Luke 14:11, “For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled. And he who humbles himself shall be promoted.” Everyone who exalts himself refers to the believer involved in self promotion, degeneracy and the lust pattern of the sin nature, the believer with vacuum in the subconscious.
The believer is humbled through the law of volitional responsibility, in which the believer takes the responsibility for his own bad decisions and responds well to divine discipline.
Humbling oneself involves several steps: First, confession of sin resulting in the control of the Holy Spirit; next, intake of Bible teaching through self discipline in study; finally, many decisions to learn and apply doctrine to life.
There are two kinds of humility: self imposed humility and spiritual humility. God only promotes on the basis of spiritual humility. You are not humble because you think you are humble or say you are humble.
James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will promote you.”
Spiritual promotion is not related in any way to man promoting himself or being promoted by some other man.. All promotions in the Christian life are completely and totally fair, because all promotion is accomplished by God and God alone.
God does not promote anyone without humility. Humility only comes from knowledge of Bible doctrine and accepting God’s plan even when we do not understand it. You cannot make yourself humble; self-effacement is not humility.
1 Pet. 5:5-6, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble your selves therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time.”
A humility and grace orientation are always related to grace promotion. This is because with humility comes teachability and from teachability comes doctrinal orientation, and from doctrinal orientation comes grace orientation and execution of the plan of God.
Doctrinal orientation plus grace orientation equals promotion. Promotion implies the execution of the plan of God.
Promotion occurs through the distribution of blessings for both time and eternity by our Lord Jesus Christ. These blessings remain on deposit in heaven forever for every believer and are always available. Eph. 1:3.
Promotion implies that you have become grace oriented, which means he has capacity for every divine blessing associated with promotion. The arrogant believer involved in degeneracy can be classified as one who is in high visibility carnality, a Christian who is self promoting. The arrogance of self promotion results in failure to execute God’s plan.
The believer who lives in the world is always involved in self-promotion. The arrogance of the self promotion results in failure to execute God’s plan. This believer is classified as a loser.
Prov. 16:18, “Arrogance precedes destruction, and before a fall [there is] a lifestyle of destruction.”
Prov. 11:2, “When arrogance comes, then comes dishonor. But with the humble there is wisdom.”
Prov 29:23, “A person’s arrogance will bring him low, but with the humble is wisdom.”
Humility is something you have to acquire. No one is born humble, naturally humble or humbled by their circumstances.
With humility, objectivity, and orientation to authority comes teachability. Teachability means doctrinal orientation. From doctrinal orientation comes grace orientation. Doctrinal orientation plus grace orientation equals promotion.
2 Cor. 10:18, “For not he who promotes [commends] himself is approved, but whom the Lord promotes.”
Humility is related to the spiritual skills of the filling of the Holy Spirit; cognition of doctrine; and execution of the protocol plan of God.
Principles of Promotion
Never covet what God has not provided in grace.
The arrogant person becomes involved in the lust pattern of the sin nature and covets all kinds of things that God has not provided. But humility and grace orientation set aside the lust pattern through perception of doctrine, and therefore, develop a great capacity for life, love, happiness and grace blessing from God. As we develop capacity, God provides more blessing and greater promotion.
No church age believer can be promoted without at least five things:
Knowledge of the plan of God.
Knowledge of our catalog of spiritual blessings - our logistical support.
Knowledge of the unique characteristics of the church age.
Understanding and using the problem solving devices for Christians in the church age.
Understanding of principles of suffering for blessing and its contribution to spiritual growth.
Promotion in the plan of God is based on applied doctrine in the soul and never comes from Christian service or good deeds.
Christian service and Christian works is the result of functioning within the plan of God, but never the means. of promotion. Therefore, do not confuse means and result in the Christian life.
If God does not promote you, you are not promoted!
God promotes the humble believer who is classified as a grace oriented Christian. Humility is not self effacement or putting yourself down.
Grace orientation comes through applying Bible doctrine, which can also be called cognition of Bible doctrine. Cognition is an act of process of learning or perception, hence, something known or perceived. We do not withdraw from this doctrine under stress, pressure, or adversity.
Divine promotion in the plan of God requires humility, authority orientation, objectivity, teachability, flexibility and grace orientation. All of your thoughtfulness, tenderness, kindness and love in life have to be based on motivation.
Promotion from God begins in spiritual adulthood. No believer is promoted until he or she reaches spiritual self-esteem. Spiritual adulthood has three stages:
Spiritual self esteem, which is self confidence.
Spiritual autonomy, which is independence.
Spiritual maturity, which is invincibility.
When God can promote you, God is glorified. Promotion is always based upon the grace of God, and when God acts in grace, He is glorified. Divine promotion is always fair.
The promoted believer has maximum historical impact in the church age toward people and angels.