By Paul Ang

Promotion in our career, in our business, in our ministry comes from God.

"Exaltation or promotion comes neither from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South. But God is the Judge, He puts down one and He exalts another. " Psalms 75:6-7. The Bible says that promotion or exaltation comes from God. There are tests that God designs to qualify us for the promotions that He has in store for us. Our promotions will be based on how well we fare in these tests. There are at least five types of tests that we will have to encounter before achieving our promotion.

THE FIVE TYPES OF TESTS

The Life Of Joseph
In Genesis 41, Joseph was promoted from prison to palace in the most unusual circumstances. In Genesis 41:37 Pharaoh was very impressed with the interpretation of the dream and in Genesis 41:42 Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He was promoted to be the Prime Minister. There were five tests Joseph went through before he finally came to this place in Genesis 41. He was in prison the day before and within one day God promoted him.

The First Test Humility
Genesis 37:2-3 contains the first record of Joseph's life when he was 17 years old. In his teenage years, (Genesis 37:2b) Joseph brought a bad report of his brothers to his father. Joseph started off as a spoilt child. I am sure as a young man at that age he loved to gain attention and boast of the favour given by his father. There was a lot of pride in Joseph's life. So God had to put through the first test - the test of humility. Unless Joseph passed the test humility, he could forget about the great mission, the great dream, and the great promotion God had for his life.

Pit In The Wilderness
In this test of humility God dealt with Joseph through his brothers who did not like him. Not only did they hate him, they wanted to kill him. They threw him into a pit, instead!

The pit was found in the wilderness (Genesis 37:22). PIT stands for 'Preacher in Training'. Why was the pit found in the wilderness? The answer to the question is in Deuteronomy 8. Why did God allow the children of Israel to go through the wilderness?

"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2

God led them through the wilderness to humble them and test them to know what was in their hearts whether they would keep His commandments or not. And He does the same with us.

Our Hearts
The Book of Jeremiah reveals that our hearts are desperately wicked and many times nobody knows what is inside our hearts. It was the same thing with Moses before God used him and promoted him. The first 40 years in Moses' life was in a palace, he had a palace education, a palace mentality, palace treatment. The second 40 years after he murdered the Egyptian, he had to run for his life and dwell in the wilderness for 40 years. Why? To unlearn the pride he accumulated the first 40 years, to unlearn many things about the ways of man and God had to take him to the wilderness for 40 years. This was where He would take away the layer of pride, the layer of insecurity, of the layer of self-promotion, the layer of so many things inside his life before God could release him into the greater things of God.

The Peeling Of An Onion
I received a prophecy many years ago even before I was in the ministry. At that time I was with a good friend and we were driving through the streets of Kuala Lumpur. He turned around and said "Paul, I have a word for you, God is going to take you like an onion, He is going to strip you layer by layer, until there is nothing. It is only then that God will begin to use you". I was not very happy with the prophecy. In fact I wanted to say "Get thee behind me, Satan". Who wants such a prophecy? We want a prophecy: "God will exalt us, God will lift us, God will cause us to speak to the greatest crowd on planet earth". Before God uses us, He deals with us.

God has to deal with us because He desires the fruits of the Holy Spirit to be manifested in our life. These fruits produce godly character. Godly character is important because gifts and anointing without character will destroy us. I had to go through the dealings of God in my life.

On another occasion before entering into the ministry, there was a preacher who came to town in 1982. So I ran out for prayer, hoping that God would give me a prophecy through him. Well, God did give me a prophecy through him but not as I anticipated. He laid his hand on me and prayed a simple prayer "I have this Scripture for you, Proverbs 16:18" I was so excited with the word and rushed to find out what was in Proverbs 16:18. To my utter dismay the verse read: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall". "Get thee behind me, Satan! I am not proud and that is not for me," I exclaimed to myself. Then I thought that the preacher had made a mistake. He probably had too many pizzas, the night before, he must have actually meant Proverbs 18:16. Very quickly I turned to that scripture and it read: "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men." "Ah, this is for me," I comforted myself. However the Word of God spoken by both men of God began to do a deep work in me. God began to peel me like an onion of my pride, prestige and position. Each time He peeled me, it was painful and I wept bitter tears. He taught me to eat humble pie which is not too delicious but effective for the health of my soul.

Ears To Hear
Christians, do you know that there is a danger when we want to hear what we want to hear and not what we need to hear? What we want to hear and what we need to hear are two different things. Many of us may like ice cream but that may not be what our body needs. I realised that God was dealing with me in the area of pride as well as other areas. He took me through layer by layer.

"Be clothed with humility". I Peter 5:56. The ability to submit to one another is a sign of humility; the inability or difficulty to submit to one another is a sign of pride. People who are proud find it hard to submit. People who are proud find it hard to be corrected. In I Peter 5:6 God says "I resist the proud but give grace to the humble." Do we want God to promote us in due time? There are two ways we can be humble, we can either humble ourselves or be humbled by God.

The Second Test - Integrity
After Joseph passed the test of humility in the wilderness, he landed in Potiphar¹s house in Genesis 39. He had become the manager of Mr. Potiphar's household.

The second test that Joseph went through is the test of integrity. It is the test of loyalty and trustworthiness. As young men, we should serve another leader, another employer or another Boss. I personally believe that if you are not ready to be loyal and trustworthy to somebody above you, you are not ready to be promoted. Joseph had to serve Potiphar and Joshua had to serve Moses. Joshua was a servant of Moses before he became a servant of God. Most of us want to jump the queue to be the Servant of God before we become a servant of the man of God.
There is a reason why God puts you in your work place, in the ministry, in the church, in the various settings. He is testing your loyalty. He is testing your trustworthiness and integrity. Integrity is a real foundation stone in our life and ministry.

Long Term Ministry
Many of us desire to have a long-term ministry. We do not want to be a shooting star that appears today and disappears tomorrow. In our travels we have heard many stories of preachers and Christians being dishonest. We heard a true story when we were in Australia about a preacher who came from India and wanted to migrate to Australia. He needed to show the Australian High Commission A$ 30,000. He did not have the money so he obtained help from an elder of the church. He told his story and managed to get the amount of money as a loan from him. Although he promised to bring the money back after showing the Australian High Commission just for one day, he disappeared with the money There are many stories of this kind, all over the world. We need to realise that there is a Judge in heaven that is looking at all our dealings.

The Third Test - The Fear Of God
Joseph had to pass two tests in Potiphar's house. The second test he had to go through in Potiphar's house was by a lady called Mrs. Potiphar.

In Genesis 39: 7-12, Joseph was accused of trying to rape Mrs. Potiphar and was put into prison. In the eyes of the world Joseph failed and had committed adultery. The truth is, if Joseph had actually committed adultery, he would still be in Potiphar's house and not in prison. Then he would have failed God's test. This third test can be called the test of the fear Of God. People fall into sin because of the lack of the fear of God in their lives. If you have the true fear of God in your life you will not sin.

Proverbs 8:13 says: "The fear of God is to depart from evil". Proverbs 22:4 says: "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honour and life". We should not seek for honour, riches or long life. We need to humble ourselves and fear God so that when God gives you the test you will pass with flying colours.

The Fourth Test - Stewardship Of The Gift Of God
In Genesis 40:8, Joseph was put in prison. Many would have thought that Joseph had failed and Joseph was forgotten. God knows exactly where you are, even if you are in prison.

In prison there were two persons who were ministered to by Joseph: the butler and the baker. Each had a dream and did not know the interpretation. Joseph interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker.

Both of their interpretations came to pass. The fourth test that Joseph went through is the test of the stewardship of the gift of God in his life. Joseph was faithful to use God's gift though it was not in an outstanding way.

What if Joseph's attitude was not right? There were only two persons in the prison, the butler and the baker and Joseph could have thought, "I don't need to use my gift". Maybe there are only two persons in the Sunday school or home fellowship and one may he tempted not to prepare a good message. Maybe God has placed a gift. a talent in your life, are you faithful to use the gift? There is always a desire to preach to a big crowd, but are we faithful to one? Joseph was tested in prison to minister his best to the baker and butler. If Joseph had the gift of interpretation but did not use it, he would have failed the test and remained in prison.

Joseph passed the test. He was faithful to use his gift and in Genesis 41, Pharaoh had a dream that nobody could interpret. Joseph was asked to interpret the dream.

David
David was another example of faithfulness in small things. God gave him a little talent, a little gift - a slingshot. All he did was master the slingshot. If you went to where David was you would probably see all the barks of the trees bare and all the leaves with holes. God gave David another skill, the ability to play the harp. He had practiced many hours with his harp, worshipping God while watching over the sheep. He became skillful and anointed. Little did David realise that his skills and faithfulness would open a door for him to minister to a king. He did not know that God was testing him or that one-day he was going to play the harp in front of King Saul.

When David played before King Saul, there would be such an anointing that even the demon-possessed King Saul would he refreshed and would be delivered. I am sure when David was playing with the slingshot in the quietness of the wilderness while taking care of the sheep; he did not know that one-day he was going to fight Goliath. But one day the same sling shot, the same gift, was used to kill Goliath.
David became a national champion overnight. The test for David was not fighting Goliath in the public eye, but it was in the wilderness when nobody was watching. What we do in our own secret chamber, in our own quiet place, that is our test before God Almighty.

The Fifth Test - The Right Timing Of God
What would happen to Joseph if he refused to be faithful to his gift of interpretation? He would be unemployed and there would be no demand of his ministry. A lot of Christians enter into full time ministry prematurely and they end up "shaking legs". The fifth test Joseph had to pass was to be in the right timing of God. "He makes all things beautiful in His time. " Ecclesiastes 3:11
"The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill" Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Observe all these things, now we know that to win a race one must have speed, we also know that a battle is won by those who are strong, bread earned by the wise, riches by men of understanding, and favour for men of skill. All these are important - swiftness, strength, wisdom, understanding, skill, but the last ingredient carries us through. The last part of Ecclesiastes 9:11 says: "Šbut time and chance happen to them all".

The living Bible translation is "by happening to be at the right place at the right time". Ecclesiastes 3:11b. Your doors of promotion happen to you when you are at the right place at the right time with the right people and with the right message.

Ruth
Ruth was at the right place at the right time with the right people that changed her entire destiny and her entire life. She was a Moabitess, meaning she was from a gentile nation that had no inheritance in God's promises. But Ruth became the great grandmother of David. She became the lineage where Jesus was born. God had promoted Ruth in a very great way and Ruth was not even a Jew.

But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God." Ruth 1:16

Ruth had an opportunity to leave Naomi and join her family. Now both were widows but Ruth made a decision and was determined to follow Naomi all the way. In Ruth 1:22, Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest - at the right place at the right time. Her father-in-law, Elimelech, left Judah and went to Moab - wrong place, wrong time with the wrong people. Elimelech and his family suffered and there was no provision and he and his two sons died.

To receive your provision, your miracle, your promotion in life, you must be at the right place, at the right time, with the right people.

A series of events happened. In Chapter 2, Ruth gleaned in the harvest field of Boaz. In Chapter 3, through the instruction of Naomi, who is a type of the Holy Spirit, Ruth who was obedient and teachable went to wait at the feet of Boaz.

Ruth did something that was not permitted for a lady to do in those days. She took a risk of waiting at Boaz's feet under the instruction of her mother-in-law. She did not go on her own accord and God began to bless her. Imagine the struggle, the trauma, the torment, and the pain of waiting for Boaz. Many thoughts would have run through her mind and maybe she felt like giving up at 11.45pm. Nothing was happening as she waited patiently. How many of you have prayed and prayed and nothing happened, how many of you have tried everything under the sun and nothing happened? At 11.55pm still nothing happened. But at midnight something happened.

The "Midnight Hour"
We are about to hit our "midnight hour" when we are going to see God's provision, God's miracle, God's prosperity, God's promotion in our lives come to pass. Like Ruth, we need to be at the right place, at the right time with the right people

In conclusion, be prepared for God's promotion in your vocation, business venture, working place or ministry. The Lord will surely test us in His time and His way. Be sensitive to His tests and get ready for His promotion. Amen!