Job CXCIV

The only one within His right to absolutism in any given situation is God. When Bildad declares that surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and that this is the place of him who does not know God, he is appropriating the omnipotence of God and supplanting His authority by declaring that his wisdom and God’s wisdom are on equal footing, and he has as much right to pass judgment on Job as God would.

We have different versions of the selfsame mindset within the household of faith nowadays, and it’s as dangerous now as it was when Bildad uttered the words assuming the authority reserved for God alone. The ‘I declare’ movement has been picking up steam recently, a retread of the word of faith debacle, also known as the name it and claim it shtick that attracted millions of followers and made some shady, unscrupulous men who would otherwise have had careers as used car salesmen richer than they could ever have envisioned.

While it is given to us, as children of God, to walk in His authority, it is also incumbent upon us to submit to His sovereignty. The two are not mutually exclusive, but they work in tandem because, oftentimes, our ways are not His ways; what we envision for ourselves is not the path He would have us journey upon. When such situations arise, His will must supersede our own, and we must submit to Him.

If the Son of God, who declared that He could call on His Father and He would provide Him with more than twelve legions of angels prayed that the Father’s will be done even though He would have preferred that the cup pass from Him, when we do not submit to His will for our lives what we are doing, in essence, is insinuation that we are superior to Christ Himself.

Christ’s declaration regarding the legions of angels was no empty boast. He was not trying to impress His disciples, or insist upon something that was untrue. Contrary to popular opinion, a legion during that time was not one hundred soldiers, but rather fifty-two hundred at a minimum, with the potential of rising to six thousand in some instances. Even though Jesus had full assurance that if He asked the Father to do so, He would send somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty-two thousand angels to His defense, His submission to the will of the Father was so complete as to declare His own will irrelevant in the matter, and that the Father’s will was of absolute import.

Humility and submission are two of the greatest lessons Jesus teaches those who would pick up their crosses and follow after Him, and tragically, they are the two lessons most often dismissed, ignored, and minimized. Why would you choose to feed the hungry when you can dine with royalty? Why would you choose to wash men’s feet when you can wear royal robes? Why would you choose to submit and obey when you can rule with a rod of iron?

It’s just common sense, after all. You have to look successful to reach successful people, don’t you? Tell that to John the Baptizer, who was clothed in camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, ate locusts and wild honey, and preached in the wilderness of Judea. If only he’d had the playbook of the modern-day soothsayers, he would have known that the wilderness is no place for ministry. You have to go where the action is, where you can reach the influential, and preach to those who can help you grow your brand.

We can’t just pray and fast and rely on God. We have to make it happen; otherwise, it never will. Yes, I know, the little ladies with the summer hats used to sing in His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time, but we’re not getting any younger, and His timing seems to be stuck in first gear when we should be in fifth by now.

Even though it’s purely ego-driven, such individuals are quick to insist that it’s all about the Kingdom. If it were, then you would be operating within the rules and parameters that the King of the Kingdom you claim fealty to set forth.

Then, when ultimately doing it on our own sets us back further than when we started, we shake our fists at the he heavens and grow resentful toward God because here we were burning the candle at both ends, spending time away from our families, walking around in a haze, bleary eyed, and exhausted because we’re putting in eighteen hour days, with less than nothing to show for it. We stepped up, and for what?

For those who are self-aware, there is an inevitable moment of epiphany where they realize all the things they were doing weren’t what God had asked them to do. It was them taking the initiative and racing ahead of God, rather than patiently waiting upon the Lord. It was them making assumptions, appropriating authority, and insisting that their vision was in line with God’s vision, for surely the Lord would want them to succeed.

The Lord wants what He’s always wanted: faithful, obedient servants who set aside their self-importance, who crucify their flesh, who mortify their ego, and do what they were called to do, go where they were called to go, and speak what they were told to speak.

If your actions are not rooted in obedience, you may think you’re helping, but you’re not. Wanting to win the world for Jesus may be a noble endeavor on its face, but God told you to win your neighbor first. If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in the large ones. This is a principle Jesus laid out that holds to this day, for no one who is faithless in the small things will be faithful in the greater ones. God tests the hearts of men. They are either found faithful and obedient, or they aren’t; there is no middle ground.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.