11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.
1Chro.29:11
1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.
Greatness Is Serving Success is enabling Progress is empowering Fruitfulness is from planting.
Be this your portion Be this your passion Be this your determination Be this your inclination Be this your obsession Be this your profession Be this your confession. Be this your motivation Be this your mission Be this your vision Be this your action Be it your volition Be this your disposition. Be this your compulsion.
Serve joyfully. Serve cheerfully. Serve willingly. Serve gracefully. Serve generously. Serve excellently. Serve worshipfully. Serve acceptably. Serve with your all your heart. Serve with all your mind. Serve with all your might.
22 Bondservants , obey in all things your masters according to the flesh , not with eye service , as men-pleasers , but in sincerity of heart , fearing God. 23 And whatever you do , do it heartily , as to the Lord and not to men , Col 3:22-23
Bondservants and Masters 5 Bondservants , be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh , with fear and trembling , in sincerity of heart , as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice , as men-pleasers , but as bondservants of Christ , doing the will of God from the heart , 7 with goodwill doing service , as to the Lord , and not to men ,
Phil6:5-7 The Cheerful Giver 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly , and He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2Cor9:6
29 Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.
Prov22:29
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight , and served him. Then He made him overseer of his house , and all that He had He put under his authority.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there , it was his doing.
23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority , because the Lord was with him; and whatever He did , the Lord made it prosper.
Gen39:4,22-23
16 Let our master now command your servants , who are before you , to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that He will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you , and you shall be well.”
17 So Saul said to his servants , “Provide me now a man who can play well , and bring him to me.”
18 Then one of the servants answered and said , “Look , I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite , who is skillful in playing , a mighty man of valor , a man of war , prudent in speech , and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.”
1Sam16:16-18
Make Doubt or Fear a Passing Bird, With no room to lodge or linger. Hold fast to all from God that you heard, And refuse any anxious care.
If God says you can, then you can, Regardless of what the world says. So hold tight to His divine plan, Because His ways are not man’s ways.
I say, all things are possible, To all those who believe they are. With God all things are possible, Whether they are close or too far.
So serve quit notice to Doubt and Fear, Refusing their rent no matter how high. You too can mount the high tower. You too can soar very very high. You too can mount the temple top You too can reach the pinacle No principality can stop No power or demon can topple.
So rise and ascend saint of God. Tear, ditch, that sackcloth and ashes. Fasten yourself to God’s Word. And yours will be wheat and kidneys Yours will be the milk and honey. Yours will be the Promised Land. And yours will be the Golden Throne.
You can gather great sheaves of grace. You can milk much marrow and fatness All because you have seen His Face And have believed in His faithfulness.
King Uzziah was here to his demise. ( 2Chro26:5,14-18)
King Saul was here to his dismay ( 1Sam31:1,4, 1Sam15,3,7,15,22-24))
Herod was here to his decay (Acts12:20-24)
Absalom was here to his shame.
He hung on the tree trapped by his long hair- his pride.
Eli was here and he died suddenly.
Nebuchadnezzar was here and was humbled.
Belshazzar became proud bold and brazen;
Defiling holy things.
He was weighed on the scale and found wanting.
He was unceremoniously overthrown.
Harman was here and was hanged
on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai.
His sons were also hanged for good measure.
King Ahab was led astray by Jezebel
And they both paid the price with their lives.
Samson was here as he lay on Delilah’s lap
And played the fool with holy things;
he saw red when his vison was gone.
Those on Sodom and Gomorrah were here
And we all know the fate that greeted them.
Greatness is good. It comes from God
But He must remain in the driving seat.
We must eschew pride- the nature of Lucifer
Who fell because of pride.
Pride goes before a fall.
God resists the proud
But gives grace to the humble.
11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,
And You are exalted as head over all.
12 Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
13 ” Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
1Chro29:11-13
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
” God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1Pet5:5-8
7 And the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
Jos3:7
Genesis 12: Promises to Abram
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: ” Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
Ge12:2-3
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.
13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;
14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,Psalm32:8-9
‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “
Matt4:4
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Josh1:8
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Prov4:13,18,120-23
Abraham also obeyed God when he was told to take his only son, the son he had waited for twenty-five years and sacrifice. His obedience opened a door for him- a ram caught in the bush which he used in place of Isaac.
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you. Gen22:1-4
Abraham departed from his home town, his father’s house, his family to a strange place on God’s instructions and he obeyed and God did not disappoint him.
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: ” Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
Gen12:1-5
Isaac followed instruction to stay put in spite of famine in the land and he obey and was not only blessed with a hundredfold return but made such progress that he waxed great and became very great.
1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.
2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.
3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.
13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;
14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
Gen26:1-6,12-14
Joshua followed instructions and the wall walls of Jericho fell down flat.
1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
2 And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.”
7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the LORD.” Josh6
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Jehoshaphat followed God instructions and obtained protection, God’s presence and super-abundant prosperity
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ” Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.
On the road to greatness
God will give you instructions
Which will look impossible
He will tell you to move forward
In the face of the Red Sea
Or even speak to a rock;
Sing in the face of a war.
You must learn to obey Him
Regardless of what you see
And despite what people say..
You must take God at His word.
Yes, play the fool for the Lord.
Those who know their God will win.
They will surely do great exploits.
They will do valiantly
They’ll run through troops, leap over walls.
7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
Num20:7-8
13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Ex14:14:13-16
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Ps32:8-9
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ” This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
Isa30:21
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
On the road to greatness
There will be great trials
Temptations and tribulations-
All triggers and catalysts of greatness.
Great trials spell great triumphs.
Great valleys spell great victories.
Great barriers birth great breakthroughs.
Great battles bring great miracles.
On the road to greatness
there will be Goliaths,
bears, hyenas and lions.
They will taunt, try, frighten,
Intimidate, growl and howl.
On the road to greatness
There will be crosses to carry
But yes, you can by His
all-sufficient grace,
goodness and loving-kindness.
You will not go under for going over.
You will run through
troops and leap over walls.
You must ‘be still and now that I am God.’ You must be strong and be not afraid nor be dismayed, because I am with you wherever you go. Even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, fear no evil because I am with you. You must know, that you know, that you know, that those who know their God shall be strong and they shall do great exploits. You must remember that weeping may endure but joy is coming in the morning. You must remember that I am your shield and your exceeding great reward. You must not cast away your confidence, knowing that there is a great reward for walking by faith and not by sight. You must know that I have engraved you on the palm of My hand and will never forget you. When you are hard-pressed know that you will not be crushed because your life is hidden in Christ in God. And no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises against you in judgement you shall show to be in the wrong. Fear not at such times because I am your Refuge and your ever-present help in trouble. Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you and you will glorify Me. Be not anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition let your request be made known to Me. And my peace which transcends all understanding will mount guard over your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Through our God we shall do valiantly. Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit. If God be for you, who can be against you? You can do all things through Christ who strengthen you. He who began a good work in you will continue to work at it until He brings it to a glorious finale. All things are possible to those who believe. God is working in you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Know that the Lord is your light and your salvation and salvation belongs to Him. He will fight for you and you will hold your peace.