March 11, 2016
In the work of God, there are always those who oppose. I have watched countless churches stall out and die because of a man or group of men who oppose God's work. One of God’s greatest leaders discovered this, right at the moment when God was moving greatly among His people.
They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” When Moses heard this, he fell on his face and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself.
“Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, but you would also lord it over us? (Numbers 15:3-5, 13)
THE SOURCE
It is critical to discern such moments clearly and discover the true source of such opposition. It is always a pride that leads to CONTROL. And pride is easily seen. Pride wants to control. A proud man is not a praying man, or a submissive man. If a man will not submit himself to the Lord in humility, he will most certainly not submit to the leadership of God’s man.
Look at the two telling statements with these who rose up against Moses:
Study the New Testament and you will find this repeated with the Pharisees and Jesus Himself. “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” the Pharisees asked (Matthew 21:23). This man from Galilee was threatening their control and they didn’t like it (and ultimately killed him out of their envy.)
THE SOLUTION
So, how should the man of God respond to this opposition? He must do just as Moses illustrated. ""When Moses heard this, He fell on his face."" Moses' first response was to pray.
He got on his face, physically illustrating that there was one Leader and Moses was willingly operating under His authority. Obviously, God spoke to his leader there and when he stood up, he spoke with boldness to Korah and all his company. He told them that the next day, God would show them who was the leader. He let God intervene on His behalf, but He also knew that he must not give in to a controlling leader. If he had deferred, Korah would have led God's people intro great darkness.
The telling mark that Moses was indeed God’s man, was that he handled this great moment of crisis God’s way. He did not protect or defend himself. He did not lash out in anger. He did not seek to “rally his troops around him.” He prayerfully did what God instructed. This single moment could have completely derailed God’s work if Moses had not humbled himself and led from God’s presence.
David would later take this same path with Saul and all of his subsequent enemies. And He discovered that God would fight battles for Him.
Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul. He will recompense the evil to my foes; Destroy them in Your faithfulness. Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. For He has delivered me from all trouble, and my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies. (Psalm 54:4-7)
If you are facing a controller in your church or ministry, in the presence of God, ask Him if there is any truth to your enemy’s claims and repent if there is. And then, cry out to God and humble yourself before Him and do exactly as He directs. God knows exactly how to handle a Korah.
And always remember this: If you are carefully and humbly leading under God's authority, an ungodly enemy is actually fighting against the Lord, not you. Moses was right in his evaluation: ""Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord . . .” (vs. 11)
Don't let any bitterness settle in your heart (you are to love and forgive even your enemies), but get your instructions from the Lord's presence and stand and see the salvation of the Lord.
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