Power Struggle

1 Kings 1: ⁵ Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses^[a] ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. ⁶ (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

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³⁹ Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.

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After my second promotion I thought to myself, “I have cracked the code.” After years of missteps and false declarations, I was finally on my way. A couple of years later I received another promotion followed by another. Soon I could actually see myself at the very top of the organization.

The top person got wind of my desires and we began to lock horns. He surrounded himself with many other department heads. I was locked out.

• When I’m climbing up to the top, I sometimes forget I need people to pull me up.
• When I’m trying to reach the top, I sometimes forget I can’t get there on my own.
• When I’m focused on the top, I sometimes forget I was once on the bottom.

Self-declaration is dangerous in any situation. Confidence and competence must be exuded, however, arrogance and know it all behaviors soon become old and can blind me to where I need to be. Fortunately GOD has something different to say about the climb to the top.

• GOD wants me to raise HIM above everything.
• GOD wants me to climb up to HIM rather than seeking titles.
• GOD wants me to see HIM as the ultimate destination without regarding the pride of humans.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be added to you” GOD says to me. In other words, crushing the opponent and making sure they are homeless and desolate shouldn’t be on my agenda. GOD wants me to remove my mild brand of hatred of my opponents and seek HIS face.

• Are you seeking a title?
• Do you want power?
• Can you focus your attention on GOD’s true power?
• Can you stop self-declaring and start declaring GOD’s power?