Greetings;
I have begun to address the process of receiving authority. Within that process there is a birthright, training, and the receiving of the sound of God within our measure of rule. As we consider this process we have to consider the greatest example of all. Jesus set our example in receiving authority.
Jesus had a great birthright as a man and He still holds that birthright as our exalted Lord and King. Jesus didn’t seek to attain to power. He walked the path of destiny and His authority was witnessed by heaven and earth in the seed of who He was. He had a birthright of authority and it was witnessed by who He was.
Luke 1:30-32 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Every human seed has equal value, but not every seed has equal authority. Not every seed has equal rights, but every seed has equal love and value. The birthright is in the seed. To every seed there is a natural truth and a truth of the spirit. I believe that these two things combined give every human being a great spiritual (spirit-natural) destiny. There was a natural and a spirit truth in Jesus’ birthright that testified to the greatness of His calling. His eternal throne was established in the very seed of His being.
Authority is not who we say we are or who we think we are. It is who we really are. Jesus was who He was and He still is who He is. There was an earthly, as well as a heavenly witness as to His birthright. Within Jesus there was the seed of authority! The birthright of His seed was the King of kings and Lord of lords. Who Jesus was destined to be was witnessed both in heaven and upon the earth.
Luke 2:8-11 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
At the birth of Jesus there were both shepherds and angels testifying of who He was destined to be. He was not some pretender; He was the real substance of His destiny. There was a drawing of heaven and earth that testified of His birthright. It wasn’t the giftedness of Jesus that heaven and earth witnessed. It was the substance of His birthright and who He was in His substance. There was a Spirit-drawn witness of who He was. He didn’t proclaim who He was, heaven and earth testified as to who He was.
I have heard some crazy teachings in regard to spiritual gifting. I have heard hyper spiritual controllers and insecure ministers brag how their spiritual gifting will make room for them before men, but this is a real misquote of Scripture. There is a Scripture that says a man’s gift will make room for him (Pr. 18:6), but the context of this Scripture is that of honoring authority. Your personal gifting doesn’t make room for you, an earthly and heavenly witness does. That earthly and heavenly witness will make you secure in who you are and it will inspire you to show honor to authority.
When King David needed provisions for his men, the unrighteous Nabal refused to honor him. When David rose to deal with Nabal for his refusal of making provisions, Nabal’s wife Abigail met David on the road and offered him gifts of provision and begged forgiveness for her husband. David turned from his assault on Nabal as a result of Abigail’s gift. God then struck Nabal with a heart attack and within a week he died. A place was made for Abigail in King David’s palace because of her honor for the king. Abigail’s honor for authority made room for her, not her personal gifting (1Sam. 25).
The environment, region, and people we are sent to will have a witness of who we are – heavenly and earthly. It won’t be something we have to force upon others. It will be an evident truth. Jesus is Christ the Lord. An awesome destiny! Just like Jesus, we are destined to be who we are. The destiny of Jesus wasn’t proved by force, it was revealed through authority.
Luke 2:39,40 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Jesus grew in the strength of spirit, wisdom, and grace. There was a process to His destiny. He didn’t take any shortcuts to being revealed for who He was. This was evident even when others didn’t understand who He was.
When Jesus was twelve years old He went with His parents to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When the days of Passover were complete His parents and family returned home, but Jesus remained in the temple. After a day of travel His parents realized Jesus was not with them. After a three-day search they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
Luke 2:47-52 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Jesus didn’t take any shortcuts to His destiny. It is an awkward spot when destiny begins to cry out from your heart and the time is still a time of training. Joseph and Mary misunderstood Jesus, but He returned home with them and was subject to them. He continued to increase in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and men. Within you, there is a burning and a stirring to become who you are destined to be. That stirring does not negate the training process in your life. At age twelve Jesus’ heart longed for the destiny of age thirty, but He fulfilled the training process that took him to the age of inheritance. Age twelve was the age of manhood, but thirty was the age of inheritance. There is an age of authority. No one would give a chain saw to a five-year old and expect them to operate it in safety and skill. We should have a burning desire within us to fulfill our destiny in Christ, but there is a process and a timing to every phase of authority.
When the desire of your heart longs for the day of your inheritance, God will always say; More YEARS of training! What is required to see that burning desire complete? With your birthright comes a process of training. Part of your training process is to be secure in our present position and identity. It is your birthright that enables you to embrace the process of training with focus and zeal. Your birthright will empower you to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and men.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
