It's Not What You Know, but Who You Know
Throughout history and to this present day, people have pursued friendship with their rulers. Whether they be kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, governors, senators, mayors, judges or other political leaders, they are surrounded by people who want to be close friends.
The benefits of friendship with people with power is the much-coveted power of influence or favor. The power of influence or favor can provide provision, protection, access to other important people and incredible opportunities—opportunities which would be impossible without a friendship with that one important person.
We've all heard the expression, "It's not what you know, but who you know."
The Favor of the King
God has been speaking to my heart about His desire and longing for friendship with His children. He wants a much deeper relationship, which He created us for and which He purchased with the Blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The result or byproduct of this deeper relationship will be highly increased favor and the power of influence in the courts of Heaven.
Recently, I was facing a bit of a dilemma in an important relationship and knew I needed to hear from God. The first verse I read was Proverbs 22:11:
"He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend."
While I could apply this truth to my personal situation, a much more important insight came to mind. What if the person of power is actually the King of kings and Lord of lords? How much favor and influence could we experience if we were truly His personal friend?
We know that when a president chooses his cabinet members, judges, ambassadors, etc., he will give the best positions to those he loves and trusts the most. President Trump gave some positions to trusted family members and others to those who had supported his campaign. Some other positions were given to people he didn't really know, because they had the right experience, but many of them did not last because they did not have compatible ways of thinking and didn't have the sense of loyalty that family members had.
When our King of kings chooses men and women to serve at His pleasure, He doesn't make the mistakes that earthly leaders make. He chooses those whom He knows He can trust with the authority and favor He gives them.
Proverbs 22:11 makes it perfectly clear how to become a friend of the King, and if we are wise, we will take heed to its simple instructions.
A Pure Heart
First, we must LOVE purity of heart. Notice it doesn't say that we must HAVE a perfectly pure heart, but we must LOVE purity of heart. This simply means that we earnestly desire and pursue the removal of all selfish desires and motives. Desires and motives are the essence of the heart.
An impure heart is filled with desires and ambitions for personal honor, power, wealth, fame, etc. A pure heart is a heart in love with Jesus and a passion to build His Kingdom to honor Him. A pure heart wants Jesus to receive the honor, power, wealth and fame that the fleshly heart once craved.
No, you haven't arrived yet, and neither have I, but we can certainly ask God to purify our desires and motives and fill us with His Holy Spirit, whose fruit will manifest the purity of the heart of God.
The key is to ask God to give us that love and passion for a heart that's pure before God.
Grace on Our Lips
Second, we must have grace on our lips. We may love to sing "Amazing Grace," and preach, "By grace you are saved," but it's another thing to actually demonstrate grace in the way we speak.
Grace involves speaking the truth in love and forgiveness and mercy (Ephesians 4:15). Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."
God loves everyone He created, and He wants to give us His wisdom and love when we talk to people. The biggest challenge we face is with those with whom we live.
As I shared in my latest book, "The Marriage Anointing," we need a special anointing to communicate with grace to spouses and other family members. But that anointing is freely available to everyone who desires it, and God is more desirous to release it than we are to have it. Again, it's important to remember that God is looking at the heart, not our failures. Keep seeking, knocking and asking and you will experience God's supernatural grace, which will enable you to truly have grace on your lips.
Today, the Spirit of God is brooding over God's children, looking for those who desire the same things He desires—those who have kindred hearts with His (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Do You Want the King to Be Your Personal Friend?
I hear God saying that He is earnestly seeking today those He can use tomorrow in the Great Harvest of Souls, which He has decreed will take place. He is crying out to all who are listening, "Lay aside your personal agendas; love purity of heart; let grace be on your lips and desire to know Me and please Me above all else. I will be your Friend forever and give you favor with God and man.
"Don't pattern your lives on others who seem to be successful. Pattern your lives after My Son, who laid His life down and now sits at My right hand with all the favor that I can provide. Become like Him and you will be rewarded with exceedingly great blessings and favor."
Would you like more favor with God and man? Do you want the King to be your very personal friend? Proverbs 22:11 makes it very simple. Let's pursue purity of heart and grace on our lips.
I know from experience that God keeps His word. Most importantly, He is looking for cabinet members, ambassadors, judges and others to administer the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth. Will you be on His short list to fill some important position in His Kingdom? I pray you will.
Ben R. Peters
Kingdom Sending Center
Email:ohmint@gmail.com
Website:www.kingdomsendingcenter.org
Ben and Brenda Peters have said "YES" to the call of God to challenge, equip, and send dedicated lovers of Jesus into the harvest fields of the earth, including the seven mountains of society. Together they have ministered to tens of thousands of individuals in several countries of the world. After establishing and serving churches and Christian schools for almost thirty years, they began a traveling ministry in September 1999 under the name Open Heart Ministries. This ministry consisted mainly of speaking, teaching, preaching, and prophesying in conferences, camps, retreats, churches, ministry schools, and homes. More recently, they also founded an Illinois-based ministry called Kingdom Sending Center. Ben began writing revelatory books in 2000, and has published over 23 of them since then, including his most recent, The Marriage Anointing. Ben and Brenda now live near Sacramento, California, close to most of their five children and twelve grandchildren.
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