Ichabod - Obtaining The Grace To Last by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Isaiah 32:15, 1 Samuel 4:1-22

The ignorant believer will always remain a defeated believer. Hosea 4:6. The blessings received in this Zoe life are accessed by knowledge. Receiving the life does not automatically mean experiencing the fullness of that life.

2 Corinthians 9:8 — Grace is dimensional. It is difficult to abound unto good works until these dimensions of grace find expression. Every believer in Christ has the destiny of ever-increasing glory. Proverbs 4:18, Ezekiel 36:11. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning. The beginning is characterized by many things — and it starts with ignorance. Job 8:7.

This message brings to light the mystery behind the longevity of greatness.

Reasons why greatness is short-lived

Starting is not enough, your real stamina is not measured in you ability to start, your real stamina is measured in your ability to remain.

1. Pride

   — Proverbs 18:12, Proverbs 29:23

   Pride is the unashamedness to acknowledge God as the reason, principal, and source of greatness. James 4:6-8

   • There is nothing in this life that cannot fall. The anointing of God is to fight and resist anything against His will.
   • In the presence of greatness, it is difficult to tame pride. Something happens to men when they become great.
   • Pride has destroyed lives and ministries. It can come dressed as acknowledgement — the pride of life: self-exaltation on account of obvious results.

     • If a man's results are loud and clear, his pride becomes justifiable in his own eyes.

   • If the devil wants to fight a man, he fights him at the beginning of the journey — and if he doesn't win, he rests for a while and waits at the corridor of greatness.

   The temptation of pride will always show itself at the face of greatness. The moment the enemy makes a man feel like things cannot go well without him, he is already in trouble. Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of all.

   Signs that pride has set in:

   • People no longer matter to you
   • The belief that everyone should bow because of your place in the equation of success
   • The pressure to prove a point and let men know you have made it

   The pressure to prove a point is a sign that a man has not really made it — because success is loud, it is visible, it is clear.

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   One of the most powerful ways to encourage and inspire others is to combine humility with results. It is a beautiful sight — people who are gifted, skilled, and great, yet their lives become inspiring because they wrap that excellence with humility.

   Keep me humble, O Lord. As men sing my praise, keep me humble.

   When people are clapping during a triumphant entry, be aware — most people are clapping for themselves through you.

   Lord, when people look at me, may they see you. Yes — they will acknowledge your hand upon my life, but beyond me, may they see your power, your glory, your favour, your works. Let it not be all about me.

   There are people whose crowns men once danced around, and after two or three years they are no more — yet they are still alive. From the standpoint of wisdom, the urge to prove a point is unnecessary.

   A man's passion to remain must exceed his passion to be known. If the passion to be known exceeds the passion to remain, he will be known — but will not last.

   It is difficult to remain in a system and yet not be known. The reason greatness is short-lived, the reason glories sometimes become shame, the reason longevity is not open to many — it is pride.

   Solution: Proverbs 3:6 — In all your ways, acknowledge God. When self wants to use results to promote itself, remember it is God who placed you there. No matter how high a man rises, remember He is the Lifter.

   It is better not to rise at all than to rise and be forgotten. Run away from pride.

2. An Arrival Mentality

   — 1 Corinthians 8:2

   An arrival mentality is the inability to continue learning. It is said that many graduates, after leaving school, begin a mental decline — because the pressure to learn is no longer present. Real champions are known by their unassuming personality. They are ever open to learn. They are students for life.

   The Bible says that if any man thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing compared to what he ought to know. The school of wisdom is a school no one graduates from — the moment a man graduates, he graduates into failure.

   • Yesterday's excellence will always become tomorrow's mediocrity. An award received yesterday does not guarantee one tomorrow.
   • The world is full of people who live in their yesterday. Their arrival mentality has kept them static while the world developed.
   • Celebrating yesterday at the expense of today's impact and exploits is a disaster. Yesterday should never be greater than today.
   • Champions never arrive — they know there is always more.

   Anyone who refuses to sit down and learn has forfeited their chance for growth. Whenever wisdom is being dispersed, humble yourself and learn. Reject an arrival mentality so that the word Ichabod will never become part of a life and destiny.

   Everywhere greatness is found, respect it. Use the opportunity and ask questions. 1 Timothy 4:15-16. The victor's mentality is that of learning. No man is a monopoly of wisdom — humble yourself to learn from whomever you see dispensing it.

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Apostle Joshua Selman
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3. Distractions and Compromise

   — Galatians 5:7-9, Philippians 3:13-15

   There are two dimensions to distractions:

   • Getting into areas beyond the scope of your grace — Ephesians 4:7

     • Many ministers have fallen because they veered into dimensions where grace was not given.
     • The deception of greatness is that once success comes in one area, it becomes easy to assume every other dimension will be equally accessible.
     • The ability to discern your area of grace and to stay there with humility profits both you and the body of Christ.
     • Most times, this kind of calamity starts from pride — claiming authority in areas outside one's grace and producing misleading information.
     • Be comfortable where God has placed you and serve with excellence. A king is only a king within his kingdom — do not enter another person's kingdom and fight the throne.

   • Not protecting your focus and pursuits — Acts 6:1-4

     • Create structures that will help protect your ministry and calling.
     • Many people are busy doing many things that are not necessary.
     • When God has lifted a man to a certain level, there are things he should no longer be found doing — employ people to handle them.
     • Great people unclutter their lives from things that are unnecessary. If a man is genuinely good-natured, God will bring people whose very work is to help maintain focus on what is important.

4. Violating Your Winning Strategy

   Whether divinely given or built on years of sacrifice — exploits and victory are always strategy-dependent. In business, it is called a quality control system. It is the will of God plus the strategy for achievement that leads to success and victory.

   • Teach children the strategy of winning — not just let them enjoy the victory. If the strategy is not passed on, they will lose what was built.
   • The first thing a parent should pass to their children is not money but conviction.
   • If glory has been lost, go back — there was something God gave that was lost along the way.
   • If people are coming around you, teach them the secret that makes you win. Do not just let them enjoy the benefits. If they are unwilling to learn, let them enjoy it from afar — lest they come and destroy what was built.
   • The moment a man forgets what keeps power on his head, he will lose it. It is not enough to know how to win — a man must know what keeps the victory.

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   If you see men go from grace to grass, they have violated a strategy.

   2 Chronicles 15:12-14

   Anytime greatness is visible, someone is doing something extraordinary. Behind every sustainable result, there is a winning strategy. There is a kind of foolishness in obedience, and God will honour that obedience even when it costs.

   Do not love people so much that you let them be destroyed by their own errors. Sometimes the enemy uses emotions to destroy people. Behind every result there is a secret — it was a violation of strategy that led to the death of the sons of Eli. 1 Samuel 4. If those around you are violating the law of God, love them — but correct them in love. That was the mistake of Eli, and it led to great loss in Israel.

   There are consecrations that protect victories and glory.

5. Unaddressed Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities

   It is not weaknesses and vulnerabilities that destroy men — it is unaddressed ones.

   Vulnerability means there are things a person is easily drawn to. It does not mean sin — but it can be used against them.

   • Some people's vulnerability is lust
   • Others, money
   • Some, anger
   • Others, an obsession for recognition
   • And some, the spirit of seduction — it has no power over a man until it finds an affiliation with something already inside him. If Jesus had not been hungry, it would have been pointless to tempt Him to turn stones to bread.

   Before the enemy attacks a family, he looks for the weakness that becomes a gateway. Weaknesses and vulnerabilities do not care who or what a man is. Hebrews 12:1.

   Weaknesses do not need to produce any profit before they are pursued — they simply need to exist. There are people whose greatest threat is not immorality but offense. One of the biggest tools of the enemy is the false idea of holiness — the belief that because trouble has not yet come, one is safe.

   In the face of vulnerabilities and weaknesses, no one is a saint. Just because people have not acted out their lust does not mean they do not have it. Anytime a man thinks he is standing, he is already on his way to falling. The only reason anyone stands is by the mercy of God.

   It is a man's assignment to be honest with himself and admit his weakness. Weakness is only fully revealed in the face of trouble.

   Acts 24:16, James 1:19-20

   Offense comes with growth and increase — the more a man grows in life, the more offenses come. Ego has become so fashionable in the world that an entire industry has been built around it. The pain from offense can be so deep it registers physically — as though struck with a knife.

   A man's destiny is too valuable to be surrendered to a revenge mentality. Know your weaknesses early and deal with them. If a man truly knows God, he will not keep men imprisoned in his heart. When the Holy Spirit comes with the Balm of Gilead, healing takes place.

   There are certain levels of elevation that require a prayer of ongoing repentance — because honour and lifting carry their own temptations. Discern your vulnerabilities.

   Most times, offense comes when lusts and expectations are not satisfied. Some people's weakness is food — gluttony. Others, lying. For some, it is pride.

   Even if a man has only one year left to live, an unaddressed weakness can ruin every good he has ever done.

6. Loss of Passion and Fire for God

   — 2 Chronicles 26:5

   This is the last and greatest reason why glories are lost. Sometimes it is not about what is being said — it is about whom a man is loving. There may be a disconnect between a person and their source of power. What is said may be right, but the impact is no longer there.

   Revelation 2:4-5

   Behind every great work any great man does is his genuine love for God. There are things that only love can make a man do — it is not about money. The jealousy of God over any great man is connected to that man's love for God. Love is not talk. The proof of love for God is what a man can lay down for Him. Everything belongs to God — men are only stewards.

What Every Great Person Must Have to Remain

1. Prophetic intercessors who hold you up in prayer — 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, 1 Peter 5:8

   • There is a project in the kingdom of darkness targeting great men. At certain levels of greatness, arrows and weapons will be fashioned — and it is not enough to know how to pray personally. An army of people who will intercede is needed.

2. A system of accountability — for correction, advice, counsel, and prophetic declaration. Never submit to people from whom counsel cannot be received.
3. Godly and faithful friends — Proverbs 18:24, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

   • It is very lonely at the top. Without good people in life, a man is in trouble.
   • If faithful and godly friends are found, swallow pride and keep them — they cannot easily be found again. The top is full of interests.
   • Keep those who are ready to share your pain and give up their all to put a smile on your face. Great people can be very lonely.
   • Among the blessings in life, the blessing of good people ranks highest. If value cannot be contributed, contribute gratitude.
   • Never be the reason for anybody's pain. We were created to be binders and not destroyers. God is a God of justice.