with a kingdom outlook. The Kingdom of Heaven, or the realm and rules of heaven operating here on the earth, has certain principles that govern the way the kingdom operates in the natural realm. “So, the last will be first and the first last…” (Matthew 20:16); “Give, and it will be given…” (Luke 6:38). These are teachings of Jesus that brought understanding to us about how His kingdom operates contrary to how the world tells us to operate or even how our flesh feels we should operate. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary of all time. Even to His own people He brought radical ideas that were contrary to the teachings of the society in which He lived. To illustrate these ideas, Jesus would use natural means, parables, to explain the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is no different with the law of faithfulness. Jesus knew that society, even today, would tell us that in order to gain a promotion you must fight and claw your way to the top. No matter what it takes, who it hurts, or what lines of compromise you have to cross to get there, just get there! Attempting to get ahead in this manner, will always lead to competition, stress, bitterness, jealously and many other factors that always pull you away from God’s destiny for your life.
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
Jesus knew the devastating effects of using the world’s system to move forward in God’s will for your life. Jesus began a parable in Matthew 25:14 this way, “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” By this statement we know that He is about to explain how the Father’s kingdom operates here in the earth. The parable begins with a man delivering “talents” to each of his servants to care for while he is away traveling. In verse 15 notice, “[he gave talents]…to each according to his own ability.” God has a specific destiny for each and every believer. He has given us each dominion and authority with which to rule, and He has placed in our care specific kingdom assignments. The call is never beyond what we can faithfully handle.
Verse 16 reveals the first servant who received five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. He was faithful with what the master had given him. Jesus actually seems to say that this was the immediate response of the servant. As soon as he received the five talents, he did something with them. He made use of what he had been given and thus made another five talents. Because he was faithful in what he had been given, he received double back.
The same is true with the second servant. “And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.” (Matt. 25:17) This one actually received less than half of what the previous servant had received, yet he was faithful with the two talents he had been given. If it were one of us, we probably would have complained and become jealous of the first servant’s five talents to the point that we would have just wasted what was sitting right in front of us, much in the same way the last servant acted. “But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.” (Matt. 25:18) The last servant didn’t feel that what he had been given was worth very much. He probably didn’t figure it would go very far, so he just decided to waste the potential of what was given to him. What he had been given was now dead in the ground.
After a long while, the master came back to see what each had done with what they had been given. One by one they each came out to present to the master what they had done with what they had been given. The first two servants presented before the master the talents and the increase they had gained. Here is his response. “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…” (Matt. 25:21) Even though the first servant was given more talents than the second, through their faithfulness they both stepped into their reward of having “rule over many things”. Their faithfulness was accounted to them and because of their faithfulness(;), they soon were exercising dominion and rule in areas that had previously been unattainable.
The last servant, however, came back to report that the talent he had been given was put into the ground and absolutely nothing had been done with it. Because the servant had been lazy and unfaithful even what he had been given was taken away and he was left with nothing. “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matt. 25:29)
FAITHFULNESS & PROMOTION
Even though each of us has an ultimate, awesome destiny that we seek to live out, God gives us each portions of our destiny with which to be faithful day by day, week by week, month by month, and so on. He expects us, from the moment we begin to walk out our destiny, to be faithful with what He gives us. Many times we expect promotion to our ultimate destiny without first being faithful with the little things He gives us everyday. The first servant was faithful with what the master gave him, and thus he stepped into a destiny unheard of for a servant. He was made to be a ruler because he was faithful in the little.
The second servant didn’t receive as much as his fellow servant. He only received two talents. What would you do in a situation like that? Let’s get real. Many of us would be so jealous over the fact that “John” or “Lindsay” was given more to begin with, that we would despise what was given to us. This guy was not only thankful for what had been committed to his trust, but he was faithful in the use of the talents. Because of this he stepped into the same caliber of reigning and ruling (kingship) as the previous guy. The first servant began with more, but they both ended up as rulers over many things. We have to be careful to look at every little “talent” the Lord gives us as an opportunity to advance the kingdom and prove our faithfulness. Then promotion will come. It’s a kingdom principle.
Jesus speaks of the last servant as the “unprofitable servant”. The Master had a plan to promote him as well. The Master had a plan that he would step into the fullness of his destiny, but he proved unfaithful. In fact his whole destiny vanished because of his unfaithfulness over one talent. Only one little talent! It cost him everything. You know I meet millions of men and women who talk about all the prophetic words that they have received concerning their destiny and calling. They talk about all of the experiences they have had and all the plans of preaching and reaching entire nations with revival. Yet, they don’t seem to be doing anything. I ask many people that I meet, “So what are you doing right now?” The response is usually, “Well I’m just waiting for my time.” Just waiting for your time will never produce promotion in your life. The prophetic word speaks to your potential, but your destiny comes to pass when you take steps of faithfulness in your everyday life.
THE JOURNEY OF FAITHFULNESS
We can all find elements of ourselves in the life of King David. This was a man after God’s own heart that despite mistakes walked a life of servant hood and devotion to the Lord that would be hard to find today. David’s journey to the heart of God and into the fullness of his destiny as King over all of Israel didn’t exactly happen overnight. It started as a journey when the prophet Samuel called him out from a pasture. We find the account of David’s anointing as King in 1 Samuel 16.
As Samuel is seeking who the Lord would have him anoint as the next king of Israel, he seems to come to the end of the line. It appeared that there had been a mistake somewhere. He had already been warned by God not to look at the outward appearance, but at the heart. From what he could tell, he had been through all of Jesse’s sons. Where was the mighty man of God? He was out tending the sheep; the runt of the family and last one in which anyone would see destiny. Yet, this was God’s chosen vessel.
“And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all the young men here?’ Then he said, “there remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.’ So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” (1 Samuel 16:11-13)
The most notable prophet in all of Israel called David out from the midst of his brothers and declared him as King over Israel, and the anointing from the Spirit of God came upon his life from that day forward. Wow! Isn’t this everyone’s dream? There was no higher calling in ministry. To be King over Israel was it. David had received that calling. Don’t you see yourself here? The prophet called you out from everyone else and began to describe how you were going to effect nations. He began to speak the Word of the Lord about your ministry touching the nation of China. He talked about the miracles that would be worked by your hands. He began to speak about the Joel’s Army generation, how the same anointing that was on the life of John G. Lake would be on your life, and on and on.
The same happened for David that day. Not only did the prophet call him out, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon his life for the task that day. Yes, it happened that very day. Nothing on the outside looked any different, but in his spirit he was king. I remember when God began to speak over my life of the destiny he had for me, how I was going to be a revivalist, touching the nations, and seeing the end time move of God. I knew from that time that I was who He said I was. I knew I was called and I knew that giftings and anointings I needed to fulfill the destiny already rested on my life. But it sure didn’t look like it in the natural. You see I was without a job, living with my parents, had no college degree and was without any real direction.
It was the same with David. Though he was anointed King that day, nothing in the natural resembled (that he was) a king. He didn’t have an international ministry. In fact, he didn’t even have influence over one single person. So how did David come into all that God had planned for him? He was faithful.
David endured the trials and wilderness experiences with courage and faithfulness in order to see the prophetic words over his life come to pass. It was not an easy road. He fought a giant, wandered in the wilderness, and escaped death by the hand of Saul. Even through these times, he endured and pressed on to the high calling of God on his life.
Eventually David did come into kingship. He was made king over Judah (2 Samuel 2). This wasn’t exactly what God had told David. You see he had received the anointing as King over all of Israel. This was a promotion because of David’s faithfulness. It wasn’t the fullness of what God had said, but it was a promotion and another step in the journey of faithfulness.
From the day that he received the anointing as king, it took 13 years for David to actually step into his kingship. He took a journey of faithfulness. “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, ‘Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel.” (2 Samuel 5:1-3) If you look closely at verse 2, you will see David’s faithfulness very clearly. Even while Saul was technically still king, David did the work of a king. He decided that before he was actually made king, he was going to function as the king. How are you functioning in comparison to what you desire to be? We have many apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but how many are actually functioning in their anointed role? David functioned as king and acted like the king. This faithfulness led to his destiny being fulfilled.
After God began to reveal my destiny, I determined within myself to begin to act as though I was already sparking revivals and touching nations. My first ministry opportunity was as a recreation director for a weekly children’s Bible school. I treated this responsibility as if the children’s very soul was at stake even as we played softball or kickball! As I continued to be faithful, I was offered a part-time position starting an inner city children’s ministry. For two years I poured myself into about 20 African American children, week in and week out. From there I helped to plant a revival church and was soon a full-time associate pastor. As I was faithful in serving the people and the pastor, God sent me to intern with Todd Bentley and Fresh Fire Ministries for a period of six months. Now, as the 6 month period is ending, I am preparing to begin traveling all over the globe as a revivalist with Fresh Fire, touching nations and seeing the first fruits of the end-time move of God(;)- all in a period of about 4 years! Do you see the principle of faithfulness and promotion? As far as anointing and gifting, I am the same person today that I was when I was helping children to swing a bat or kick a ball. The anointing and calling came to me. It was a matter of taking the journey of faithfulness and being faithful with everything God gave me to do each day.
FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES
Even the early church and the apostles proved their faithfulness. They were given a mandate in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” They received the power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. However, they still had to be faithful in being witnesses and working the power that God had given them. They partnered with what the Holy Spirit was doing, went out and literally changed the world. It started with Jerusalem. This was the city where it began. This was the beginning of the journey of faithfulness for the early church. Soon, they would take the Gospel out to Judea; eventually move to the larger Samaria and now literally to the ends of the earth. Once again this shows the process of faithfulness and promotion.
Even Paul proved his faithfulness. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” Paul was enabled by God to perform miracles, pioneer, reach the masses, plant churches, raise the dead, endure hardships, and write most of the New Testament because of his faithfulness. If anyone was called of God because of grace and the sovereignty of God, it was Paul. Yet, he still had a journey of faithfulness to take in order to come into the fullness of his destiny.
In the book of Acts chapter 6 both Philip and Stephen were chosen as servants to take care of the widows. This wasn’t exactly the kind of ministry that most would see and be envious. It probably didn’t seem like the same call that they knew to be inside of them. Yet, they were faithful. We know this because they both went on to destroy the kingdom of darkness. Stephen went on to be a man of signs and wonders, and to become the first Christian martyr. Philip saw an entire city reached by miracles, signs and wonders and became a mighty evangelist. Both of these men of God began as simple servants to widows.
FAITHFULNESS TO ANOTHER'S VISION
In 1 Corinthians 4:17 Paul promises that he is sending Timothy to the church. Paul mentions that one of Timothy’s credentials is that he has proven to be faithful to Paul. Before we can be trusted with the great destiny God has planned for us, many times God will ask us to prove our faithfulness to someone else’s vision and destiny. As Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms for battle (Exodus 17), God is looking for those who will support others as an act of faithfulness.
Again in Colossians 4:7-9 Paul sends two ministers to the church. (Both he declares) He declares both to be faithful. It seems that the only ministers that Paul trusted enough to send as ambassadors for him are those who have proven to be faithful. “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) Even Timothy was told to make sure that those left in his ministry were first and foremost, faithful. It wasn’t until Elisha proved faithful to Elijah that God could trust him with Elijah’s mantle. “…As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!...” (2 Kings 2:6)
Are we willing to lay down our own visions and dreams in order to remain faithful to another’s? I believe that if we are not faithful first to another’s vision, then we risk not having other’s to help us fulfill our own vision. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
FAITHFUL TO THE END
We must remain faithful to the end. In these last days, with the excitement of the prophetic promises, we can get in such a hurry to “get on with it” that while we accept being chosen, we totally miss being faithful. Jesus declared in Luke 12:48 that to whom much is given, much is required. Too quickly we want to jump into something that will require much. “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14) Those that will be part of this end-time army are not those who are only chosen. Those that are chosen must also be faithful. Faithfulness does not always have to take a long time. As with me, the process of faithfulness and promotion came rather quickly though the process is still taking place. This does not mean that we can ever skip the journey of faithfulness. Every great man and woman of God has proved faithful.
Maybe God has not called you to the masses. Maybe you don’t have a desire to influence kings and dignitaries, but deep in your heart you have a desire. God wants to see that desire come to pass even more than you do. The Lord wants to use you to shake cities and destroy the works of the devil, but he has set certain principles in place. “…you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…” (Matthew 25:21) The journey to fullness is a journey of faithfulness. I know that today the Spirit of God will speak to you. He has an assignment for you. If you are faithful with that assignment, you will see promotion in your life. Before you know it, God has fully released your destiny and nations are being changed because of your faithfulness.
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posted by KFF at 9:50 PM
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