The Power Test

Welcome to Worshiping the Word with Pastor Robert Morris. We are in Pastor Robert's From Dream to Destiny series, which is about the 10 character-building tests Joseph passed on the way to his God-ordained destiny. Today, Pastor Robert is sharing about the test of power and how we respond when we are given success and authority.

Well, this is an incredible message, so let's join him now. We're continuing our series, Dream to Destiny, and this week is the power test. The power test. The power test happens when we step into God's destiny for our life. This happened in Joseph's life when he was 30 years old. Pharaoh had two dreams and Joseph interpreted those dreams and stepped into his destiny. Now, he hasn't fulfilled his destiny yet, so I want you to understand, even if you're walking in the destiny God has for you, we're still taking tests.

All of us are still taking these tests. But this is the first test I believe that we take when we step into the destiny God has on our life. So, Genesis 41, we're going to skip around a little bit, but you'll get the gist of the story. This is right after Pharaoh's two dreams in verses 1 through 7 list his dreams. Now, look at verse 8.

Genesis 41, verse 8. Now, it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled. That's speaking of Pharaoh. And he sinned and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh. Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh saying, I remember my faults this day. In other words, he now tells him about Joseph. Look at verse 14. Then Pharaoh said and called Joseph and they brought him quickly.

It's very important to understand, the power test comes quickly. Out of the dungeon and he shaved, changed his clothing and came to Pharaoh. Verse 37. So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, can we find such a one as this? A man in whom is the spirit of God.

Notice even an unbeliever recognized God's spirit. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, in as much as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house and all my people shall be ruled according to your word.

Only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, see, I've set you over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck and he had him ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried out before him, bow the knee. So he set him over all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh also said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh and without your consent, no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. Now I just want you to notice that Joseph goes to sleep in the prison, wakes up in the prison, gets called to the palace and the next day wakes up in the palace. Promotion, I believe, can come in one day. In one day, you can step into your destiny. And I want you to see that all of these tests we've been going through, for instance, the pride test is how we respond to the dream. The power test is how we respond to the destiny. Many, many people don't understand you will be tested by success. It is one of the tests that many, many people fail. They can handle the prison test. They can handle the test of adversity.

But when the test of success comes, they're not ready for that success. Think about this. You have a guy, just to give you an example. Let's say there's a small church and there's a guy that volunteers and he just helps people in the parking lot. He just loves to help guests find parking places and he just does such a great job.

He has a servant heart. And so the pastor comes to him and says, listen, you do such a great job in the parking lot. I'm going to make you the parking lot captain. From now on, you're the parking lot captain. And the next week, the guy shows up with a uniform, a bullhorn, and a flashlight that looks like it belongs in a Star Wars movie. He's failing the power test.

Something changed when he got the position. This is what the power test is. So I want to talk about power a little bit today, all right? And three points, but I phrased them as questions, all right?

So here's the number one question. From where does power come? From where does power come? Psalm 62 verse 11 says, God has spoken once, twice I've heard this, that power belongs to God. All power comes from God. Romans 14 says there is no power in existence, no authority that is not set up by God. One of my favorite scriptures is when Jesus is standing before Pilate and Pilate says this, John 19 verses 10 and 11, then Pilate said to him, are you not speaking to me?

In other words, you're not going to answer me. Do you not know that I have power to crucify you and power to release you? Now, one of the reasons this is one of my favorite scriptures is because it has to be the funniest scripture in the Bible. Because he's saying to the creator of the universe, do you not know I have power over you?

I am surprised Jesus didn't go, you know. He said Jesus answered, you could have no power at all against me unless it had been given to you from above. And let me tell you a little bit about the power test. The power test is recognizing that God's blessing and God's power is on our lives as we respond and do the right thing. In other words, the power test is not going either way that I had done all this, that my success is because of me, nor is it going the other way to say, well, it's just all God. It's understanding that I've worked very, very hard to have the success that I have, yet God's blessed me.

And without the blessing of God, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. But I have responded and I've walked in obedience. I've walked in stewardship.

I've walked in principles of finance. I've walked in principles of humility and servanthood. We can come to the place where we actually have false humility. For instance, Steve Green that was here a couple of weeks ago, and I thought Steve just did a fantastic job at Easter.

Steve and Mary Jean and Debbie and I have been friends for years. About 25 years ago, Steve told me this story at lunch one day. He said he had come to the place where he had false humility. He'd swung the pendulum so far that really false humility is pride, you know? And he had gotten into this little saying, it's all God. When people would compliment him, he'd say, it's all God.

And he sang one day and he walked off the platform and there was a guy right there. And this guy took his hand out and he said to Steve, brother, that was good. And Steve said, well, brother, it was all God.

And the guy said, well, it wasn't that good. See, the way you pass the power test is you understand that we work hard, we respond to God's voice, but it's still God's power and God's authority. All power comes from God. And I'll tell you something else also, a lot of people don't realize this, the desire for power comes from God.

Did you know that? Now Satan has twisted it and caused it to be a selfish and a self-centered desire, but the original pure desire for power comes from God. Do you realize you were created in the image of an all powerful God? And when you understand what power is for, that power is not for our good, but power is to help people. Do you realize why God gave Joseph power? God gave Joseph power to feed multitudes. God gave Joseph power so that God could bless people. And Joseph understood that and he used his power correctly. So when we understand there is a right desire for power, if you don't think that every person has a desire for power, just watch little girls playing with baby dolls. We would walk by our daughter's room and she'd have those baby dolls set up and she'd have a piece of paper and a crayon in front of them and she was telling them what to do and when they didn't do it, she'd just turn them over and spank them real good and she was in charge and she was the youngest in our family. I'll tell you another way you can see power. Get a dog and watch how the youngest child, the youngest child finally has someone to boss around.

Why? Because there is a natural desire for power and authority that God gives us. All power and even the right desire for power comes from God. As a matter of fact, Jesus even said to his disciples, if anyone desires to be great in the kingdom, he didn't say that he's wrong and he has bad motives. He said, if anyone desires to be great in the kingdom, let him be the servant of all. In other words, it's not wrong to desire to be great in the kingdom.

Timothy and Titus says, if any man desires the office of a bishop or an overseer, an elder, he desires a good thing. If you desire power for the right reason, it's a good thing. So all power comes from God. Here's number two, to whom does power come? To whom does power come? James 4, 10, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.

Let me give you another reason, another wording for lift you up. He'll give you power. He'll give you authority, responsibility.

First Peter five, verses five and six. 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. God gives grace to the humble and grace, we know one aspect of grace is an enabling or an empowering. That's what grace is.

It's not just forgiveness, but it is an empowering. We could never walk a holy life without the empowerment of God. So who does he give power or empowerment to, but to the humble?

So it's very simple. I'm asking questions, from where does power come? Comes from God.

To whom does power come? Comes to the humble. It's amazing to me to watch how we're all real humble when we start out at something, but after we do it for a while, we kind of lose our humility about it.

Like the life group leader says, hey, next week I'm going to be out of town. I'd like for you to teach the lesson. Oh my God, I can't do that. I just, no, no, no, I really, I prayed about it and I really think you'll do it. And it's very simple and it's laid out and I'll tell you, and then all week we're just nervous and we just can't hardly sleep and we just get so nervous and then we share the life group lesson. And because of our humility, God just shows up and he lifts us up for his purposes and he blesses us. And then someone says afterwards, boy, you did a good job.

Yeah, I thought I'd be good at this. It just all of a sudden changes. I have a friend of mine that I asked him to go with me to a prophetic meeting where we were literally praying over and prophesying over leaders in the church.

People we'd never met. And he said, Robert, I just can't do that. I can't do that. I said, listen, I just, just go with me. And if God gives you a word, just then you say it. But if he does it, don't feel any pressure.

So we were driving there. It was about a three hour drive and the hallway, he said, now I'm not prophesying tonight. I'm not, I'm not saying one word tonight. I just want you to know, I'm not going to do it.

He said, tomorrow night I might do one person, but I'm not going to. I just, I just, the hallway. And he's asking me questions.

What about this? And how do you see this? And how do you know it's God? And he asked every question he could ask for three hours. And we got there and the first couple came up and they knelt down. As soon as they knelt down, he went up and had a word over him. I mean, as soon as they got there and it was good.

It was powerful. I mean, he was just, and every couple that night, he had a word over. And then he even called people up from the congregation and he, he, it was, it was just, it was just God.

I mean, it was the, he yielded and the anointing of God came on him. Then in the pastor's house that night after the service, the pastor was sitting there. I was sitting here and he was sitting over here on the couch. And the pastor said to me, Hey, I have some questions about the prophetic. And he asked me, he said, Robert, use my name, Robert. And he asked me a question. And this guy sitting on the couch went like this, well, I'll tell you what I've learned about the prophetic. He went from novice to expert in one night.

It was amazing. And it was funny because the next night it was kind of a tough night. Sometimes you have tough nights in the prophetic.

And he said, man, I just can't, I can't hear anything. And so I shared with him afterwards. I think there's a reason for that because you were very humble last night and that's why God used you. And now all of a sudden you get prideful. Please understand there is a humility that God works in us. And the lower we put ourselves, the higher God puts us.

Think about this. Pride is so ugly. Have you ever been around a prideful person? I mean, it's just ugly, isn't it?

And it just so repulsive. Yeah. Have you ever been around someone who you kind of wanted to meet? You respected this person. This person has been very successful. And all of a sudden you get to meet the person, spend some time and the person's arrogant. And you just think to yourself, Ooh, man, I don't want to ever be around that person again.

Pride is foolish and it looks foolish, right? And I'll tell you a story about me. Years and years ago, I was probably in my twenties. I know I was in my twenties.

And the thing then was, I don't know why, we just kind of went through a phase. This was in the eighties of lizard skin shoes. And if you were successful, you had lizard skin shoes, you know, if you were a man. And so I, of course I couldn't afford them. They were about twice my house payments, you know? But this friend of mine bought some and they were too small for him. And so he gave them to me. And truth be told, they were too small for me, but I wore them. And so I just felt like I was, that people, all of a sudden I made it.

People just thought, man, that he's successful and he's rich. And so one morning I decided on a Saturday morning to go to the carwash and get them shined, you know, get my Ford Fairlane washed. But I go to the carwash and I get my shoes shined. And then I got up and I was walking down that long corridor where the windows are and everybody's saying, it's a Saturday morning, it's packed.

Everybody's standing at the windows and they're watching the car. But when I would walk by, they would kind of, you know, kind of turn around like this and every one of them just looked down and then they would watch as I walked by. And I just thought, man, they think I am someone important. This is just so wonderful. And when I got down to the end of the hall, after walking down the hall and everyone looking at me, I looked down to see how nice my shoes look. And the guy that had shined them had rolled up my pants legs like this.

And I was just walking. Now, my point is that pride looks foolish. So to whom does power come? It comes to the humble.

And here's point number three. Why does power come? Why does God give his power? Listen, think about this or share his power with someone. Acts 10 38 says, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him. God gives power to help people. God gives power because he loves people and he wants to see people help. I don't know if you've ever thought about this though.

You've got to catch this. God has all the resources in the world, right? Everyone agree with that? God owns everything in the world. Well, and out of this world for that matter. He owns Mars too. I don't know if you know, but he owns Mars. So God owns everything, everything.

Here's all the resources. Over here are all the hurting people, all the people that need to be fed, all the hungry people, all the hurting people, all the people that need the gospel preached to them, all the missionaries that need to be sent, all the church buildings that need to be built, all the ministries that need to be supported. Here, all the needs over here. Over here, all the resources. And if you want to think about it this way, all the supply and all the demand, if you want to use the business analogy. Have you ever thought about it this way? What's in the middle? You are.

You are. And God is simply looking for humble stewards that he can channel his resources and his power through. He wants to get all, he wants to get all of these resources and all of this power and all of this blessing to all of this need.

But he works through all. And his power is for good. His power is to help people. God's heart is for people. Deuteronomy 8 verses 17 and 18 says, don't say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may, watch this, that he may establish his covenant, which he swore to your fathers as it is this day. Why does God give power?

Here's the reason. That he may establish his covenant. That people can come into the new covenant of grace with Jesus Christ. I've heard this scripture quoted so much. You know, it's God who gives power to get wealth.

It's God who gives power to get wealth. Yeah. Why? So you can have a nicer car?

No. So he can establish his covenant with people. So he can bless people. So he can use you. He wants to bless you so you can bless others.

It's all through scripture. God will say, why would God give us such a nice building? Why? So we can say, look how big and nice our building is.

No. So we could help more people. It's always to establish his covenant. Power.

And it's wonderful when people who have been given power use their power to help people. That's what Joseph did. That's what Joseph did. A few years ago, we were very, very small. We had, well, I guess we were a little larger, but we had like five services a weekend at one campus. And so on the first Saturday evening service, some people in the church brought a lady to me and said, this so-and-so introduced me. She and her husband had been missionaries to Mexico for 40 years.

40 years. And so I'm talking to her and I said, is there anything I can pray with you about? And she said, yeah. She said, two months ago, I was, something happened with our visas and I was ordered to leave Mexico after 40 years. And my husband had to stay. And there's something wrong and they won't let him out and they won't let me back in.

So we've been apart for two months. Would you pray about that? Well, we have a man in our church named Juan Hernandez that ran the campaign for Vicente Fox to be elected president. And at that time, Vicente Fox was president.

As a matter of fact, President Fox was the first president of Mexico not elected from the communist party in 72 years. And Juan led him to Jesus Christ and he's a believer. And then Juan led 13 out of 24 cabinet members to Christ and member of our church. And so I thought to myself, hey, maybe Juan could do something to help. So I said, give me your name and your number, your information, your contact info.

There's someone in our church and I think he might be able to help. So the next service, this couple came up to me and they introduced themselves and his name's Jose. And he said, I'm Juan Hernandez's cousin. And I said, oh, I said, I'm trying to get in touch with Juan.

I don't know if he's in town or not this weekend. And I said, there's, and so I told him the story. I said, there's a lady, there's a problem with the visa. And so that's why I'm trying to talk to Juan.

And Jose said, I will take care of it. And I said, really? And I said, do you have some contacts? He said, I'm the minister of immigration for Mexico.

I said, really? And so then I thought, well, you know, it's the first time I've ever met the guy, you know, and I don't want to impose. I said, well, listen, I said, you know, I mean, if you run into any problems, you know, I was just trying to kind of let him off the hook and I'll never forget. He looked me right now and he said, I will not run into any problems.

I will take care of it. He understood the power that he had. He also understood what his power was for.

And this was on Sunday, that weekend on Monday, he had his visa and he came home and they had, and within a year after them being home and having a furlough, the husband went to be with the Lord. And I remember thinking about how God had arranged for them to be together that last year of his life. But here's what I want to say to you. I feel like I have a prophetic word for you. Remember where all power comes from. All power comes from God. So I would like to say something to each of you right now. This is from the Lord.

Here's what God would like to say to you. I will not have any problems. I will take care of it. I will take care of it. Whatever you're going through right now, he has all power and he'll take care of it.